Scrapbooking has gone online in the digital age, so put away your glue and scissors. All you need to create stunning digital scrapbook pages are your digital photos, a few minutes of your time and the CropMom online scrapbooking Website.

Online scrapbooking is affordable

CropMom's online digital scrapbooking software is free to use. There's no expensive software to buy, no scrapbook embellishments to buy and no mess! You can share your CropMom layouts for free on the Web or by e-mail. If you want to print your layouts, you can purchase the print-quality digital file from CropMom for a small fee, then print your scrapbook page at home or have it professionally printed.

 Your digital scrapbook layout will look as realistic as if you had glued the photos and embellishments by hand on the page.

6 easy steps for creating scrapbook layouts online

CropMom is free to use, but you must register to upload your photos and save the digital scrapbook pages. After you have logged in, you'll be creating digital scrapbook pages, photo greeting cards and digital art in no time.

1.   Upload a photo or two using the photo upload tool on the My CropMom or My Photos page. Use high-resolution photos if you think you'll want to print your layout. Your photo may take a minute to upload if it is a large file.

2.   Click the Make New Layout button that is on almost every page in CropMom. You'll be automatically take to the CropMom Builder, where you'll design your digital scrapbook layout.

3.   Choose New Layout or Open Template. A template is a pre-made layout that can be fully customized. If you choose New Layout so that you can create a layout from scratch, give your layout a name and choose a canvas size.

4.   Drag and drop your photos and scrapbook graphics from the right menus onto your blank canvas. You can rotate and resize your graphics and photos. You can even add your own text by clicking the Add Text tool. Right-click for more useful tools.

5.   Save your layout by clicking on the Save button, then click the View Saved Layout link next to your layout's name.

6.   Now, you can share your layout via e-mail, download the screen-quality JPEG file of your layout to post on your Website or purchase the print-quality JPEG file of your layout to print at home or to have printed by a third-party photo service, such as Snapfish, Shutterfly, Kodak Gallery or PhotoWorks.

 Printing your digital scrapbook page

 If you purchase the print-quality JPEG file of the digital scrapbook pages you make at CropMom, there are many options for printing them. We love to have our digital scrapbook pages printed as photo books. Many photo services will also let you put your digital scrapbook page on photo coffee mugs, mousepads, T-shirts, notebooks and other photo gifts.

 Get inspired by our digital scrapbook pages

So get started now making digital scrapbook pages and photo greeting cards online at CropMom. Here are a few  scrapbook layouts created using CropMom's free online scrapbooking software. Browse the CropMom scrapbook gallery for even more ideas. And check out CropMom's scrapbooking tutorials for tips and suggestions on creating your own digital scrapbook page online.

- Kathryn Balint, founder of CropMom and digital scrapbook kit designer