Scrapbooking Resource Directory

Basic Color Theory Scrapbooking Ideas

2005-11-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Looking for a simple, versatile scrapbooking idea that can make your pages interesting and great looking? Try using the color wheel that you learned about in grade school to design well-coordinated eye-pleasing pages that really shine. The simple color theories that you learned in grade school can serve you very well in scrapbooking today, and after reviewing the basics you’ll be ready to create an unlimited number of great looking pages.

Remember the color wheel? Colors arranged in a circle, similar to a rainbow, and all of the colors related? Red combines with yellow to make orange, yellow and blue combine to make green, and red and blue make purple, remember? Visit your local craft store and invest in a simple color wheel to get you going. Most of the art departments will have one, and EK Success now makes a fancy one just for scrapbooking. Any color wheel will allow you to use these simple ideas.

Let your picture be your guide in choosing a color scheme for your page. Choose one color from the photograph to be your “key” color. It may be a color from a flower in the foreground, or the color of the shirt your child is wearing. Whatever you choose, it will be the starting point for your color themed page design.

The first color scheme is monochromatic. Say you’ve chosen the blue of your son’s eyes. Since every color comes in many values, choose two or three additional values of the blue color you want to use. You may choose one lighter value and one darker value, or two lighter or darker values, it’s up to you. Now do all of your work on the page in these three colors. The result will be restful, calming and cohesive. Your page will be pleasing to the eye and stylish, no matter how you accessorize.

Choosing two or three adjoining colors is called an analogous color scheme. These combinations tend to be either warm (from the red side of the color wheel) or cool (from the blue side of the color wheel). They are pleasing to the eye, restful and attractive. Certain combinations lend themselves very well to different themes as well. Consider a combination of red, orange yellow and orange for a striking fall layout, or a combination of icy blues and purples for a frosty winter page.

The third basic type of color scheme is complimentary. Choosing colors across the wheel from each other creates contrast and is a good way to make the items on your page stand out. On a blue page, mat the photos in orange and use orange toned accents and your details will really stand out. Red and green are also complimentary, another reason that those Christmas pages are usually so striking. Every color on the color wheel has a compliment. Consider basing your page on one color and accent with its compliment for a striking, impressive effect.

The basics of color theory that we learned in grade school are worth reviewing when you’re looking for ideas to get started on your next scrapbook page. Invest in a color wheel and put those great papers to work for you!

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.scrapbookingcenter.info a website specialized on Scrapbooking, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Scrapbooking. For more info visit his site: Scrapbooking

Brought to you by http://scrapbookingsource.com/

Easter Traditions: Seven Ways To Add Meaning To Your Family Celebra

2005-08-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Easter Traditions: Seven Ways To Add Meaning To Your Family Celebration
By Susie Cortright

Family traditions connect us to past and future generations. They provide meaning and connection, as well as a sense of ritual and comfort. And they can create - and help to preserve - some of life's most moving moments.

Easter traditions can help to usher in a season of love, rejuvenation, and abundance. Here are seven ideas for sharing the sweetness of this special season:
- Start a kindness wreath for your doorway. For the week of Easter, give each family member 10 or more ribbons in bright spring colors. Each time a family member reaches out to someone in kindness during the week, they simply tie another ribbon onto the wreath.

- Ask your children to make a special drawing or a collage that depicts what Easter means for them. After you display them during the Easter season, scan them or take a photo and record the artwork in a special journal or album for a treasured Easter keepsake.

- Create a Garden Journal. Cover a composition book with spring patterned papers or photos/clippings of your favorite flowers. Document the process of creating your family garden this year. Make sure to include photos of your family members digging in the dirt. Record their favorite flowers and their favorite part of working in the garden...and, of course, lots of journaling and flower pressings.

- Fill an Easter basket with cheerful messages, handmade cards, or simple gifts. Then leave the basket anonymously on a friend's doorstep.

- If you have young children, video- or audio-tape them singing a fun seasonal song. Tapes of "Here comes peter cottontail" and "Little Bunny Foo Foo" can make treasured mementos. Share the tapes with distant family and friends.

- When it's time for your Easter brunch or Easter dinner, give each guest a 6x6 sheet of cardstock and ask them to handwrite a couple of special messages for the holiday...perhaps ways they are feeling renewed or grateful in their lives. Snap a photo of each guest and create a quick and simple 6x6 mini-album as a keepsake featuring one page for each guest (with their photo and contribution.)

- Make some handmade Easter greeting cards to send to family and friends. Or renew friendships by hostessing a card-making party where each guest makes 5 to 10 friendship cards. Make a point to send out five cards this spring to people with whom you would like to rejuvenate a relationship.

This holiday, may you embrace and celebrate the beauty that comes into our lives through our family and friends. (And enjoy lots of chocolate!)

Susie Cortright is the founder of momscape.com - http://www.momscape.com and Momscape's Scrapbooking Playground - http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking - devoted to helping visitors record and preserve their cherished memories.

Susie also trains and supports new scrapbooking instructors with a new and rapidly- growing direct sales scrapbooking company. Find out how to join her team here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/consultant

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Basic Paper Piecing Tips

2005-08-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips that will help you create paper piecings that will sell!

Save some time by eliminating the "tracing" of patterns. Take your pattern, lay it over your cardstock and use your stylus to "trace" it onto your cardstock. You won't need a light box or copier for this and you can re-use your patterns again and again.
Use the Fiskars soft-tip micro-touch ones. They have an ultra fine tip that will allow you to get into small spaces and make precision cuts. You should also try to move your paper around instead of moving the scissors. This will allow you to cut a smooth and even line.

Sets that have more than one matching piece do better than a stand alone paper piecing. Even a title or matching smaller accent piece of paper helps! Other things that help are matching tags, journaling boxes, corners, borders, or stickers.
Learn how to do details. Invest in a very thin tipped black pen and a white gel pen to add detail to your pieces.

Use lots of shading on your paper piecings. Shade with chalk - use the teenie tiny pompoms with hemostates to hold the pompom to do your chalking and shading in small places. Take a look at some tole books to learn how to create proper shading on your sets. Practice shading techniques by taking a household object and shining a light on it. Note where the shadows and highlights are. Move the light and see how the shading changes.

Make your paper piecings special or unique. Try to use the latest scrapbooking trends in new and unusual ways.

Pay attention to color schemes. Invest in a color wheel and earn how to use it.

Organize Your Paper Piecings

Use a set of drawers, page protectors or other filing system to keep track of all of your paper piecings. Separate them by:
(1) paper piecings that have been bid on/sold but not sent out
(2) paper piecings that have not been sold
(3) paper piecings in progress

You can also have them packed and ready to ship as you list You may need to combine some paper piecings for a customer that wins multiple pieces, but the packing is already done and makes shipping go faster!

Setting Up An Accounting and Tracking System

Having a detailed and organized accounting system is essential for a paper piecing business.

Set up a three-ring binder, index card, folder, spreadsheet or file system that includes the following information for each auction:

Title (you may want to place a printed copy of the paper piecing along with the information)
Date Listed
Starting Bid
Date Sold
Final Bid
Winning Bidders Information:
E-mail
Ebay ID
Name
Address
Fees:
Ebay
Postage
Insurance
Packaging
Total Due
Total Profit
1st notice sent
2nd notice sent
3rd notice sent
Form of payment
Payment received date
Date PP sent to buyer
Notice that it was sent
Give feedback
Receive feedback
Other bidders

Spruce Up Your Auctions With Basic HTML

Basic HTML is easy to learn and can really make a difference in the appearance of your auctions. Go to http://www.lissaexplains.com/html.shtml and learn some HTML information that you can use in your auction description box. You can type up a "template" using HTML in Word or WordPad and just "fill in the blanks" each time you want to list a new auction. This saves a lot of time.

Advertising Your Auction

Don't count on your auctions to advertise themselves! Create an email list and ask every customer if they would like to be notified when you list new auctions. Repeat customers will become some of your best customers.

Keep your email addresses grouped in your address book on your computer and send using the "BCC" so that you are not revealing their email address to everyone else.
When you list new auctions, just send out a short email letting them know what you have listed and include a link to your listings page.

You can also send out advertisements on scrapbooking related "groups" or email lists. You can do a search on Yahoogroups.com, the MSN groups or any other email list to find scrapbooking groups. Email the list owner to find out what their policies are regarding ads. A lot of lists allow ads to be placed once a week.
There are also "For Sale and Trade" message boards at scrapbooking sites that you can advertise at. I don't recommend advertising on regular message boards, though, because most of them don't allow it and it will really get everyone upset!

Accepting and Pricing Custom Orders

You've got QUESTIONS? "I was just asked if I could do a Custom of one of my PP's for a person that lost out on the bid. How would I charge someone for something like that?"

We've got ANSWERS! You should try to charge right around the same price of the ended auction. Maybe a few dollars short of that. Only do this if you are satisfied with the ending bid price. If the price was too low, feel free to quote a higher price for your work. Be sure to make it worth your time and effort. Don't sell yourself too cheaply!

Here is a form letter you can use to reply to custom requests:

"Hello! Thank you so much for you interest in placing a custom order for XXXXXXX. I would be willing to make this paper piecing for you for $XXXX plus $XXX for shipping. Please note that insurance is optional and would cost an additional $XXX.

Custom orders may be slightly different than the set you have seen because these items are handmade. Colors may vary slightly also, but I always attempt to get as close to the original as I can.

Please be advised that I am currently allowing XXX weeks for any custom orders. You can pay for this order using PayPal, check or money order.

Please respond to this email to let me know if you still want to order this set. Include your name, address and any special instructions for the paper piecing. Thanks again for your interest!"

Providing Good Customer Service

Working with customers through online auction sites is the same as working with any other type of customer. Do your best to provide good customer service. If somebody isn?t pleased with an item that they receive, do your best to replace the item or refund the money.

You may want to offer incentive programs to repeat winners. You could offer a discount after so many wins or even offer to do a free paper piecing after the person wins X amount of your auctions.

Always answer emails in a timely manner, ship items as soon as you receive payment and be polite in all of your correspondence.

Copyright © 2002 Antuanette Wheeler
http://www.misstonigifts.com
Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business.

We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay--Part 2

2005-08-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

By Susie Cortright

Basic Paper Piecing Tips

Here are some tips that will help you create paper piecings that will sell!
Save some time by eliminating the "tracing" of patterns. Take your pattern, lay it over your cardstock and use your stylus to "trace" it onto your cardstock. You won't need a light box or copier for this and you can re-use your patterns again and again.
Use the Fiskars soft-tip micro-touch ones. They have an ultra fine tip that will allow you to get into small spaces and make precision cuts. You should also try to move your paper around instead of moving the scissors. This will allow you to cut a smooth and even line.

Sets that have more than one matching piece do better than a stand alone paper piecing. Even a title or matching smaller accent piece of paper helps! Other things that help are matching tags, journaling boxes, corners, borders, or stickers.
Learn how to do details. Invest in a very thin tipped black pen and a white gel pen to add detail to your pieces.

Use lots of shading on your paper piecings. Shade with chalk - use the teenie tiny pompoms with hemostates to hold the pompom to do your chalking and shading in small places. Take a look at some tole books to learn how to create proper shading on your sets. Practice shading techniques by taking a household object and shining a light on it. Note where the shadows and highlights are. Move the light and see how the shading changes.

Make your paper piecings special or unique. Try to use the latest scrapbooking trends in new and unusual ways.

Pay attention to color schemes. Invest in a color wheel and earn how to use it.

Organize Your Paper Piecings

Use a set of drawers, page protectors or other filing system to keep track of all of your paper piecings. Separate them by:

(1) paper piecings that have been bid on/sold but not sent out
(2) paper piecings that have not been sold
(3) paper piecings in progress

You can also have them packed and ready to ship as you list You may need to combine some paper piecings for a customer that wins multiple pieces, but the packing is already done and makes shipping go faster!
Setting Up An Accounting and Tracking System
Having a detailed and organized accounting system is essential for a paper piecing business.
Set up a three-ring binder, index card, folder, spreadsheet or file system that includes the following information for each auction:
Title (you may want to place a printed copy of the paper piecing along with the information)
Date Listed
Starting Bid
Date Sold
Final Bid
Winning Bidders Information:
E-mail
Ebay ID
Name
Address
Fees:
Ebay
Postage
Insurance
Packaging
Total Due
Total Profit
1st notice sent
2nd notice sent
3rd notice sent
Form of payment
Payment received date
Date PP sent to buyer
Notice that it was sent
Give feedback
Receive feedback
Other bidders
Spruce Up Your Auctions With Basic HTML
Basic HTML is easy to learn and can really make a difference in the appearance of your auctions. Go to http://www.lissaexplains.com/html.shtml and learn some HTML information that you can use in your auction description box. You can type up a "template" using HTML in Word or WordPad and just "fill in the blanks" each time you want to list a new auction. This saves a lot of time.
Advertising Your Auction
Don't count on your auctions to advertise themselves! Create an email list and ask every customer if they would like to be notified when you list new auctions. Repeat customers will become some of your best customers.
Keep your email addresses grouped in your address book on your computer and send using the "BCC" so that you are not revealing their email address to everyone else.
When you list new auctions, just send out a short email letting them know what you have listed and include a link to your listings page.
You can also send out advertisements on scrapbooking related "groups" or email lists. You can do a search on Yahoogroups.com, the MSN groups or any other email list to find scrapbooking groups. Email the list owner to find out what their policies are regarding ads. A lot of lists allow ads to be placed once a week.
There are also "For Sale and Trade" message boards at scrapbooking sites that you can advertise at. I don't recommend advertising on regular message boards, though, because most of them don't allow it and it will really get everyone upset!
Accepting and Pricing Custom Orders
You've got QUESTIONS? "I was just asked if I could do a Custom of one of my PP's for a person that lost out on the bid. How would I charge someone for something like that?"
We've got ANSWERS! You should try to charge right around the same price of the ended auction. Maybe a few dollars short of that. Only do this if you are satisfied with the ending bid price. If the price was too low, feel free to quote a higher price for your work. Be sure to make it worth your time and effort. Don't sell yourself too cheaply!
Here is a form letter you can use to reply to custom requests:
"Hello! Thank you so much for you interest in placing a custom order for XXXXXXX. I would be willing to make this paper piecing for you for $XXXX plus $XXX for shipping. Please note that insurance is optional and would cost an additional $XXX.
Custom orders may be slightly different than the set you have seen because these items are handmade. Colors may vary slightly also, but I always attempt to get as close to the original as I can.
Please be advised that I am currently allowing XXX weeks for any custom orders. You can pay for this order using PayPal, check or money order.
Please respond to this email to let me know if you still want to order this set. Include your name, address and any special instructions for the paper piecing. Thanks again for your interest!"
Providing Good Customer Service
Working with customers through online auction sites is the same as working with any other type of customer. Do your best to provide good customer service. If somebody isn?t pleased with an item that they receive, do your best to replace the item or refund the money.
You may want to offer incentive programs to repeat winners. You could offer a discount after so many wins or even offer to do a free paper piecing after the person wins X amount of your auctions.
Always answer emails in a timely manner, ship items as soon as you receive payment and be polite in all of your correspondence.
Copyright © 2002 Antuanette Wheeler
http://www.misstonigifts.com

Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business.
We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Tips On Becoming a Scrapbook Instructor

2005-08-01T18:02:00.000-07:00

A few ideas and tips to get you started!

