Hey, thanks! You really should try....it's so much fun! Really simple to do too. It doesn't require much as far as editing software goes. I'll give you a run down on how I do it:
1. I use Microsoft power point for the most part. I've found it's the easiest way to do the journaling boxes, etc.
2. Open PowerPoint. Change the size of the slide to 7.5x10 on page setup.
3. Choose the background you want.
4. Insert pictures that you would like on the page. You can change the design of the picture as well. You can drop a shadow, change the shape, make it reflect, etc.
5. Insert clip art as needed.
6. To make the journaling boxes, I just insert various shapes, then insert a text box in the shape and type what I want in there.
7. I then insert the main text the page and format it the way I want it.
8. To save as a .jpg: click on save as, then other formats. Select jpg and save it in a folder.
9. Once I have all of the pages I want, I then open Microsoft Word and insert each page on a different page of a word document. This way, when it's printed, it'll all be in order.
10. Save as a word document and print. I took mine to the UPS store here in town. I found it was less expensive than any of the other places that print and bind. It was also MUCH less expensive than printing it at home. My pages have a LOT of color. Have them print it on thick paper and it will be JUST like a book. They bound it for me and everything. Cost was less than $20, but I don't remember exactly how much. They also put a laminated cover on the front which made it look really nice too. I was very impressed. It helped that the manager of the UPS store was going to Disney World at the same time I was... lol... she was really into making it look nice.
Some notes:
I also do my scrapbook pages this way. I made the page, took it to the UPS store and they printed them and I then added my stickers and die cuts, etc. I LOVE the way it turned out. I'll have to post pictures of this as well.
For some of the clip art, I have to cut out the image. I use Adobe Photoshop 7.0 for this. It's relatively simple. There are a lot of photo editing software programs out there. Any will do.
I'll work on those pages for you. I'll post them when I'm done and you can let me know if they're ok or if you want any changes.
Let me know if you have any questions