My Favorite Digital Scrapbooking Layouts From May 2026

Marisa Lerin — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:00:48 +0000

Here are just a few of my favorite layouts from the last month.
Join us in the layout challenges forum if you're interested in scraplifting any of these!

▼ Fibul's layout is bright, cheerful, and full of playful energy.

▼ I love the patterns AMarie chose for this page, along with all the thoughtful little details tucked throughout.

▼ Joyce created a beautiful heritage layout that feels both timeless and heartfelt.

▼ Deanna's delicate lace background adds such softness and texture to the page.

▼ The large background flower Chris used creates such a lovely focal point in this layout.

▼ Bina's journal is incorporated so beautifully here and adds so much personality to the page.

▼ Sara made great use of a layout template, creating a page that feels polished and cohesive.

▼ Jessica's layout is full of fun details that keep your eye moving around the page.

▼ Becky did a fantastic job pairing her template and embellishments with the colors and feel of the photo.

▼ Ona's combination of a large photo and pocket cards creates such a fun and balanced design.

▼ Diana's clustering is beautifully arranged and adds wonderful depth to the layout.

▼ Lou included so many lovely little bits and pieces that give the page extra charm and personality.

Announcing New Designer: Kelley Danielle!

Marisa Lerin — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:00:41 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that Kelley is officially joining the DigitalScrapbook.com designer team today! If you've spent much time around the site, chances are you've already come across her work in the Commons, seen her take part in the blog train, or noticed her answering questions in the forums. I've always loved her creative style and layouts, and I'm so pleased to have her joining us in this new way.

Here's a little introduction that Kelley wrote:

Hi!! I'm Kelley, and I'm super excited to be here as a brand new designer at DS! If I had to describe myself in only one word, I'd definitely say "maker". I'm always making something - whether it is digital scrapbook kits, resin jewelry, tie dye shirts, photographs, handmade soap, a new outfit for myself or a family member, bread or other baked goods, or any number of other things.

As a little kid, I loved to draw, play with clay, and take photos. In fact, I remember my very first camera. My uncle was having a garage sale, and he lifted me up and plopped me in the back of his truck to search through the treasures to choose one thing to keep. I chose a Polaroid camera! I still have the very first photo I ever took. My poor younger sister was always coerced into being my model so that I could practice. That casual hobby turned into pretty serious study in college and beyond, and so when I had children, I was well prepared to capture every moment. Of course, photography goes hand in hand with scrapbooking.

I began scrapbooking as a teen in a very primitive form. I had 3 ring binder photo albums with the sticky pages, and I would cut my photos up into crazy shapes and strips (I know, I know) and embellish with random stickers and markers. Once I had my oldest child in 2001, I went full force, buying tons of paper and supplies to go all-in with it.

I soon found out that I am wayyyy too messy of a person to be doing physical scrapbooking! It also took too much time, and I was on a budget, so I couldn't keep spending money on it. So scrapbooking got reluctantly pushed to the side for several years.

I continued to work on honing my photography skills, and I was a member of a website called Clickin' Moms. One day in 2010, I happened upon a thread about digital scrapbooking, which I had no clue even existed. As soon as I saw what it was, I was instantly hooked! I already had a working knowledge of Photoshop at the time, so that helped with getting started.

I joined a couple forums that are no longer around anymore and started scrapping up a storm. I was a work-at-home homeschooling mom to my 5 kids at the time, so I had plenty of subject matter. I joined several creative teams (and by several, I mean a LOT) and had so much fun with that.

As my scrapping evolved, I eventually got the design itch. I remember oohing and aahing at all the kits the designers made, and I always thought to myself how cool it would be to be able to make my own. Slowly over time, I started to experiment and learn how to make things, and I enjoyed it so much that I started making full kits.

It was only a couple of years ago that I first discovered DigitalScrapbook.com. I love the community here, the designers, the unique business model, and especially the fun blog trains!! I started participating in designer challenges, submitting contributions to the blog trains, and uploading work to the Commons. DS has definitely become my digihome — it's the first site I visit every day when I pop my laptop open (even when I should be working haha).

I'm absolutely thrilled to have been invited to join the DigitalScrapbook.com design team. It's truly a dream for me!

Right now, I live in North Iowa in a very small town with my family. Aside from crafting, I also enjoy gardening, nature, ren faires, camping, road trips, eating yummy food, reading, and my pets. I have a goldendoodle/aussiedoodle mix named Dexter, 6 cats, and several reptiles as well. My kids are all young adults now, ages 24, 23, 21, 19, and 18! It's crazy to me, because I don't feel like I should be 45 quite yet!

I'm definitely a homebody, but I'd love to move somewhere with a bit more to do so that I could be part of a sewing or quilting club, book club, gardening club, and a plant-based group for some community. Now that my kids are grown, I find myself hanging out alone a lot, which is definitely strange considering my previous kid-focused, homeschooling lifestyle!

Over the years, I've been a waitress, preschool teacher, nursing home business office manager, photographer, and medical transcriptionist in addition to the many creative businesses I've had through the years. I'm super excited to add DigitalScrapbook.com designer to that list!