Tips On Becoming a Scrapbook Instructor:

Sit down and write out a "business plan" along with your goals. Be specific about what you want to do and what you want to achieve.

Figure out what your costs are going to be and what you will need to make in order to make a profit from teaching.

Write up a contract that can be altered for each store that you work with. Being very specific up front can help to stop any misunderstandings later. Some things you may want to include in your contract:

* Whether you are an employee or independent contractor
* Who will supply the materials for classes
* Who will decide which classes are being taught
* What the class minimums are
* What you will be paid per class
* How many classes you will be teaching each month
* When will the store owner need a list of classes
* Who will handle advertising
* What methods will be used to advertise
* How you will handle "no-shows"

Contact store owners and talk to them about being a "guest teacher" or a regular instructor at their store. Make an appointment with the store owner so that you can bring samples of projects and layouts that you have done. Have a list handy of all of the classes that you have taught or classes that you are willing to teach.

Tips On Being a Good Instructor:

Be prepared. Review your class materials the night before so they are fresh in your mind. Have a checklist of everything that you need to take along to a class. Show up early and have the room set up before people arrive.

Be enthusiastic. Even if you are feeling sluggish or having a bad day, you need to always be enthusiastic and smiling during your classes.

Be personable. Try to make eye contact and/or talk to each and every person in your class. Keep an eye out for anyone that may need extra attention and be willing to offer help to them if needed.

Always thank everyone for coming to class. Have evaluations forms that can be filled out and use them to improve any future classes.

Copyright © 2003 Antuanette Wheeler

http://www.misstonigifts.com

Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business.
We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking, and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Broght to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/

Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay--Part 1

2005-07-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Why sell paper piecings on eBay?

eBay is a great way to make a steady part-time or full-time income from a hobby that you love! Selling paper piecings has its ups and downs, but overall it is a rewarding and lucrative venture.

Getting and Understanding An eBay Account

To get started selling paper piecings on eBay, you will need to set up an account. If you already have an account, you many want to consider changing your user ID to reflect your status as a Paper Piecer. Find something that can be easily abbreviated for your titles so that you can create a name for yourself that is easy for potential customers to find. You can also use your entire ID in your titles. Some examples are:

User ID is a*scrapfanatic and abbreviation in titles is A*
User ID is CherryRedSpyder and abbreviation is CHeRRYReD
User ID is Luvspaper and uses luvspaper in titles

If you don’t yet have an account and want some information on starting to sell, visit http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/n-selling.html
This will give you detailed step-by-step instructions to help you get started!
When you are ready to list, keep these things in mind:

Choose a Category
Paper Piecing = 11792 OR
Toys&Hobbies, Hobbies&Crafts, Arts&Crafts, Scrapbooking, PaperPiecing
Title

Make sure it contains the phrase "paper piecing" (without the quotation marks) since many people find these items by searching for "paper piecing" in the titles. Also try to include an abbreviation of your user ID to help create a recognizable name for your paper piecings. If there is room, try to list any extras you have in your auction such as shaker, beads, buttons, etc.

Description

Start your description by giving all of the basic information about the paper piecing that you made. List the dimensions and a brief description of each part of the set.

Also let people know if you used pens and chalks to add detail to your sets. If any part of your set is computer generated, it is a good idea to note this in the auction.

Let everyone know whether your background paper is included or not.
Make sure you let your potential customers know if you use all acid-free, lignin-free products when making your sets. A lot of people also list information such as "comes from a pet-free, smoke-free home."

At the end of the description list all payment and shipping information.
You want to make sure that customers know the following: what payment methods you accept/ prefer, your shipping rate, how the items will be packed, whether or not you offer insurance and how much you charge, and your email address for any questions.

Minimum Bid

Set the price at the absolute minimum you are willing to accept for this paper piecing. Most auctions start in the $3-10 range. Adjust your minimum bid price according to time, materials used, and the detail of the piece.

Auction Duration

You have a choice of 3, 5, 7, and 10 day auctions. Most paper piecers use either 5 or 7 day auctions. It is a good idea to have your auction extend over Sunday evenings because it is a very busy time.

Learning About Optional Photo Hosting Services for High Quality Photos eBay allows you to host one photo per auction free of charge. This is a great service, but unfortunately the photos are not very clear. To get the clearest photos possible, find a photo hosting service. Some free and easy to use options are http:// www.photobucket.com and http://www.webphoto.com There are also low cost, reliable options like http://www.villagephoto.com It is a good idea to use a photo hosting service along with the free eBay photo in case one of the services "goes down." This way people can still see some type of photo for the auction.

Studying The Paper Piecing Auction Market

To see which paper piecings are selling the best, go to http://www.eBay.com and type "paper piecing" in the search box. When the search results page comes up, click on "Highest Priced First." This will allow you to browse through the best-selling auctions. Take notes. Note which themes and styles are selling well and try to come up with original designs that fit into those themes/styles. You can also click on "Completed Items" to see what the end price was for recently listed auctions.

Copyright Issues

Did you know that each time you create an original paper piecing it automatically has copyright protection? You do not need to register a creation to have it protected.

It is a good idea to put a notice with your auctions when it is an original design. If you are using a pattern from a Tole/Pattern book, you should not use a copyright notice. A basic copyright notice looks like this:

Copyright 2002 Your Name Here

This also means that all of those other original paper piecings that are listed on eBay are protected. It is okay to browse around and get ideas and inspiration, but you should never make copies of paper piecing that you see.

For more information on basic copyright protection, visit http://www.nolo.com
Read Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay, Part 2
Copyright © 2002 Antuanette Wheeler
http://www.misstonigifts.com

Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business.
We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Brought to you buy http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Peek A Boo Pages

2005-06-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Peek A Boo Pages
Written by Jennia Hart
Adapted from ideas by Melissa Watts, Karen Weaver and Alicia Brooker

Peek A Boo Pages can be used for a title page or for a multiple page layout within an album. They can be made for CM pages, post bound pages or top loading pages.

Materials:
Album Pages or Cardstock
Ruler
Circle Cutter
Circle Cutter Template
Exacto knife
Pencil

Peek A Boo Title Page (uses 2 album pages or 2 pieces of cardstock)
Design your layout on page 2 with the photos that you want to peek through to the title page.

Decide what shape opening that you want the hole to be for your "peek a boo"
Use a window or a light box and a pencil to determine the placement of your holes in page one. Decide whether the hole will be round, square, rectangular or if you will use a template and make a 'fancy" shape.

Trace the shape for the hole onto the page with your pencil.
Use a circle cutter or regular scissors to cut away the paper for the peek a boo hole.

Add the title and journalizing to all pages and add a page protector or slip it in your top loading page protector.

Peek A Boo Titles for a multi page layouts

This is a GREAT way to stretch special lettering, sticker art or a stamp design.
Design your artwork or title on page 1 and page 4. (see example) Don't place your artwork too close to the edge of your page. Be sure to leave enough room to cut the peek a boo hole LARGER than the artwork.

Decide what shape opening that you want the hole to be for your "peek a boo".The opening will need to be larger than the artwork that will peek through.

Use a window or a light box and a pencil to determine the placement of your holes in page 2 and 3. Decide whether the hole will be round, square, rectangular or if you will use a template and make a 'fancy" shape.

Trace the shape for the hole onto the page with your pencil. Again, make sure that the hoe is big enough for the artwork to be seen in its entirety.
Use a circle cutter or regular scissors to cut away the paper for the peek a boo hole.

Add photos and all the other finishing touches to the pages and add a page protector or slip it in your top loading page protector.

Peek A Boo Die Cuts for a multi page layouts

Same principal but this peek a boo is usually done in the shape of a large die cut at the center of the album. (see example).

Choose the design for your theme die cut- this shape will show on all pages and MUST be symmetrical. Also decide how many pages you will need for the layout. The layout as shown is four pages or a double two-page spread. However, it would be easy to add a second peek a boo and make this a 6 page layout.

Decide where you will place the die cut shape and openings for your "peek a boo"
Cut the die cut out of colored paper and then cut it in half or if you have a purchased die cut cut it in half. The die cut must be symmetrical for a peek a boo page.

Using half of the die cut trace the shape onto your middle page with a pencil. Use an exacto knife to cut out the peek a boo hole. If you are using a Creative Memories scrapbook style page do NOT cut the jeeping, cut right inside of the jeeping so that your page will be stronger.

Use adhesive to place each half of the die cut on the appropriate album pages
Add the photos, title and journalizing to all pages and add a page protector or slip it in your top loading page protector.

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Scrapbooking the Dizzying Movies of Toddlers

2005-06-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Toddlers are highly energetic life forces. Between infancy and kindergarten school days, your toddler is often fully involved in massive actions and activities. Sometimes, your kid hardly let you slow down enough to take a deep breath before he or she is off to another "movie" stunt.

One moment, your toddler is the angelic little kid with great innocence, and within seconds he or she has morphed into a bundle of horror! Such spirited and tireless days are mixed up with endless explorations, comical episodes and crazy chaos. It's all these exasperating, frustrating, endearing in-between moments, that make their ways into your scrapbook pages as little movies starring your precious toddler.
Would you swap such unforgettable moments with any other? Probably not. Hence, scrapbook these experiences before they're gone in a flash. One minute your toddler is two, next is four, and before you know it, you'll be asking yourself, "Where has my little girl/boy gone to?"

Besides letting photos take center stage in your scrapbook, don't miss out the all-important aspect of journaling. With just the right caption, the star-quality of a page will shine forth even with very little embellishments.
Quick, grab your ever-ready camera and capture as many amazing scenes as you could of your little hero or heroine in the lastest escapade! Camera 1,2,3! The camera has started rolling...

A) "A Day in the Life of Toddler"

Dedicate a page to a typical day of your kid's life. Toddlers are busy human beings. Document their daily activities by chronicling their routine for a day. If you faithfully scrapbook such a theme over the years, you can even spot the changes that have transformed over the years.

B) "Can't Live Without Bedtime Stories"

Toddlers can be such devoted lovers of stories. You've probably lost count of the number of times you recited the same stories over and over again. But to your toddler, it's as if he or she is listening to the story for the very first time. When a bedtime story seized your child's heart, there's no letting the matter rest until he or she gets her way. Take pictures of your boy or girl flipping through the storybooks, staring intently at the pages, or together with daddy reading a story to your kid. A page recording your toddler's enthralling and favorite bedtime stories deserves a place in your scrapbook.

C) "Scary Eating Episodes"

Eating is usually a messy, messy affair when it involves toddlers, especially when left on their own. There's basically no sense of etiquette to speak of. It's a case of dunking their dirty faces into the bowls or plates, with sauces smearing all over their faces, and food scraps scattered all over the tables and floors. Yet, the way your kid eats make a dish appeared to totally delicious. Consider doing a page on your boy’s step-by-step process of devouring a plate of spaghetti, or your girl curiously sampling different food or snacks as a food critic.

D) "Mini Home Destroyer"

To satisfy their innate curiosity of their worlds, toddler left behind home wrecks in their trails. Toppling over a box of cereals and scattering hundreds of pieces on the kitchen floor, scribbling markers crazily on chairs and walls, strewing books and toys all over the place without a care in the world, Toddlers are capable of so much more. And when they partnered up with their sibling in crimes, it triples the destruction. Of course, you rather cry than laugh at that point in time. But these will turn into funny stories on hindsight. So yes, put down the mischievous exploits of your toddler too.

E) "Special and Unique Me"

Toddlers are shaped by their environments in addition to their heredity character traits. By noting down your kid's preferences and reactions to people, things and events, you'll get hints of his or her uniqueness. Scrapbooking these evolving personality traits would document the rapid development of your child as a unique individual. Photos showing your child caught in various expressions or unguarded moments will reveal the different sides of your kid. A child's personality is like a canvas, painted in many different colors and shades.

F) "Play is Serious Business"

With bountiful supply of pure energy, your toddler probably reminds you of an object in constant motion. Capture a series of such motions in a single play day, or gather a series of photos of your toddler playing different games and activities. The work of a child is not to earn, but to play. Playing with others at the playground, figuring out how to work the computer, stacking up building blocks, creating first piece of artwork, play is serious business to toddlers. These scrapbook pages will reveal the creative workings of your child's mind.

