Software:
Download free trial of ACDSee Photo Editor
Download free trial of ACDSee 10 Photo Manager
(look on the right toward the bottom for the download trial links)
Getting Digital Kits:
Save a few of these zips in a folder called "Digital Scrapbooking Kits"
Quickpage sample: Artistic Musings
Shabby Princess has some great free digital kits to get you started: Shabby Princess Downloads
Community DigiShopTalk