I can't wait to create lots of fun things for you to play with and to get to know you all better as we hang out in the forums. Thanks so much for having me! :)

Please help me welcome Kelley to the team by leaving a comment below!

Fieldnotes #30 + Freebie

Marisa Lerin — Sun, 31 May 2026 22:00:00 +0000

This month's new Fieldnotes and a freebie for you! As always, I’m so grateful to be part of this wonderful community, and I hope these designs help spark your own creative projects. Don’t forget to check out this month’s blog train.

And here's this month's freebie. Click on the image to download.
Link will expire after June 30, 2026

And now some inspiration from the Creative Team:

▼By Bina

▼By Fibul

▼By Bourico

▼By Marlyn

▼By AMarie

▼By Lou

▼By Becky

▼By Brenda

Studio Notes: Spring 2026

Marisa Lerin — Mon, 18 May 2026 22:00:43 +0000

I thought it might be fun, and probably about time, to write a little personal update here. I'm never quite sure what to include in these kinds of posts, but I always enjoy reading small behind-the-scenes updates from other people, so I'm giving it a go.

We've been in England almost a year now, which feels very strange to say. I honestly feel like we've lived here a long time and I'm always surprised to rememeber we are actually fairly new. The kids have had a really good year at school, and we're finding our rhythm here. We've made some lovely friends in the community, figured out more of the everyday things, and England is feeling more and more like home.

Spring has been especially lovely. After the darker winter months, it has been so nice to see everything waking up again. I've been taking lots of little photos when we’re out and about: flowers, green spaces, bits of light, and those very England-feeling views that still feel a little bit new to me. I think that has probably been feeding into my creative mood too. There is something about spring that makes me want to start fresh, gather ideas, and make a bit of a mess.

Studio-wise, I have been completely taken over by mixed media painting fever. I have never really done much painting before, at least not in any serious or consistent way, but lately I find myself making marks on whatever paper is nearby. Notebooks, scraps, random bits of paper, old pages, everything feels like a possible place to experiment. I'm not really sure where it is all going yet, but I'm enjoying the process so much. There's something very freeing about making marks without needing them to immediately become anything.

I've also been getting back into junk journaling, which feels connected to the same creative itch. I like the collecting, layering, cutting, sticking, scribbling part of it all. It feels very low pressure, which is probably why I'm enjoying it. There's a particular random feeling that I've always found missing from my digital work, so I tend to play that up quite strongly when I'm doing something tactile. The more random feeling the better.

The kids have been making things too, so there has been a fair amount of paint, paper, glue, and general craft chaos happening around here. And it's fun to see their different creative processes emerge. Our dinging room table should really be called the craft table where we occasionally eat.

I'm also trying to remind myself that making art doesn't require a perfect setup or a big dedicated space. I have very little room and so I am trying to use the limited space as a helpful constraint as I work out what I'm doing. Whatever emerges will have to be somehow small and compact. I also started a new art-focused Instagram, mostly as a place to put these little experiments and scraps of process. I'm trying very hard not to take it too seriously, which is probably the only way I'll actually keep using it.

I have been keeping up with my weekly digital Project Life pages, which I'm very happy about. That project still feels like one of the most useful and meaningful ways I document our life. I do have a backlog of pages that need to be decorated, though, so that is sitting in the back of my mind. I also really need to find a good UK-based photobook printer, because I have several years of books that are finished or nearly finished and need to actually become real books.

So that's where things are at the moment: settling in, taking spring photos, making messy marks, slowly getting back into paper, and trying to keep the memory keeping moving along. Nothing especially dramatic, just a lot of small pieces of life and creativity shifting into place.

Thanks for reading along. I'm hoping to share studio notes here every now and then — partly as a way to keep in touch, and partly as a little record of what this season looks like behind the scenes.

My Favorite Digital Scrapbooking Layouts From April 2026

Marisa Lerin — Wed, 06 May 2026 22:00:44 +0000

Here are just a few of my favorite layouts from the last month.
Join us in the layout challenges forum if you're interested in scraplifting any of these!

▼ Yvonne combines beautiful clustering with thoughtful white space, creating a layout that feels both balanced and airy.

▼ Ona's mixed media style really shines here, full of texture and creative energy.

▼ I love the painty background Lou created, it adds so much depth and artistic interest to the page.

▼ AMarie's soft and sweet layout is made even more striking with those subtle black details.

▼ Jessica's layout has such wonderful vintage vibes, full of character and charm.

▼ Cathy's attention to detail really stands out, with so many thoughtful touches throughout the page.

▼ Conny's heritage layout feels timeless and meaningful, beautifully honoring the photos.

▼ Kelley's layout is lighthearted and fun, with a playful feel that draws you in.

▼ Chris paired a lovely photo with a layout that complements it perfectly.

▼ Maureen's page is full of energy, with a busy style that still feels cohesive and engaging.

▼ Linda's layout is sweet and fun, with a warmth that makes it really inviting.

▼ Mary's flower clustering is beautifully arranged, adding softness and flow to the design.