G) "There's Family and Friends Too"

Family and friends are influential presences in a toddler's life. Documenting the special relationships or moments your toddler has with others, will remind him or her of how much he or she is loved by others. As grandma's little kitchen helper in baking cookies, as an earnest student of grandpa's on star constellations, a loving big brother hugging baby sister, all these speaks of love in abundance. Even the innocent hand-holding and sweet hugs exchanged between inseparable friends are touching moments for the pages.

H) "Wild Wild World Out There"

Funny how toddlers will make us voluntarily go places that we haven't been to in ages. It's like reliving our own childhood, through the eyes of our toddlers. Playing sand at the beach, memorable trip to the zoo, magical moments at the theme park, amazement at the circus stunts, and even travels to other states. A toddler would love to know where in the world had they been when they're grown up. So add these to your scrapbook pages as well.

As always, there's heaps of toddler's "movies" you can scrapbook about. Potty training, bathing time, zonking out moments, make-up session and pretend-playing, all these are themes you can gleefully dig into. Time to get imaginative!
Happy scrapping about toddler's movies!

About The Author

Fion Lim is the creator of Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com - Learning about scrapbooking? Here's your guide to beginner scrapbooking. Find tips, ideas, inspirations, articles, and resources to free quotes, poems and fonts right here.
Feel free to use the this article provided it is published in its entirety, with the resource box and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Scrapbooking Children's Favorite Stories

2005-06-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking Children's Favorite Stories
By Fion Lim

Countless memories are built during the formative childhood days. If there's an excellent means to record them down in some ways, it'll be scrapbooking.

True, we can't possibly capture every single event, but we can definitely scrap those more memorable ones onto pages.

If you've decided to scrapbook together with your kid, besides guiding them with little prompts on the journaling, you'll probably need some neat ideas to pull in those best memories.

Here's various hot-selling "stories" that you and your child can scrapbook about:

A) Story of the Birth of Baby

Kids love to read stories about themselves as babies. Having pages surrounding your child's birth will make him or her feel how much he or she is wanted by the family.
- Photo of mommy pregnant with the baby.
- Who waited for the birth?
- Who came for the hospital visit?
- Weight, length, doctor, hospital details.
- Feelings of parents about the birth of your child.
- Funny stories that happened.
- Documenting baby milestones.
- What's your kid's favorite bedtime stories?
- Photo of your kid's favorite toys.

As there's a chance that there's no photos taken during the birth, a good alternative would be to do a page on significant or historical events that happened on the day or year of your kid's birth. How to source for such information? Visit www.dmarie.com/timecap to pick up such data.

Another idea is for your kid to do a page on his or her name and birthday. Record down your kid's feelings about his or her name. Why did you and your husband come up with such a name? What's the meaning of the name? Find out what famous people share your kid's name. Find out what famous birthdays share your kid's birthday. What's the best birthday party your child had?

B) Story of Family

Family members are among the most influential people that influence a child during the growing years. Having your child scrapbook about the family will reinforce the importance of family connectedness in his or her life.

- What does your child like about each family member?
- Does your girl or boy like being part of the family? Why?
- Does your kid like being the first-born, middle-born, in-between or baby of the family?
- What does your child like about his or her grandparents?
- What are the family chores that your kid handle?
- Does your kid have a favorite pet? What does your child like about the pet? Get your kid to draw a picture of the pet.
- Funny incidents that took place in the family.
- Typical day at home. What's the daily activities that take place?
- List of fun things your kid did with the family like sporting events, camping, and picnics.

- Favorite family vacations. Where did you go and what did your kid do?
- What's your kid's most memorable memories about the family?
- Record the cultural heritage of the family.
- Suggest that your kid draw a family portrait.

C) Story of School Days

School is where the child will improve his or her fine-motor, language, art, math, problem-solving, expanding ideas and social skills. Many unforgettable memories will be formed here and your child would want to scrap these days.

- Favorite subject at school. Why?
- Favorite teacher. What does your kid like about this teacher?
- Describe a typical day at school.
- Describe the items in your kid's backpack. Photo of those items.
- What does your kid like about his or her school?
- Where does he or she usually hang out?
- List of fun things your kid do with his or her classmates.
- What extracurricular activities or clubs do you kid join? Since this is a personal choice, why did he or she choose it?
- Who does your kid usually sit with at lunch?
- Who are your kid's favorite classmates? What do your child like about them?
- What are the memorable field trips?

D) Story of Friends

Friends are crucial in the development of a kid's growth. By scrapbooking the theme of friendship, he or she will learn the importance of friends, and to dwell on the positive aspects of friendship.

- Who are your kid's best friends?
- What do your kid like about them?
- What do your kids usually do when they are together?
- Where are the places your kid love to hang out with them? Why?
- What are the qualities your kid admire in his or her friends?

E) Story of Dreams

Children has the amazing ability to daydream, imagine and dream big! You might want to encourage your kid to explore all the different possibilities. You'll probably have to give more guidance about journaling future jobs, things they want to achieve, homes and the lifestyle they want to lead.

- What does like your kid want to become when he or she grows up? Why?
- What are the duties included in the job?
- Who are the famous/ordinary people with the career your kid admires? Photo of these people?
- What are the qualities of the people with the career your kid dream of?
- What kind of home your kid want to live in the future? Draw a picture of the dream house.
- Does your kid want to be married in future? How many kids your child want to have? What are the qualities your kid look for in his or her partner?

- List of top ten things your kid wanted most to do in his or her life.
- What does kids imagine he or she will be doing during free time?
- If your kid can have superpower, what does your kid want it to be? Why?
- If money is no object, what would you child want to do with the money. Why?

These are some of the common themes you and your kid can cover. There's many more. But these ideas will be a leaping pad to more ideas.

Happy scrapping childhood stories!

About the author:

Fion Lim is the creator of Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com - Learning about scrapbooking? Here's your guide to beginner scrapbooking. Find tips, ideas, inspirations, articles, and resources to free quotes, poems and fonts right here.
Feel free to use the this article provided it is published in its entirety, with the resource box and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

What Do I Need to Start Scrapbooking?

2005-06-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

The best thing about scrapbooking is that although there are a plethora of scrapbooking supplies available on the market, you really don’t need a lot to make your very first scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an album, some glue, a pair of scissors, and some photographs or newspaper clippings. Any fabric, ribbon, or bits of leftovers from other projects can be used to embellish your scrapbook.

As you get more acquainted with scrapbooking, you will find products that save you time and frustration. Many of these products are well worth the extra cost. At the top of this list is an exacto knife. This strong and versatile blade allows you to cut almost anything into any shape. When the blade is dull, the end is simply broken off to reveal another sharp tip. Just be sure to place the object you plan to cut onto a mat or wad or newspaper before using the exacto knife. Otherwise, the knife will cut right through your picture and into your scrapbook page or dining room table.

The next best tool is a pair of tweezers. Trying to pick up and place small gluey pieces is a hassle. Tweezers, though not very high tech, allow you to move pieces without touching them.

Speaking of gluey pieces, various glues and affixing options are available. These quick and less messy options include glue dots, two-sided tape, Xyron, acid free photo tabs, and polypropylene corners.

To increase the preservation of your scrapbook and your treasures, look for albums with acid free, lignin free pages. Both acid and lignin accelerate photo fading and general deterioration. Lignin is a chemical found naturally in the cell walls of plants. If the lignin is not removed in the paper manufacturing process, the chemical will cause the paper product to gradually yellow and crumble. Lignin and acid free products come in virtually any color and texture.

Mia LaCron is the founder of 101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - http://www.101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - devoted to helping individuals record, store, and preserve their most cherished memories via the art of scrapbooking.

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Copyright: Five Facts Every Scrapbooker Needs To Know!

2005-06-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here are five basic things that EVERY scrapbooker should know about copyright:
#1--When you create an original scrapbook layout, card or other project (not from a sketch, scraplift or idea book) you AUTOMATICALLY own the copyright. No, you don't have to add a copyright notice. No, you don't have to register your layout design with the government. Tip: Adding a copyright notice or watermark image to your original designs is a good idea if you plan to share them online. It helps to remind everyone that your artwork is yours.

#2--In order for a work to be protected it must be original and created by the designer or artist. The work can be similar to existing works but not an exact copy. Chances are if you see a project in an online gallery, in an idea book or hanging in the store, that project has copyright protection. Tip: It is always better to assume that the project is protected and ask for permission to use the design than to assume it is just okay to use it.

#3--Since you own the copyright, only YOU can reproduce, distribute and adapt the design. Did you know that copying an image from the internet to your computer is considered "reproducing" the design and is violation of copyright protection laws? No, just because the image is posted on the internet doesn't mean it is "fair use". Tip: If you really want a copy of another person's layout or project, just email and ask them...don't assume it is okay because it is the same thing as stealing!
#4-- Scraplifting is a term used to describe seeing ideas online, in idea books or at stores and making projects based on those ideas. The resulting layout can look a lot like the original or may end up being just loosely based on the original. This is not violating any copyright laws. Tip: These projects are in the stores, magazines, and galleries to give youinspiration for your own personal scrapbooking, but not to sell or profitfrom in any way.

#5--Some of the ways that scrapbookers and scrapbooking companies violate copyright protection laws (knowingly or unknowingly) are:
Making copies of patterns for friends to use.
Right-clicking or saving images from galleries to their computers.
Scanning printed design fabrics to print and use on layouts.
Using another’s words on their projects or in articles they write.
Using a protected font to create alphabet letters, stamps or other items to share and/or sell.

Remember to think about copyright laws the next time you are ready to create a new project, layout or article. Keep in mind that violating another person’s rights is not only illegal but also unethical. Always remember the Golden Rule…Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!
Helpful links:

This link provides easy-to-understand copyright information for knitters, but also applies to other crafts, including scrapbooking.
http://www.girlfromauntie.com/copyright/index-lite.asp
This link is the be-all, end-all of copyright information! Be sure to read the question and answer sections!
www.nolo.com

About.com gives some great, helpful advice for copyright protection and some other links.

http://scrapbooking.about.com/library/weekly/aa032701a.htm

Copyright 2004 Antuanette Wheeler
A note for store owners, list owners, website owners or others: You may use this article on your website, store newsletter or any other media as long as you allow the article to be printed or show in its entirety and include any links that are within the article. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or ideas, feel free to contact me at antuanettescraps@aol.com. Thanks!
Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business.
We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

50 Ways to Use Your Ribbon for Scrapbooking, Home Decor, Crafting and Fashion

2005-05-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking:

Tie onto a tag, photo mat, border, or photo as an accent.
Use with a hole punch to make a booklet.
Tie onto clips attached to paper.
Use to secure a fold open photo frame.
Staple along the edge of a photo for a border.
Place behind a photo to use as a mat.
Tie in a knot and adhere with a glue dot.
Attach a ribbon charm and use as a long border.
Thread through eyelets and tie as an accent.
Tie onto a slide holder for a small picture frame.
Tie onto each end of a metal label holder.
Tie small bits of ribbon onto a larger piece of ribbon for a unique border.
Attach diagonally along the corner(s) of a photo.
Stamp words and sayings onto ribbons for titles.

Crafting:

Tie numerous ribbons around the lid of a gift box.
Tie small bits of ribbon along the handle of a gift bag.
Tie small bits of ribbon on each piece of a spiral notebook.
Fold and staple along the top of a gift bag.
Tie around a sketchbook, journal or diary.
Tie ribbons through buttonholes and attach with glue dots.
Weave ribbons to use as placements, wallhangings, etc.
Use fabric stiffener to make ribbon bookmarks.
Make a french ribbon board to hold notes and photos.
Tie around the handle of a mug and fill with candy for a gift.
Use a hoop and long ribbons to make a mobile for breezy summer days.

Home Decor:

Use long/wide ribbons to store and display barrettes and pins.
Overlap and hang various ribbon styles/lengths on a bathroom window.
Tie around glass jars in the kitchen and bathroom.
Tie onto candle holders (away from the heat/flame, please!).
Decorate old wooden cigar boxes with ribbon and glue dots.
Wrap around an old or damage photo frame.
Sew ribbon to your plain dishtowels.
Tie large ribbons to the backs of chairs for a fun lunch or dinner.
Tie ribbons onto napkin holders.
Tie beads onto ribbon and then attach to a lampshade.
Use ribbons and painted clothespins to make a card/artwork wall display.
Tie to the tops of curtains for a festive display.
Make ribbon tassels to hang in your home.
Sew ribbons onto the edges of your sheets, pillowcases and curtains.
Decorate a flower pot with ribbons.
Fashion:
Tie ribbons onto your hangers, drawer pulls and shower curtain.
Tie a ribbon onto any zipper pulls you have!
Tie bits of ribbon onto a large safety pin for a quick accessory.
Use your ribbons as hair bows.
Tie around your neck for a quick accent.
Use wide ribbon alone or weave smaller ribbons to make a belt.
Use for a watch band.
Tie bits of ribbon around the handles of your pocketbook.
Sew/attach ribbon onto hats, clothing, socks, shoes and belts.
Use slide holders, ribbons and photos to make jewelry.

Copyright 2005 Antuanette Wheeler www.misstonigifts.com

A note for store owners, list owners, website owners or others: You may use this article on your website, store newsletter or any other media as long as you allow the article to be printed or show in its entirety and include any links that are within the article. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or ideas, feel free to contact me at misstonigiftsnet@aol.com. Thanks!

Miss Toni Gifts started out as a small pin sales site and blossomed over the last few years into a pin/bookmark combo design business. We are three women who have known each other forever. We have all been involved in scouting, scrapbooking and general arts and crafts for a LONG time. This is really a family affair because Glenda is the Mom, Toni is the daughter, and Missy is a friend for over 20 years!

Brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Scrapbooking on a Budget

2005-05-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

By Susie Cortright

Memories are priceless, but the cost of preserving them can be high. Here are nine tips for making the most of your scrapbooking budget.

1.Be on the lookout for scrapbooking supplies everywhere you go. I once made the cutest shabby chic card with the corrugated cardboard liner in a light bulb box. Another example: you can buy 100 brass brads for less than a dollar at the local discount store and then customize them to match your layout with acrylic paint and/or sandpaper. Or look in the clearance bin for ribbon, fiber, and fabric remnants - or bouquets of silk flowers, which you can take apart and attach to your cards and layouts with brads, eyelets, bottlecaps, or button. You'll find all kinds of treasures at office supply, hardware, and dollar stores, as well as flea markets and garage sales.

2. Keep your supplies organized. When your papers and embellishments are logically arranged and easy to find, you'll always know what you have, which means you'll buy fewer duplicates. And you don't need expensive racks for storing your paper. The large 14" Ziploc bags are perfect for storing 12x12 paper. You can even hang the labeled Ziploc bags from skirt hangers to maximize your space. A few inexpensive baskets or plastic containers can hold your adhesives, pens and trimmers. And a common tacklebox is great for small embellishments. Or use resealable Ziploc bags to organize brads, eyelets and other small embellishments by type or color and store in a shoebox.

3. Here's a little known secret. You can join a scrapbooking direct sales company, simply to get the discount on your own supplies. Of course, you'll need to make sure the monthly minimums are low enough that you'll be able to meet them with your purchases alone. Here is one such company with monthly minimums of just $25 wholesale per month. Details are here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/wholesale-scrapbooking-supplies.htm

4. Use your scanner to create a unique patterned paper, perfect for your layout. Scan items of clothing, for example, that match the clothing in your photographs. Print the paper and use as part of your background or as a tag or other embellishment.

5. Do a google search for "free fonts" and "free scrapbooking." You'll find thousands of free templates, fonts, and other free resources for scrapbookers.

6. Check your local paper for 50% off coupons at large discount crafting stores.

Save these coupons for your larger purchases. Subscribe to Joann.com's email newsletter at the store's website: http//www.joann.com. This store frequently offers special discount codes to newsletter subscribers. But keep in mind, when you are shopping the sale aisle, a good deal is not a good deal if you never use the product. Buy only those things that you love - and know you'll use.

7. When shopping for tools, keep quality and versatility in mind. Investing in quality tools will ultimately save you money, because you won't need to replace them very often. You'll also want to look for trimmers and cutters that allow you to replace only the blade - and not the entire cutting system. The Coluzzle, by Provocraft, is one of the most versatile cutting systems available. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can cut a huge variety of shapes and alphabets, as well as envelopes and tags - all with very inexpensive templates.

8. Save and organize your scraps. It's amazing when a small scrap is perfectly suited for a card of scrapbook. And you can always use the backside of white-core cardstock or patterned paper when you need white. Or give your scraps to your children. My kids are constantly making friendship cards out of my scraps. They each have a basket on the family scraptable, and at the end of a project, I divvy up all my scraps in the three little baskets. They love the new art supplies, and I love to share my love of scrapbooking - and my time spent scrapbooking - with them.

9. Network with other scrapbookers for more low-cost ideas. Arrange a supplies swap with your scrapbooking friends. And read through the scrapbooking magazines for more money-saving ideas. In the last few issues of Scrapbooks, Etc. and Memory Makers, for example, I've read (and then used) the following ideas:

(1) Take photos of interesting signs and cut out the letters for fun, eclectic alphabets.

And (2) make your own stamps from your favorite font or images with a computer printout and some foam board.

You can subscribe to these magazines at significant discounts online. I've compiled the best deals on the industry-leaders here:

http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/scrapbooking-magazines or see if you can check out current issues from your local library. Scrapbooking magazines often feature sweepstakes, drawings, and layout contests, in which you can win free supplies, as well.

You can also save on scrapbooking idea books and techniques books by shopping online. Overstock.com often has these books at an even greater discount than amazon.com, and their shipping is usually much less, too. http://www.overstock.com

Copyright 2005 by Susie Cortright

About the Author: Susie Cortright is the founder of momscape.com - http://www.momscape.com and Momscape's Scrapbooking Playground - http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking - devoted to helping visitors record and preserve their cherished memories. Susie also trains and supports new scrapbooking instructors with a new and rapidly- growing direct sales scrapbooking company. Find out how to join her team here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm

Brought to you buy http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

2005-05-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Memories are priceless, but the cost of preserving them can be high. Here are nine tips for making the most of your scrapbooking budget.

1.Be on the lookout for scrapbooking supplies everywhere you go. I once made the cutest shabby chic card with the corrugated cardboard liner in a light bulb box. Another example: you can buy 100 brass brads for less than a dollar at the local discount store and then customize them to match your layout with acrylic paint and/or sandpaper. Or look in the clearance bin for ribbon, fiber, and fabric remnants - or bouquets of silk flowers, which you can take apart and attach to your cards and layouts with brads, eyelets, bottlecaps, or button. You'll find all kinds of treasures at office supply, hardware, and dollar stores, as well as flea markets and garage sales.

2. Keep your supplies organized. When your papers and embellishments are logically arranged and easy to find, you'll always know what you have, which means you'll buy fewer duplicates. And you don't need expensive racks for storing your paper. The large 14" Ziploc bags are perfect for storing 12x12 paper. You can even hang the labeled Ziploc bags from skirt hangers to maximize your space. A few inexpensive baskets or plastic containers can hold your adhesives, pens and trimmers. And a common tacklebox is great for small embellishments. Or use resealable Ziploc bags to organize brads, eyelets and other small embellishments by type or color and store in a shoebox.

3. Here's a little known secret. You can join a scrapbooking direct sales company, simply to get the discount on your own supplies. Of course, you'll need to make sure the monthly minimums are low enough that you'll be able to meet them with your purchases alone. Here is one such company with monthly minimums of just $25 wholesale per month. Details are here:

http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/wholesale-scrapbooking-supplies.htm
4. Use your scanner to create a unique patterned paper, perfect for your layout. Scan items of clothing, for example, that match the clothing in your photographs. Print the paper and use as part of your background or as a tag or other embellishment.

5. Do a google search for "free fonts" and "free scrapbooking." You'll find thousands of free templates, fonts, and other free resources for scrapbookers.

6. Check your local paper for 50% off coupons at large discount crafting stores. Save these coupons for your larger purchases. Subscribe to Joann.com's email newsletter at the store's website: http//www.joann.com. This store frequently offers special discount codes to newsletter subscribers. But keep in mind, when you are shopping the sale aisle, a good deal is not a good deal if you never use the product. Buy only those things that you love - and know you'll use.

7. When shopping for tools, keep quality and versatility in mind. Investing in quality tools will ultimately save you money, because you won't need to replace them very often. You'll also want to look for trimmers and cutters that allow you to replace only the blade - and not the entire cutting system. The Coluzzle, by Provocraft, is one of the most versatile cutting systems available. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can cut a huge variety of shapes and alphabets, as well as envelopes and tags - all with very inexpensive templates.

8. Save and organize your scraps. It's amazing when a small scrap is perfectly suited for a card of scrapbook. And you can always use the backside of white-core cardstock or patterned paper when you need white. Or give your scraps to your children. My kids are constantly making friendship cards out of my scraps. They each have a basket on the family scraptable, and at the end of a project, I divvy up all my scraps in the three little baskets. They love the new art supplies, and I love to share my love of scrapbooking - and my time spent scrapbooking - with them.

9. Network with other scrapbookers for more low-cost ideas. Arrange a supplies swap with your scrapbooking friends. And read through the scrapbooking magazines for more money-saving ideas. In the last few issues of Scrapbooks, Etc. and Memory Makers, for example, I've read (and then used) the following ideas:

(1) Take photos of interesting signs and cut out the letters for fun, eclectic alphabets.

And (2) make your own stamps from your favorite font or images with a computer printout and some foam board.

You can subscribe to these magazines at significant discounts online. I've compiled the best deals on the industry-leaders here:

http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/scrapbooking-magazines or see if you can check out current issues from your local library. Scrapbooking magazines often feature sweepstakes, drawings, and layout contests, in which you can win free supplies, as well.

You can also save on scrapbooking idea books and techniques books by shopping online. Overstock.com often has these books at an even greater discount than amazon.com, and their shipping is usually much less, too. http://www.overstock.com

Copyright 2005 by Susie Cortright

About the Author: Susie Cortright is the founder of momscape.com - http://www.momscape.com and Momscape's Scrapbooking Playground - http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking - devoted to helping visitors record and preserve their cherished memories. Susie also trains and supports new scrapbooking instructors with a new and rapidly- growing direct sales scrapbooking company. Find out how to join her team here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm

brought to you by http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Easy Steps to Scrapbooking with Young Kids

2005-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

Kids grow up so fast and if you don't try to capture some of these wonderful memories through some means, they'll all slip through the fingers just in a snap. And scrapbooking is a fabulous way to preserving those memories, by combining the photos and journaling of your kids.

As parents, scrapbook pages of your adorable boy or girl probably fill up many pages. But these are stories told from your perspective. How about including your child's perspective into those pages as well?

Children have many stories to tell and share and through the shared scrapbooking experiences, he or she will have a mean of documenting those wonderful stories that impacted his or her life.

Try scrapbooking not only about your kid, but together with your kid. As in combined forces and powers of mommy and kid. Your child's views will certainly add a heart-rending air of innocence and specialness to those pages.

Not forgetting that scrapping together with your kid is an excellent hobby to bring the two of your even closer. And you'll become a tirelessly cheerleader and supporter, to encourage your child to grow his or her art and language skills. Scrapbooking also enhances the worth and sense of uniqueness in your kid.
If your kid is still very young and hasn't mastered the art of doing a basic layout, you can always do the layout while your child dictates the journaling portion. Consider pointing out a few layouts options and let your kid do the selection. The ideas your child has of how the page should look might take you by surprise!
Journaling is important even if it's just a few keywords or short sentences. This can be a fun session with your child. The creative answers generated from the little brain of your boy or girl are what make these pages special.

By supporting your kid in expressing his or her own choices and thoughts, it's a great way to inspire farther creativity in your child to want to do more scrapbook pages.

You can choose a topic and then present it to your kid. "Bobby, would you like to do a page on your favorite toys?”. “Jeannie, would you like to do a page on your trip to Paige's birthday party at the McDonald's?"

If your child is excited about the topic, then use a series of about five to ten prompts to get your child's answers to them. Your boy's or girl's answers would then go into the journaling boxes of your page.

If possible, it's a good idea to get your child to write out the answers in his or her handwriting. Then another piece of your child's uniqueness would be retained on the pages.

The basic idea is for you to help your child scrapbooks the page, but the words would have to come from your kid. This would not only put your child's originality into the page, but would let others glimpse into your child's own perspective on the event or topic.

Many times, you'll realize that though the two of you experienced the same event, but would form vastly different impressions of the same experience. You may be touched by the loads of affection exchanged between your daughter and her best friend. But it's how she finally had the chance to order her first Oreo cookies ice-cream cone, which left the sweetest memory on her mind that day.

Having your child's stories on the pages will reinforce the self-esteem in your child. How? Your child will begin to understand that what he or she has to say means something.

There are some general prompts that you can ask your kids to guide them in weaving their stories:

- What are your favorite ....?
- Why do you like about ... the best?
- What do you like to do with it?
- What is so special about ... ?
- What would you like to do when you ...?
- Can you describe .... and what do you know about it?
- What are your likes about ... ?
- What are your dislikes about ... ?
- What have you learned from ... ?
- What have you learned about ... ?
- What do you admire about ... ?
- What makes a good ... ?
- What's the funniest thing that happened on ... ?
- Where and how did you meet ... ?
- What do you do when you meet ... ?
- What do you talk about when you are with ... ?
- Can you draw a picture on ... ?

By combining efforts with your kid, and with little prompts, meaningful scrapbook pages can be achieved.

In this way, you can capture the early growing phases of your child on those pages forever. And these scrapbook pages are bound to light up your kid's and your faces over the years.

"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different." - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Happy scrapping with your kid!

About The Author

Fion Lim is the creator of Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com - Learning about scrapbooking? Here's your guide to beginner scrapbooking. Find tips, ideas, inspirations, articles, and resources to free quotes, poems and fonts right here.
Feel free to use the this article provided it is published in its entirety, with the resource box and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com

http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Scrapbooking Children's Favorite Stories

2005-05-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Countless memories are built during the formative childhood days. If there's an excellent means to record them down in some ways, it'll be scrapbooking.

True, we can't possibly capture every single event, but we can definitely scrap those more memorable ones onto pages.

If you've decided to scrapbook together with your kid, besides guiding them with little prompts on the journaling, you'll probably need some neat ideas to pull in those best memories.

Here's various hot-selling "stories" that you and your child can scrapbook about:

A) Story of the Birth of Baby

Kids love to read stories about themselves as babies. Having pages surrounding your child's birth will make him or her feel how much he or she is wanted by the family.

- Photo of mommy pregnant with the baby.
- Who waited for the birth?
- Who came for the hospital visit?
- Weight, length, doctor, hospital details.
- Feelings of parents about the birth of your child.
- Funny stories that happened.
- Documenting baby milestones.
- What's your kid's favorite bedtime stories?
- Photo of your kid's favorite toys.

As there's a chance that there's no photos taken during the birth, a good alternative would be to do a page on significant or historical events that happened on the day or year of your kid's birth. How to source for such information? Visit www.dmarie.com/timecap to pick up such data.

Another idea is for your kid to do a page on his or her name and birthday. Record down your kid's feelings about his or her name. Why did you and your husband come up with such a name? What's the meaning of the name? Find out what famous people share your kid's name. Find out what famous birthdays share your kid's birthday. What's the best birthday party your child had?

