Templates…I love them and that is no secret. I love making them, I love using them, and I love seeing how they help other people scrap. A while back we started looking at the TOP TEN WAYS TO USE TEMPLATES.

In Part One we saw that:

1. Templates give you a starting point
2. Templates are great for beginner scrappers
3. Templates can help you do things you don’t know how to do

In Part Two we looked at the fact that:

4. Templates are very versatile
5. Templates help you try new things or things that you struggle with
6. Templates aren’t just for page designs.

Today we are going to finish up our Top Ten List.

There are a lot of great template artists out there! Templates are only as good as the artists that created them.  Thankfully, there are so many amazing designers out there creating templates to fit every style.  Almost every digi store has someone designing and selling templates. If you are in need of some fresh inspiration try these ladies:  Kaye Winiecki, Jen Caputo, Tiffany Tillman, Kelleigh Ratzlaff, Jen Wilson, and Ali Edwards.

Templates are easy to make and a great design tool. Oftentimes, when I am creating a page “from scratch” I actually start by creating a template.  If I know how many photos I want to use and/or the style I am going for, creating a template first is a great way to focus on the design aspect before working with actual photos and papers. For instance, when I wanted to scraplift Jen Jockish’s page for Wednesday’s post, I first created the template.  That way, I could just place things where I wanted them and then start adding photos, papers, and embellishments.  And the bonus? Now I have the template if I ever want to create a similar style page.

Even your kids can scrap with templates! My six year old daughter LOVES to create (and then show off!) scrapbook pages! Templates are the perfect way for her to learn basic Photoshop skills.  She sits on my lap, we choose a template, and then we go from there.  She will see how many photos it needs, how many papers, etc.  Once she chooses her pictures I will select a kit that I think would go well with it.  And then she plays!  Over the past year she has gotten really good!   She knows how to resize, recolor, move, add new files, do a clipping mask, and more.  Templates are a great way to help kids who want to learn!  Here is one of the pages she created using a template:

Templates make putting an album together easy-peasy! One of the best times to use templates are when you are trying to create an album. Templates make things so easy for you by having pre-cut shapes, cohesive designs, and a terrific starting point.  If you want to put something together fast, start with a template!   This album took me just over an hour to create:

So go on, give templates a try! They are such an amazing tool and resource.  If you want to learn more about how to use templates, check out our template page HERE.

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