B) Story of Family

Family members are among the most influential people that influence a child during the growing years. Having your child scrapbook about the family will reinforce the importance of family connectedness in his or her life.

- What does your child like about each family member?
- Does your girl or boy like being part of the family? Why?
- Does your kid like being the first-born, middle-born, in-between or baby of the family?
- What does your child like about his or her grandparents?
- What are the family chores that your kid handle?
- Does your kid have a favorite pet? What does your child like about the pet? Get your kid to draw a picture of the pet.
- Funny incidents that took place in the family.
- Typical day at home. What's the daily activities that take place?
- List of fun things your kid did with the family like sporting events, camping, and picnics.
- Favorite family vacations. Where did you go and what did your kid do?
- What's your kid's most memorable memories about the family?
- Record the cultural heritage of the family.
- Suggest that your kid draw a family portrait.

C) Story of School Days

School is where the child will improve his or her fine-motor, language, art, math, problem-solving, expanding ideas and social skills. Many unforgettable memories will be formed here and your child would want to scrap these days.

- Favorite subject at school. Why?
- Favorite teacher. What does your kid like about this teacher?
- Describe a typical day at school.
- Describe the items in your kid's backpack. Photo of those items.
- What does your kid like about his or her school?
- Where does he or she usually hang out?
- List of fun things your kid do with his or her classmates.
- What extracurricular activities or clubs do you kid join? Since this is a personal choice, why did he or she choose it?
- Who does your kid usually sit with at lunch?
- Who are your kid's favorite classmates? What do your child like about them?
- What are the memorable field trips?

D) Story of Friends

Friends are crucial in the development of a kid's growth. By scrapbooking the theme of friendship, he or she will learn the importance of friends, and to dwell on the positive aspects of friendship.

- Who are your kid's best friends?
- What do your kid like about them?
- What do your kids usually do when they are together?
- Where are the places your kid love to hang out with them? Why?
- What are the qualities your kid admire in his or her friends?

E) Story of Dreams

Children has the amazing ability to daydream, imagine and dream big! You might want to encourage your kid to explore all the different possibilities. You'll probably have to give more guidance about journaling future jobs, things they want to achieve, homes and the lifestyle they want to lead.

- What does like your kid want to become when he or she grows up? Why?
- What are the duties included in the job?
- Who are the famous/ordinary people with the career your kid admires? Photo of these people?
- What are the qualities of the people with the career your kid dream of?
- What kind of home your kid want to live in the future? Draw a picture of the dream house.
- Does your kid want to be married in future? How many kids your child want to have? What are the qualities your kid look for in his or her partner?
- List of top ten things your kid wanted most to do in his or her life.
- What does kids imagine he or she will be doing during free time?
- If your kid can have superpower, what does your kid want it to be? Why?
- If money is no object, what would you child want to do with the money. Why?

These are some of the common themes you and your kid can cover. There's many more. But these ideas will be a leaping pad to more ideas.
Happy scrapping childhood stories!

About the author:

Fion Lim is the creator of Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com - Learning about scrapbooking? Here's your guide to beginner scrapbooking. Find tips, ideas, inspirations, articles, and resources to free quotes, poems and fonts right here.
Feel free to use the this article provided it is published in its entirety, with the resource box and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com

http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/Scrapbooking/Scrapbooking_Childrens_Favorite_Stories.htm

What Do I Need to Start Scrapbooking?

2005-05-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

The best thing about scrapbooking is that although there are a plethora of scrapbooking supplies available on the market, you really don’t need a lot to make your very first scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an album, some glue, a pair of scissors, and some photographs or newspaper clippings. Any fabric, ribbon, or bits of leftovers from other projects can be used to embellish your scrapbook.

As you get more acquainted with scrapbooking, you will find products that save you time and frustration. Many of these products are well worth the extra cost. At the top of this list is an exacto knife. This strong and versatile blade allows you to cut almost anything into any shape. When the blade is dull, the end is simply broken off to reveal another sharp tip. Just be sure to place the object you plan to cut onto a mat or wad or newspaper before using the exacto knife. Otherwise, the knife will cut right through your picture and into your scrapbook page or dining room table.
The next best tool is a pair of tweezers. Trying to pick up and place small gluey pieces is a hassle. Tweezers, though not very high tech, allow you to move pieces without touching them.

Speaking of gluey pieces, various glues and affixing options are available. These quick and less messy options include glue dots, two-sided tape, Xyron, acid free photo tabs, and polypropylene corners.

To increase the preservation of your scrapbook and your treasures, look for albums with acid free, lignin free pages. Both acid and lignin accelerate photo fading and general deterioration. Lignin is a chemical found naturally in the cell walls of plants. If the lignin is not removed in the paper manufacturing process, the chemical will cause the paper product to gradually yellow and crumble. Lignin and acid free products come in virtually any color and texture.

Mia LaCron is the founder of 101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - http://www.101-scrapbooking-tidbits.info - devoted to helping individuals record, store, and preserve their most cherished memories via the art of scrapbooking.

http://www.scrapbookingsource.com

Spruce Up Your Pages with Scrapbooking Embellishments

2005-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Having this nagging doubt that you may upstage your precious photos or clutter your pages with scrapbooking embellishments?

One moment you're just so tempted to paste the embellishment onto your page, and the next moment you're questioning yourself, "Should I? Should I not?” You even wonder if you're just trying to force that simply irresistible page accent onto your page to satisfy your craving for… more embellishments.

Well, you're in good company. I still remember the first time I encountered packets and packets of wondrous embellishments. My eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and my heart fluttered in excitement and the truth was, I simply can't decide. What a rush!
So for anyone who loves scrapbooking embellishments, we have to learn some balancing acts and avoid falling into the trap of overwhelming the pages with loads of such page accents.

Here's some tips for you to consider when you're holding that simply irresistible piece of embellishment in your hand, and pausing for that momentous decision.

TIPS:

• If it distracts people from your photos, you might be better off saving that piece of embellishment for another page. Let's remind ourselves that photos form the essence of scrapbooking, not embellishments.
• If the reason to use the page accent is because it's the coolest or hottest trend right now, upon reflection this may not be so in the long run. Remember how you flinched in horror as you looked back at your biggest fashion mistakes? It can happen to your scrapbooking layouts too.
• If there's only a single photo especially with close-ups, by all means launch into your most daring mode and spark up your page with embellishments. But keep the scrapbooking embellishments to the minimal, when there's multiple photos on a single page.
• If the piece of accent has a functional purpose such as concealing unsightly parts of your photo, adding balance to the overall layout or holding another item in place, then use that lovely embellishment.
• If the embellishment boosts your story-telling ability for the page, then jump on the chance.
• If the purpose of the embellishment is to copy what you've seen people did in some magazine, it's might not speak of you own style. Instead, follow your instincts and use whatever you feel confident of expressing your style on the page!

There's probably no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to scrapbooking with embellishments ideas. Just keep in view that an embellishment or two when used in the right combination, will contribute to the vision you've been trying to express in a powerful way.

Happy scrapping with embellishments!

About the author:

Fion Lim is the creator of Everything-About-Scrapbooking.com - Learning about scrapbooking? Here's your guide to beginner scrapbooking. Find tips, ideas, inspirations, articles, and resources to quotes, poems and fonts right here.
Feel free to use the this article provided it is published in its entirety, with the resource box and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com

http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/Scrapbooking/scrapbooking_embellishments.htm

Preserving Your Family Traditions

2005-03-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Traditions are reflections of beliefs, superstitions and personality of a family. I stop short of saying that they are the soul of a family because the spirit of those traditions may have been lost. Still, those traditions are part of who you are and whether or not you know why or how those traditions came about, they give rise to a dimensional understanding of a family that genealogists and family historians treasure.

You've probably already thought to document some of those traditions by taking pictures of family gatherings at holidays and festive times but what about the food at those gatherings? Are there traditional dishes? What about the way in which those gatherings and holidays unfold? Often traditions are simple things that no one remembers to document. Think about weddings. Is there something the family always does, something unique, some tradition that isn't usually part of the ceremony and therefore goes undocumented? If a certain person has a particular role in the tradition, document that too. If you know how and when the tradition began write it down in your heritage album.

Pictures and journaling are both great ways to document your family's traditions but don't forget that they don't have to be exclusive of one another. You could include a family recipe next to a picture of the dish or someone preparing it. Stories of family traditions can take up a page of a photo album or scrapbook, or a picture and the story behind it can share a page.

When you document your traditions you can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Even the colors of the papers you chose for the background of pictures can have special meaning and you can include symbols to convey the meaning of your traditions.

Traditions aren't exclusive to holidays or weddings, though. Remember your every day family life holds traditions too and these often are the ones you rarely think about. Because people move away from their extended families, traditions are lost, which is why it is important to document them whether they are active traditions or not. You don't have to have photographs to create an image for your children or grandchildren of what the "Sunday family dinner" at your grandmother's house was like, or the traditional snowball fights you and your cousins had after church in the winter. Just record in a journal your memories of the traditions, even the small ones that the family used to have. They'll thank you for writing them down.

Be sure to document with pictures and journaling those new traditions you and your family have created. And if you don't think you have any new traditions, think again! I was amazed when my children began talking about how we "always" hang balloons from the dining room chandelier for their birthdays, or how we "always" play games throughout the evening on New Years Eve. I hadn't thought of those things as traditions but through the years they have become just that. If you think about it, you've probably created a lot of new traditions because of necessity or convenience that you hadn't thought of as "traditions". Make sure to document them! And this is a great opportunity to tell future generations, through journaling - even a few lines jotted next to the picture - how and why these traditions began.

And traditions aren't just for grown-ups. Children have them too and they, in turn, hand them down to their children. One of our children's traditions is really a superstition, as many traditions are: On winter evenings when snow is predicted for the next morning, our children drink hot chocolate and wear their pajamas inside out to insure a "snow day" off school the following day. Taking pictures of your kids in the act of their traditions not only is great fun but it preserves them for future generations. Write about the traditions or let the children jot down an explanation themselves in an album next to the picture. They'll love it and some day so will their great-grandchildren.

Copyright, Your Family Legacy. Discover the past, capture the present, preserve for the future at www.webYFL.com

www.scrapbookingsource.com

Easter Scrapbooking Ideas

2005-03-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Easter is a great time to capture family photographs for scrapbooking. Even if you don't scrapbook, planning your picture taking ahead of time ensures you won't miss any of these great family memories. No family traditions? Then this is a great time to start! Here are some Easter photograph ideas for scrapbooking:

Photograph spring flowers in bloom. Daffodils and tulips will make a colorful contrast to your other photographs.

Have your kids help you make Easter cookies or an Easter cake. Snap a picture of them working in the kitchen and then make sure to take a picture of the finished product. We made a layer cake and arranged it on a thick piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil. It was lemon cake with lemon filling and pink frosting. We decorated it with store-bought Easter candy. Around the base of the cake we arranged Easter grass and added chocolate eggs and peeps for decoration. It made a great picture!

Gingerbread houses aren't just for Christmas! Make a gingerbread house and decorate it for Easter with pastel colors and lots of Easter candy. The possibilities are limitless.

If your family attends Easter church services, make sure to get a picture of your girls in their Easter dresses. Dressing up is a great excuse to take a picture.

Coloring Easter eggs never gets old, whatever the age of your kids! They never get tired of showing you how creative they are. Join in on the fun and then take a picture of the finished product.

Easter egg hunts are also fun for the whole family. Take some good action pictures and get a picture of your kids with their Easter baskets.

Easter dinners are a great time to take family pictures. It's a good time to take pictures of relatives you don't often see, and fun to get pictures of the family laughing and enjoying a meal together. Take pictures of any of the good food you want to remember later.

Have fun picture taking, and have a happy Easter!

Article by Rachel Paxton, W. Richland, WA, USA, Athens, GA USA
aprylcthomas@hotmail.com
http://www.creativehomemaking.com

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of the "What's for Dinner?" cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, and frugal living, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Choosing Scrapbook Albums

2005-03-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Documenting your family history in charts and forms is important, but putting it into scrapbook albums will allow you to creatively display your treasured family legacy. Imagine showing scrapbook album pages to your kids, grandkids, and other relatives that have pictures, facts, and stories. Think of the ooohs and aaahs! The first step, is to select a scrapbook album, and you have two choices to make: size and type.

Scrapbook albums fall into two basic size choices: 8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12. Anything smaller is unrealistic for displaying your family info. The 8 1/2 x 11 is a familiar size, but has the disadvantage that the space on the page is limited, so it's difficult to put multiple items on a page, such a photo, chart, and writing.

The 12 x 12 size has much more room, making creative page layouts possible. You can't print in this size from your standard desktop printer, which is a limitation when compared to the 8 1/2 x 11, but you can always cut out items from your print-outs and paste them onto the larger pages. There is plenty of 12x12 paper available in a plethora of colors, themes, and styles so you needn't worry about availability.

Your next choice is the type of scrapbook album, which are basically (but not exclusively) 3-ring, post-bound or strap-bound. Three ring scrapbook albums are the easiest to use and allow you to rearrange pages readily. (We recommend that you put scrapbook pages inside archival page protectors for lasting protection. Most scrapbook albums you buy - regardless of type - will come this way and refill paper and protectors are readily available.) The 3-ring album is limited in the number of pages they can hold, based on the size of the ring, but they are usually a large capacity ring. When opened, however, adjacent pages will be separated by the rings, which may be objectionable for a two-page spread.

Post-bound scrapbook albums allow adjacent pages to lie relatively flat when opened, with no separation between them. They use the same page protectors as the ring scrapbook albums, which allows you to have both types of scrapbook albums and buy refills that will work in either. Additional posts can be added for expansion making the capacity variable to suit your needs. Rearranging pages is not as quick and easy as 3-ring albums, but is not difficult.

Strap-bound scrapbook albums have an expandable strap hinge. A disadvantage of this type of album is that it must be taken apart to move pages. These albums, when opened, allow adjacent pages to lie flat without the hinge being seen. If you get an album where the page is bound to the strap, then you'll need to get special page protectors. Some albums have the page protectors bound to the strap and pages can be slipped in and out through the top of the protector.

We recommend the 12 x 12 size in either 3-ring or post-bound type as these give you the most space and versatility in creating your album. But make a choice based on your needs.

Whatever you choose, make sure the album you get is archival. This means that it's made with acid free materials and any included paper is also lignin free. A word of caution here, stay away from "magnetic" albums. They are most likely not archival and can ruin your pictures and documents in a few years. Just last week we received an e-mail from someone who was transferring photos from an old magnetic album to a 3-ring archival album, and found that her pictures were sticking to the album pages and that the backs were covered with a "sticky" substance. Don't make the same mistake. Treat you family heritage items safely. By the way, we recommended they use un-du adhesive remover on the problem pictures.

Some related sources and links:
Choosing an album:
http://www.gracefulbee.com/newbees/albumguide.html

Care and preservation of scrapbook albums:
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/scrapbk.html

About the Author:
Copyright, Your Family Legacy. Discover the past, capture the present, preserve for the future at www.webYFL.com.

Tim Bruxvoort
www.scrapbookingsource.com

Scrapbooking Essentials

2005-03-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

by: Brandie Valenzuela

I will admit that before I started scrapbooking, it looked like a expensive hobby to me. All those scissors, papers, idea books, templates and such could add up! But I really wanted to give it a try, and even though I was on a budget, I was determined to find a way to make this something I could afford.

The first piece of advice I would give to beginners is to keep it simple. Many times the most impressive scrapbook pages are those which are simplistic - they are uncluttered and in my opinion these are much more appealing. Also, realize that removing your photos from those boxes and acid-containing photos albums is the most important step in scrapbooking. What you do after this step is secondary. Your main goal with scrapbooking should be to preserve memories.

If you do have to watch your spending, I also advise you to start your new scrapbooking hobby with a friend, if possible. When you have someone to work on your pages with, you have twice as many tools to use and you can also give each other ideas and support. My sister and I would go to the craft stores together and we make sure that we don't buy duplicates of any templates, scissors, punches and other such tools. It has worked out great for us.With all that said, when you first start scrapbooking there are a few things you can't do without. Here is a breakdown of those items and some suggestions:

BINDERS AND ALBUMS

For your first album, you will need to decide which album best suits your needs. You will find that there is a wide variety available. Some may be post-bound, spiral-bound or three-ring binders. Some have pages intact for your scrapping work or are the kind that you must add your own pages. You must give thought to what will work best for you, what your budget allows, and what type of album it will be.

One of the best resources I have found on the Net to assist you with your decision is the NewBee's Guide To Choosing an album at http://www.gracefulbee.com/newbees/albumguide.html. They list the pros and cons of several different options. You will also need to make a decision on the size of your album and pages. Most scrapbooking albums and papers are either 12" x 12" or 8 1/2" x 11".

PAPER

It is important to keep in mind with all paper that you use for scrapbooking, that it is acid-free. Many crafts stores that sell scrapbooking supplies will have an assortment of paper that is ideal for archival use.

I advise the beginning scrapbooker to purchase a package of acid-free solid colored paper, preferably one that has several different colors in it. Having an assortment like this will allow you to start out without spending a lot of money on paper you may never use. Hold off on purchasing lots of specially themed paper until you are ready for it.

SCISSORS AND TRIMMERS

Having a pair of good, sharp scissors is a definite must. You may even want to consider buying a new pair just for your scrapbooking. I don't include decorative scissors in this section because they really aren't a necessity. It is nice to use them occasionally, but your plain sharp scissors will be what you need the most.

While some may not consider a paper trimmer a necessity, I do. Of all my tools, my paper trimmer is the one tool I use each and everytime I sit down to scrapbook. Fiskars sells a very popular trimmer in two different sizes. Even if you scrapbook in the smaller 8.5" x 11" size, I strongly recommend you invest in the larger trimmer that allows you to cut up to 12" at a time.

PHOTO SAFE GLUES AND ADHESIVES

Once you have all of the above, you need to have something to make your photos stick to the paper. Once again, there is a wide variety and you will have to determine what works best for you. Some of the options include photo corners, double sided tape, glue pens, glue sticks and paper cement. Be sure that the adhesive you use is acid-free.

I have used glue pens for most of my scrapbooking, until recently I fell in love with the Hermafix Tab Glider. In addition to using my Hermafix, I still use glue pens that dispense a small amount of glue that dries clear.

PEN

An acid-free, archival quality pen for journaling is a necessity. To start off, just buy a basic black pen, and if you want, you can add to your collection later.

SHEET PROTECTORS

I feel that sheet or page protectors are a necessity. As you would expect, they must be acid-free and I recommend those that are top-loading. Don't skip the page protectors as this is excellent "insurance" against fingerprints, dust, and other materials.

That concludes my list of scrapbooking essentials. Make sure you have the above items and you can get started on preserving memories!

About the Author:
Brandie Valenzuela is a busy wife and homeschooling mom to three children in Victorville, CA. She is a scrapbook product designer for http://www.pagesoftheheart.com/elemental, as well as a scrapbook teacher at Starlite Expressions, a scrapbook store in her hometown. Brandie is also honored to be member of the Pages of the Heart Design Team at http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/.

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Halloween Scrapping

2005-03-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

by Traci Daugherty

www.myscrapbooksupplies.com

Can you believe it’s almost time for Halloween? Where has the year gone? I love this time of year – not only because of the cooler temperatures, but Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Remembering all the fun I had dressing up, getting treats and watching (children’s) Halloween shows, makes me feel like a kid again. I hope when my kids are older they will look back on this time of year with fond memories also.

This is definitely one of the best times for taking pictures and scrapbooking your photo’s. There are so many ways to get creative with your scrapbook layouts AND your scrapbook supplies for Halloween. One of the easiest ways to create fun Halloween layouts is to purchase a theme kit that contains the papers, frames, die-cuts and embellishments needed. If you’re feeling a bit more creative, you can choose your own papers, die-cuts and embellishments, or use a paper piecing, and create your own masterpiece. To start, try using black cardstock for your background, then use either orange, white or even a patterned paper to matte to your cardstock or matte your photo’s and journaling on. Try making a pattern yourself by either freehand (which I can’t do lol) or trace one from a picture in a book or magazine. Embellishments such as eyelets, fibers, brads, charms (or just about anything else you wish to use) will add that extra touch. Here are some layouts that should inspire your creativity. Also try using some of the free paper piecings offered at these websites.

Your scrapbook supplies can also be used for other crafty Halloween projects. If you give out treat bags to your trick or treaters, you can use your die-cuts and embellishments, tags and stickers to decorate the bags. If you have little trick or treaters of your own, you can use these supplies to decorate their Halloween treat bags, or let them decorate it or decorate it together. Your supplies can also be used to decorate banners, make table decorations, a door wreath and oodles of other projects .

Another idea for using Halloween scrapbook supplies is to make a journal for your children. They can write about the excitement they’re feeling, about their costume, make-up Halloween stories, draw pictures and even write about their Halloween night adventures.

Here’s what you need to make a Halloween journal:

A composition notebook

Scrapbook paper (use any color and/or pattern you and your child want)

Die-cuts (optional)

Embellishments (optional)

Adhesive

Laminate paper (optional)

Cut your paper to fit the front of the notebook, leaving the spine uncovered. Use your adhesive to secure the paper – let dry. (You can cover the back- it’s up to you) Next, decorate however you and your child wish. You can also use a topper (either one for October or Halloween or your child’s name) on the front of the notebook. Place die-cuts, stickers and/or embellishments on the cover of the notebook and even through out the notebook on the pages. When you are finished, you can use the laminate paper to protect the front of the notebook. This can be found almost anywhere—WalMart and most any office supply store. If you are not familiar with using laminate paper, buy the kind that is re-stickable. That way if a mistake is made, it won’t tear up what you just made.

There are lots of other ways to make this time of year memorable and crafty. You can make your own Halloween scrapbook album with cardstock, a hole punch and ribbons and embellishments (to secure the pages together). Really, the sky is the limit! Have fun and, if you make a project with your scrapbook supplies, email it to me. If I get enough responses, I’ll hold a contest for a free theme kit =) Happy scrapping everyone and Happy Halloween!

***
When Traci isn't busy with her 2 children and taking care of her family, she's busy working on her second passion, scrapbooking and crafts. For questions or more information about her and her business, you can visit her website at www.myscrapbooksupplies.com or email her directly at penk71@yahoo.com .

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas

2005-03-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Author: Elaine Clay

Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal your
scrapbook pages?

You are not alone! Many scrapbookers find it hard to get started
when it comes to adding journaling to their scrapbooking layouts.

If you are one of those people who go blank at the thought of
having to journal, don’t worry. Here are some stress-free
scrapbooking journaling ideas to help you write the right words
whatever your page theme.

Make a list. This is a fairly simple journaling technique that
is suitable for use with any type of page theme, for example:

Doing a friendship page - list how you met, where you met, how
long you have known each other, include what you like about your
friend and why you are both pals.

Doing a recipe scrapbook page - then make a personal top 10 list
of reasons why you like Grandma’s chocolate cake so much.

Doing a baby layout - do a list of baby’s favorite foods, you
can even do one for the foods they don’t like!

A variation of this technique is to use bullet points to mark
each line on your list, giving you an opportunity to empathise
each item of your journaling:

- Anguilla

- April 2004

- My first trip to the Caribbean

- This is the view from my hotel balcony overlooking the cove –
I can’t wait to go swimming the sea looks so nice!

Make sure you have fun experimenting with all the different
kinds of embellishments that you can use as your bullet points!

Another bonus with using the list technique is that you do not
need to worry about the structure of your sentences or that your
journaling makes sense because the list breaks down what you
want to say into it’s basic readable form.

Write a Letter. This is one of those great scrapbook journaling
ideas that’s fairly simple to do and it’s also a lovely,
personal way to journal your layouts too.

All you have to do is pretend you’re writing to a friend telling
them what is happening in your photographs and including the
“Dear ….” at the beginning of your writing will give your
journaling an intimate feel.

Sent any emails lately? Like letters, emails are also a good
source of journaling material that you can use for your layouts.

If you are unsure of your own journaling then doing it in a
letter format could help your writing flow more easily, as you
describe the people and the events taking place, letting you
tell the story naturally and in your own words.

Ask a question. If you are completely stuck and cannot think of
anything to write this can be a good quick fix technique to use.
Just ask some simple questions like, “What was your favorite
part of..?” or “Did anything funny or embarrassing happen?”.

This technique can be very effective when used for a special
occasion layout, like a bridal shower, where you can ask each of
the guests to tell you about their favorite memory of the
bride-to-be.

Why not take it a stage further? Give each shower guest some
suitable decorative paper and let them write down their own
memories rather than journal all of them yourself.

For an extra special touch, you could get the guests to bring
with them their favorite photo of the bride-to-be. Ask them to
journal why they picked that particular picture and then do a
separate layout for each individual photo.

This is an effective way to make a wonderful and unique
scrapbook that is quick, simple and full of memorable pieces of
journaling that add a very personal feel to the album.

If you are one of those people who find it difficult to begin
the journaling process these fun scrapbook journaling ideas will
provide you with some basic tips and techniques to help make it
easier.

So go on, try out the scrapbook journaling ideas above for
yourself and add some stress-free journaling to your pages...
Once you’ve finished you’ll see that it’s been well worth the
effort.

About the author:
Elaine Clay is the owner of Online-Scrapbooking-Guide.com - your
one-stop online scrapbooking resource. Find inspiration,
increase your creativity and have fun with our helpful tips,
ideas, articles and much more.

Feel free to use the this article - provided it is published in
it’s entirety, with my resource box and a “live” clickable link
to: http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com

Tim Bruxvoort
http://scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Love Scrapbooking? Read On!!

2005-03-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Author: SusieScrapper

If scrapbooking is your passion, or if you are interested in
learning, don't miss out on this opportunity. Join the newest,
most innovative scrapbooking company in the industry. New
catalog just released with over 80 new and exclusive items. More
brand new exclusive items being released in October!!

The "best" kits around. Pictures, directions, and everything
that you need to get started scrapbooking. Complete pages that
are fast and easy. Are you a more advanced scrapper, there are
kits for you too.

Become a part of my team. Join now for only $25.00!! To get more
information go to my website at www.SusiesScrappers.com. You
will love what you see! If you have questions, just e-mail me.

Special Signing Incentives this Month!!! Email me for more
information.

"Happy Scrapping"

Susie

About the author:
I am a Scrapbooking Instructor. Have been scrapbooking for about
8 years. I also make 6x6 albums to sell. They make the perfect
gifts!! I love scrapbooking and it is so great that I can make a
living doing what I love!!

Tim Bruxvoort
http://scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

The Art of Collage

2005-03-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

Author: Eileen Bergen

Collage, from the French word “coller” (to stick), is a
technique that incorporates fragments of paper and collected or
found objects into artistic compositions. The National Gallery
of Art credits Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso with
legitimizing collage as fine art. Today any material fixed to a
surface may be termed collage.

As usual, the guys get all the credit! At the risk of
generalizing I think women have a genetic proclivity for collage
and have been creating it since time began.

Women tend to arrange and organize, rearrange and reorganize,
until they see a composition that is pleasing to the eye. Women
do this with home décor, their dinner tables, their closets,
their makeup, their apparel, you name it.

Men, on the other hand, tend to leave things where they lie,
find organization in disorganization, have little concern (and
may exhibit actual annoyance) if you ask them to pick up after
themselves or put things back “where they belong so you can find
it when you want it, Dear”.

Women’s genetic tendency to artfully arrange things explains the
current rage for scrapbooking which has evolved into a very
advanced form of collage. Also in the collage category are
shadow boxes, photo collages, collaged cards, framed family
history or theme collages, and of course collage art (-for-art’s
sake).

1. Any collage starts with a theme or group of somehow related
objects. So look around you. Get the shoebox of family
memorabilia out of the attic. Keep your eye out for objects that
appeal to you and are mountable. Just a few suggestions: beach
glass, shells, small pieces of driftwood, dried flowers and
leaves, jewelry parts, charms, doll house furniture and
accessories, machine parts, e.g. gears from a watch or small
motor, kitchen utensils, or old silverware.

You may have several groups accumulating at once; and objects
may be moved at whim from one group to another. Once you have
enough in any one group, lay them out on a table and arrange
them. Let them talk to you. Leave them for a few days, glancing
at them from time to time and moving items around until you are
satisfied with the arrangement. Or if you’re really inspired,
you may be pleased with your first arrangement! It happens
sometimes.

You may want to enhance or alter some objects for a special
look. Paper can be “antiqued” by carefull singeing the edges
and/or washing over the paper with tea. Some items can be
painted or shellacked. You may want only part of a photo. Tear
or cut away the unwanted portion or create a pretty mat from
textured paper in a coordinated color. Objects can be painted or
colored: polka dots on a scrap of metal, a stained glass design
painted on clear glass, a matte finish on one item that would
otherwise clash with all the glossy ones – or vice versa.

2. Depending on the size and weight of your arrangement, choose
your substrate. If the collage will be large and heavy, consider
masonite, hardboard or wood, at least ¼ inch thick. It is a good
idea to glue two firring strips to the back for support, both
while you work and when you go to hang your collage. Metal can
also be used and is very effective in combination with objects
welded to it.

If you are scrapbooking, your substrate is most likely 12 X 12
inch paper and your items need to be lightweight. Other
possibilities are stretched canvas, cardboard or wooden boxes,
poster board, or for cards - any type of cardstock or decorative
paper including handmade papers.

3. Prepare your substrate if necessary. For example, you may
need to shellac or seal if you are using wood. You may want to
put a wash of color or sponged pattern as a backdrop to your
theme.

4. Decide what you will need in order to mount your objects.
Choose glues appropriate for the object and the substrate;
preferably ones which dry transparent. Try to avoid any glue
seeping out from the edges by carefully placing and spreading
the glue and letting it come to a proper tack before placing
each object on the base. Follow the manufacturer’s label
instructions. Be sure the adhesive is permanent and, if you are
working with photos, also acid-free. Some consumer tapes, glue
sticks and liquid adhesives are not permanent or may react with
photographs and cause them to deteriorate. Some of these
adhesives contain acids and other materials, such as
plasticizers or softening agents, which can migrate onto a
photograph and cause discoloration, fading and brittleness.

Other possible fasteners are nails, tacks (especially decorative
ones such as upholstery tacks), pegs, bolts, glue dots, stick
pins, wire and tape. Or you might take up welding. You wouldn’t
be the first woman to do so!

If you are a woman looking for your artistic or profitable
niche, I recommend you give some type of collage a try. It just
comes so naturally to most women that you may find it feeds the
soul, as well as the pocketbook.

For more artilcrs, tips and ideas about crafts and the crafting
business, visit http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Eileen Bergen The Artful Crafter http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

About the author:
Ms. Bergen has had a varied career, first as a special education
teacher and than, after getting a MBA degree, as a vice
president of a major insurance company. For the last eight years
she has been creating and selling her crafts.

The Power Of Scrapbook Journaling

2005-03-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Author: Elaine Clay

By journaling your pages you will transform an ordinary
collection of photographs into a vibrant and visual storyboard -
telling the stories behind the pictures, revealing hidden
memories and emotions.

It will give your scrapbooks a unique and intimate feel, it is
this personal touch that turns your albums into something very
special.

That is the power of scrapbooking journaling and why it is one
of the most important elements of your scrapbooks.

What to write…

When you are doing your scrapbook journaling think about the
people who will read it in the future. Try and remember that
they weren't there, give them as many details as you can so that
they can relive your memories and stories for themselves.

One favorite scrapbook journaling technique is to write using
the 5 W's method.

- Who :: who's in the photo, who took it and who else was
present. It is important to name the people in the pictures you
use. People change throughout their lives, especially children,
so it is vital to tell readers who they are looking at.

- What :: what is the photo about? Describe what is happening.

- Where :: where is the event in your photo taking place? Give
some background information.

- When :: when was the photograph taken? Give a specific date
and include the year if possible.

- Why :: why did you use this photo? Does it show a special
event like a wedding or a milestone birthday? Explain why it is
so memorable.

Tell the story…

Don’t be afraid of scrapbook journaling. Just ask yourself,
"What would I want to tell future generations about the photos
on my page?" and then write it down.

A tip to remember is that all stories have a beginning, a middle
and an end.

For example, a nice way to start off your scrapbooking
journaling is to give your album a title page. Use one of your
favorite photos and write down who or what your album is about,
you can even include famous sayings, quotes or a special poem if
you want.

This leads nicely onto the 'middle' part of your story, the
actual scrapbook pages and when you get to the 'end' make a page
about yourself. Perhaps use a picture of you working on one of
the pages and explain why you have made the scrapbook.

About the author:
Elaine Clay is the owner of href="http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com">
Online-Scrapbooking-Guide.com - your one-stop online
scrapbooking resource. Find inspiration, increase your
creativity and have fun with our helpful tips, ideas, articles
and much more.

Feel free to use the this article - provided it is published in
it’s entirety, with my resource box and a “live” clickable link
to: http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

50 Ideas to Get Organized and Enjoy Your Scrapbooking Hobby

2005-03-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

by: Maria Gracia

Scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby! Besides being relaxing and fun, it also allows you to be creative and to spend quality time with your family and friends. Plus, it results in a storybook of lifelong memories.

One very important element of scrapbooking is getting it all organized. This includes, but is not limited to:

· storing all of your supplies in an organized fashion so they can be found instantly when you need them.
· remembering what supplies to pick up at the store, and eliminating duplicate purchases.
· finding time to research new and creative ways to spruce up your scrapbooks.
· finding enough time to enjoy the art of scrapbooking in your busy life.

1. TELL A STORY.
Plan your photos, before you shoot. Instead of taking random shots of someone standing here, or someone else sitting there, tell a story. For example, let's say it's Halloween. You may plan on taking four photos of your child:

1. on the hayride taking him/her to the pumpkin field.
2. looking for a pumpkin.
3. finding a pumpkin.
4. with the carved pumpkin later.
2. GREAT PHOTOS.

Photos for your scrapbooks can be extra nice if you take a little bit of time to learn some basic photography. Visit www.kodak.com for a quick photography tutorial. Getting organized has a lot to do with preparation and this site is filled with helpful tips and ideas.

3. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN.
Organized documentation is important for the serious scrapbooker. The main goal is to eliminate future questions such as "Who or what is that?", "Where and when was this photo taken?", and so on. Document photos as you're taking them, so you'll know exactly what is on each roll of film. That way you'll be prepared when you're ready to organize the photos in your scrapbooks.

4. TAKE CARE OF THAT UNDEVELOPED FILM.
If you find rolls of film around your house that are ready to go to the developer, bring them today. You may consider mailing all of your film to a supplier such as www.mysticcolorlab.com so you don't have to spend time dropping off film or picking up photos. Simply mail your film out, and you'll get your photos back in the mail a week later. From now on, always get your film developed as soon as you take the used rolls out of your camera.

5. STORING PHOTOGRAPHS.
Once your photos are developed, you need a place to store them until you're ready to put them in your scrapbook. Keep them separated by year or event, in Ziplock bags. Label each bag with a number, and put a corresponding number on your Documentation Form. Then, store them in a photo box. Keep the box in a dry, cool place to protect your photos until you're ready to put the photos into your scrapbook.

6. ORGANIZING BOXES OF PHOTOS.
If you have boxes of photos that span from the beginning of the 1900's to now, it's time to start getting them organized. Schedule a day and time to begin sorting through them and stick with your appointment when the day rolls around. Get your kids, or friends, to help out. Begin by making piles, categorized by event or year. If you don't know the exact year, at least sort them by decade. This may take a little while, but once everything is separated, scrapbooking your photos will be much easier and more pleasant. Once they're all sorted, store your photographs as mentioned above.

7. WORK BACKWARDS.
If you're planning to scrapbook lots of photos from way back, start with the most recent photos you have, and work backwards. Chances are, you have a journal describing recent photos, and even if you don't, you can probably recall the details more easily. Older photos--the ones that you don't have a journal for--will take a little more thinking.

8. BABY STEPS.
If your scrapbooking hobby seems like a colossal job to you, it's not going to be fun. Don't feel like you have to put ALL of your photos into scrapbooks. You can always put the majority of your photos in acid-free photo albums or photo boxes where they will be safe. Choose a small set of photos to begin scrapbooking. Once you're done with this small set, you can then decide whether you want to dig into your photo albums or photo boxes and continue scrapbooking them, or leave those photos where they are, and simply scrapbook any new photos in the future.

9. DOUBLE PRINTS.
Double prints will do you no good if they're just sitting in your photo box taking up space. Do something with them. Perhaps send them to someone who is in the photograph. It's a great way to keep in touch. Or, pass the doubles onto your young children who may like to create their own scrapbooks. It's a great way for them to learn your beloved hobby and decide if they would like it to be a hobby of their own.

10. RELATED STUFF.
Sometimes, for the purpose of creatively decorating your scrapbook, you may wish to keep tickets, brochures, maps, postcards, and so on, that are related to a particular trip or event. Use manila file folders or catalog envelopes for this purpose. Label the folder/envelope so that you know which photos/Documentation Form it corresponds to. File these until they're ready to be used.

11. KEEPING IT ALL TOGETHER.
Already have a pretty good idea of stickers, diecuts, etc. that you're planning to use with a particular set of photographs? Keep them in the same Ziplock bag with the photos until you're ready to put them into your scrapbook. This way, everything will be in one place and ready to use.

12. STICKERS AND SHAPES.
Stickers and punched shapes can be kept in acid-free sheet protectors, plastic baseball card sheets, business card sheets, or even Ziplock bags that are 3-hole punched. Each sheet should be categorized and labeled by theme: birthday, Christmas, Halloween, wedding, springtime, etc. Insert these sheets into a 3-ring binder. If you have a large number of stickers and shapes, you may want to use index dividers labeled with general categories. For example, a general HOLIDAY category, may hold Easter, Christmas/Hanukkah, Halloween, etc., a general SEASONS category, may hold Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, and so on.

13. TINY STUFF.
For very tiny diecuts and other small items, consider storing then in empty film canisters. The clear ones are best, but if you only have opaque ones, simply stick a label--or the actual diecut attached with a piece of tape-- on the canister indicating what is inside. Baby food jars serve the same purpose well.

14. PAPER.
Where do you keep all of that cool paper until you're ready to use it? You can get a plastic, portable filing container--research its composition to assure archival safety--that holds hanging file folders. Label the hanging files by theme or color. You may want to place a manila file folder into each hanging file folder, to keep your papers from curling. Or, you may buy file folder pockets or sheet protectors that fit into a 3-ring binder and store your papers inside each pocket, categorized and labeled. By the way, be very careful not to store acid-free paper with other paper.

15. STORAGE CONTAINERS.
Do a little bit of research and purchase a scrapbooking organizer, which will hold papers, supplies, etc. There are many products on the market that can help you keep it all together. Many office supply stores carry six-drawer organization stations. They're vertical and have 6 see-through drawers of equal size. Each drawer can be designated for a different purpose--papers, templates/diecuts, stickers, etc. Plus, they have wheels, which makes them very easy to transport from one room to another. Or, if you often bring your scrapbooking supplies outside of your home, such as to a friend's house, use a portable system that isn't too heavy or cumbersome, and comes with a handle.

16. STENCILS.
Put your stencils/templates into sheet protectors that can be purchased at any office supplies store. Then insert them into a 3-ring binder for easy access. By the way, you can store two templates in one sheet protector with a piece of paper in between each--white or colored depending on the color of your template. This will make it easier to see the designs and eliminate them from catching onto each other.

17. SUPPLY CADDY.
If you always scrapbook at home, use a kitchen utensil caddy with a number of divided compartments, like those you normally keep tall kitchen spoons, ladles, and spatulas in. The ones that spin will keep everything you need at your fingertips.

18. HANG IT UP.
If you're lucky enough to have a room specifically designated for your scrapbooking hobby, hang a large pegboard above your work area. You can then attach scissors, templates, crimpers, rulers, stencils and more, all within easy sight and reach. In addition, you might hang a small ledge or shelf nearby, to store all of your corner rounders, photo corners, and so on. If you prefer everything out in the open, this system will work like a charm.

19. RUBBER STAMPS.
Store rubber stamps in shallow, plastic containers, a rubber stamping organizer, or a plastic organizer with shallow drawers. Don't stack stamps. They should be stored in a single layer, so that you can always see the top of the stamp showing the design.

20. OTHER STORAGE IDEAS.
Fishing tackle boxes--with compartments and levels that expand and collapse--are wonderful for storing scrapbooking supplies and tools. Plastic tool boxes, with many see-through drawers are also great for this purpose.

21. SCRAPBOOKING MAGAZINES.
Is your closet full of scrapbooking magazines? There are a few things to do about this dilemma. 1) You can go through your magazines, find the articles you wish to keep and organize them into file folders by category. In other words, keep the article, toss the magazine. 2) Or you can keep the magazines in cardboard magazine boxes. If you do this, you should always keep a list of the title/issue of the magazine, the pages that interest you, and a few words describing why they interested you. This way, you can just scan your list, instead of going through the entire magazine to find what you're looking for. You can even use your computer and create the list in a word processing file. Then using the Find feature, you can simply search for key words in your document.

22. HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
Rather than keeping all those great scrapbooking ideas and tips in your head--you know, the ones you pick up from magazines, web sites, etc.-- keep a 3-ring binder with some notepaper inside for all your thoughts and ideas. Plus, when you see something in a magazine, you can simply tear the page out of the magazine, 3-hold punch it, and place it in your binder. The same goes if you see something on a web site that you wish to refer to later; just print it out and insert it into your binder. You can even separate the binder into a few different sections, such as page layout ideas, organizing ideas, neat tools/supplies, etc.

23. CHOOSE A DESIGNATED WORK AREA.
Scrapbooking is more fun and less of a chore, when everything is in one place and in close, accessible proximity to your working area. Designate a room, or a portion of a room, in your home for this activity. You should be able to retrieve your supplies, photos, etc. in seconds, without having to walk into another room, or rummage through a closet.

24. SHOPPING.
Use an organized shopping system so you remember what you want to pick up for your hobby --scissors, crimpers, papers, etc. This will also eliminate purchasing items that you already have. When you think of something you need, immediately put it on a SCRAPBOOKING PICK UP list, and bring this list with you when you go shopping. Using 3 inch x 5 inch index cards, make examples of your cuts and punches on them. Label and keep them in your day timer, or a tiny 3-ring binder. Bring these cards with you when shopping for scrapbooking items, and you'll never buy duplicates. This also works great for remembering what color pens/pencils you have. Just draw a line on your index cards and label them.

25. USE WHAT YOU HAVE FIRST.
Resist the urge to buy a million new papers, punches, and so on, until you've used some of the craft supplies you already have. Unless you're planning on opening a scrapbooking warehouse, it's best to be choosy before emptying your wallet on new items, when you already have items you could use in your current supply.

26. SHOP ONLINE.
You'll save a lot of time running back and forth to the store, if you commit instead to making your purchases online.

27. TRADE.
If you have something that you haven't used in a year or more, such as craft scissors, stickers, etc., swap them with a friend. Who knows? Perhaps your friend will find immediate use for this item, and you will get something you can use right now in return.

28. GOALS.
Always set goals for your scrapbooking hobby, perhaps one to two pages a week. This is especially necessary if you're creating a scrapbook for an upcoming special occasion.

29. PLAN.
Before you start working on your pages, plan ahead. Arrange your photos in chronological order and gather stickers, diecuts, etc. that correspond with your photos. Think about your layout and how you plan to document each photo. This will ensure you're going to be happy with the final results, and will reduce the need to redo things.

30. DO THE TWO STEP.
Step One: Assemble your pages with your photos, documentation and critical diecuts.
Step Two: Decorate with stickers, stamps, etc. The two-step process will help you get the critical part (step one) done faster, and then you can continue with the second step (less important) later on.

31. KEEP YOUR PAGES SIMPLE.
Although you may really feel the need for creating a work of art on occasion, if your goal is to get a scrapbook done as quickly as possible, keep it simple. Getting photos and documentation in the album is the main goal. Save your really creative moments for extra special scrapbooking projects. And remember, too much stuff on any one page, takes away from the photos.

32. QUICK COLOR SCHEMES.
Quickly, organize your scrapbooks with colors that compliment each other, by referencing a good color harmony book. You can pick one up at your local bookstore. They include hundreds of color combination examples. Color Harmony, by Hideaki Chijiiwa, is an excellent book for this purpose.

33. MULTI-TASKING.
Looking for a few minutes here or there to catch up on your scrapbooking? Take and make all your phone calls in the same room as your designated scrapbooking work area. Then, while you're on the phone with your friends or family, you can crop, frame or mount at the same time. Or, instead of making punches when you need them, make a bunch of punches at once while you're watching television, or are on the telephone, or when you're waiting for a pot of water to boil. This will save time later because your punches will be ready when you need them.

34. GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED.
Many people like to get their kids involved with the actual project, such as arranging stickers, applying diecuts, etc. If you would rather your kids were not involved with the actual project, give them a project of their own. You can always find a few photos that you're not going to use in your scrapbook, some inexpensive paper, kid scissors, etc. Then have each child make their very own scrapbook. Either way, the kids will be occupied, which will give you time to enjoy your hobby.

35. ELIMINATE BICKERING.
If you have more than one child that is involved with a scrapbooking activity, get them each their own plastic storage box and/or accordion files to keep their own supplies in. This way, when they want to work on their scrapbook, all of their supplies will already be separated. You may even color code their supplies, plastic boxes, etc. so they always know which stuff belongs to them. For example, blue container, blue scissors and markers labeled in blue for Billy, and all pink for Sally.

36. FAMILY TIME.
Scrapbooking is a great way to spend some time with your family. Get the whole family involved and around the table at the same time. It's a great time to share ideas and dreams with each other. Can't seem to get the male family members involved? Perhaps they can sit at the table while the females are scrapbooking, and they could do something they enjoy at the same time. At least everyone will be together and having fun.

37. TEAM UP.
Scrapbooking is a great way to spend time with your friends and catch up with each other. Start a scrapbooking club and meet at each other's homes one day every few weeks. Make a party of it!

38. IDENTIFY.
The next time you get together with friends, or a scrapbooking club, put a little piece of colored tape on your scissors' handles, the sides of your punch tools, pens, etc. Then, everyone could share, but you'll be sure to get your tools back when it's time to go home.

39. DON'T TAKE THE KITCHEN SINK.
If you're going to be scrapbooking at a friend's home, take a few minutes to plan what you want to work on. By doing this, you will only have to carry those supplies you're going to use. In other words, if you're going to be working on a wedding theme, there's no reason to be carrying all of your holiday items with you.

40. CLEAR THE WAY.
If you are spending too much time looking for supplies, background papers, photos, frames, that great rubber stamp and so on, then, it's time to organize your work station. Declutter and toss out or trade those items you don't need, you don't like, etc. Organize your supplies into binders and storage containers. You should always be working on a clear surface, with only the current project in front of you.

41. CLEAN UP THE SCRAPS.
If there is a wastepaper basket right near your work station, all of the scraps that you're not planning on using can be tossed immediately. Don't leave trash on your work surface. If you visit a friend's home, you may want to carry along an empty tissue box so that all scraps can be discarded immediately, and make clean-up for your host quick and easy.

42. PUT IT AWAY.
Always have a home for your supplies, and when you're finished using them, take a few moments to put everything away. You should be able to start fresh with a clear mind and a clear surface.

43. BIG ITEM/SMALL ITEM.
Never place a big item over a smaller item, because if you do, it will be out of sight, and difficult to find quickly.

44. ERGONOMICS.
Organize your work area for increased productivity. Make sure it's well lit. Have a comfortable chair to sit on. Your supplies and tools should be within arms reach.

45. SAFETY.
Organize your scrapbooking with safety in mind. Use a protective covering for your table. Craft mats are great for cutting on. Scissors and other sharp tools should be face down in a holder, and out of a young child's reach.

46. MAKE IT EASY.
Different personality styles require different organization systems. Make sure you use an organization system you can live with--one that works with your style and that allows you to find things without delay. If you find things easier when they're alphabetized, then use that type of system. Perhaps you're better at finding things by color. Then use that system. Your organization system must work in harmony with your personality.

47. DON'T DO SO MUCH.
Finding the time for your scrapbooking and/or rubberstamping hobby can be difficult if you have too many things going on in your life. Reduce or eliminate the activities you don't truly enjoy. Reduce the activities of your children. Get on an organized cleaning schedule, so you're not wasting the entire weekend cleaning up. Make easier dinners that are healthy, but take half the time to prepare. Get your family to help out with household chores and obligations.

48. SPARE TIME.
Those spare minutes that we all have can be put to good use. Have to wait at the doctor's office for your appointment? Sketch out a quick layout idea. Waiting for the wash cycle to finish? Sort out some photos, or gather supplies for tomorrow's scrapbooking project.

49. WRITE IT DOWN.
Don't ever leave your home without a small notebook in hand. You're bound to come up with a thought, or a cute caption, for your scrapbook. If you don't write it down right away, you may forget about it. You may also want to keep a small pad and a pen right near your bedside, in case you have a bright idea in the middle of the night.

50. ENJOY!
Plan, organize and schedule some time to enjoy your creations with family and friends. Scrapbooking is all about fun, laughter, memories, and touching moments!
About The AuthorMaria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Scrapbooking Teen Memories

2005-03-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Scrapbooking Teen Memories
by: Rachel Paxton

By the time your teen is in high school, you probably aren't taking as many pictures of them as you used to. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple of years left and no time to waste trying to capture fleeing teenage memories.
You might be thinking that I'm really organized to be already working on scrapbooking my daughter's high school memories. To be honest, I have a shoe box full of pictures of my daughter waiting for me to get to someday.

But if I wait until "someday" to continue taking pictures because I already have so many pictures I haven't done anything with, then my daughter's teenage years will come and go while I try to catch up.

I don't want to chronicle every detail of my daughter's life (nor would she want me to!), but I was trying to think of some memories that she might want to laugh about and maybe even treasure someday. So how do you do that without ending up with pages and pages of memories?

I decided to do two large (12x12) pages (facing each other in the album) for each year of high school. I will challenge myself to use this space creatively to tell the story of each year. When I started thinking of all the the possibilities, it really inspired me to start getting organized and collecting some great memories. And don't limit yourself to just photographs, your scrapbook pages can really be accentuated by other types of memories. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Photograph Ideas:
· High School Dances
· First Date/Boyfriend
· School Building
· Church Events/Retreats
· Braces (the day they're removed)
· Hair Styles
· Clothing Fads
· Learning to Drive
· First Job
· First Car
· Best Friends
· School Plays/Concerts
· Family Vacations
· Favorite Family Pets
· Babysitting
· Sports/Band/Cheerleading
· Musical Instrument Practice

Other:
· CD Covers (scanned)
· Favorite Song Lyrics
· Drivers' Permit
· First Pay Stub
· Programs from Play/Concerts
· College Brochures
· School Newspapers
· ASB Card
· Awards/Certificates
· Ticket Stubs (concert, movie, sporting events)
· Report Cards

You can be creative when you're arranging your layouts. Don't be afraid to cut pictures down or cut out portions of play programs or school newspapers. Just cut out enough to accentuate the other items on the page. You will create the overall effect from the entire page, not necessarily from an individual item.

Have fun and don't worry if you don't get it done all at one time. I figure if I can do one every summer for the previous school year, by the time she finishes high school (she's a freshman this year), all of her high school memories will be recorded in the family archives.

About The AuthorRachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com. Email: rachel@creativehomemaking.com

Tim Bruxvoort
http://scrapbookingsource.com/

Hints And Tips On Scrapbooking Baby’s “Firsts”

2005-03-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

by: Elaine Clay

It is true to say that a lot of people begin to get the scrappin’ bug after their child/children are born and usually their first attempt at scrapbooking is making a baby album.

Having a child is one of the most important events in our lives and baby’s first year is a busy, lively, ever changing journey of discovery. It is full of important milestones…

No wonder then, as parents we want to capture and record all those many memorable moments - preserving them in scrapbooks is a great way to safely keep and cherish those memories for years to come.

One timeless and extremely popular baby scrapbooking idea is to make an album that consists of ‘firsts’.

This is a relatively easy and flexible theme to follow, especially for someone new to scrapbooking and is a great way to create enchanting baby scrapbooks.

This kind of album usually consists of a scrapbook arranged in chronological order with individual layouts showing special and notable moments in your baby’s life.
New babies are so photogenic it’s hard to resist capturing all the big and little things that make up their day-to-day lives.

No doubt you will have lots of pictures to sort through – so here’s a small list of ‘firsts’ to give you some ideas for organizing your photos:
· sleep/nap
· bottle/breast feed
· diaper change
· dressed in their first outfit
· ride in a car seat
· smiles
· bath
· trip out in the buggy
· solid food
· teeth
· sitting up
· drinking from a cup
· feeding him/herself
· crawling
· walking with the furniture
· steps/walking on their own
· hair cut
· halloween
· Christmas

To add a little more interest to your album try and vary the layouts, for instance make some events into double page spreads. Such as coming home from the hospital or bath-time, which always presents an opportunity for some great photos!

Give your pages a personal touch by adding some memorabilia, using a pocket envelope, to your layouts - like the birth announcement or maybe a lock of hair from their first hair cut.

If you are new to scrapbooking and you’re unsure about starting out on your new album then a good choice would be to buy yourself a baby scrapbook kit. These kits contain everything you will need to begin scrapbooking and are a great shortcut to creating super layouts that you can be proud of.

You can also enhance your pages with some of the many baby-related products that are available on the market. Decorate your layout with an adorable or cute baby scrapbook paper.

Then, embellish your page with some charming baby scrapbook stickers like rattles, booties, bibs, bottles etc and when they’re done display all of your beautiful pages in a lovely baby scrapbook album.

Go on… give it a go. Make yourself a baby scrapbook to savor and keep all those incredible memories. You’ll find it’s much more than just a scrapbook – it will become a precious family keepsake that you’ll treasure forever.

About The Author
Elaine Clay is the owner of Online-Scrapbooking-Guide.com :: your one-stop online scrapbooking resource. Find inspiration, increase your creativity and have fun with our helpful tips, ideas, articles and much more. - Feel free to use the above article on your web site or ezine. Provided that it is published in it’s entirety, including my resource box above and a “live” clickable link to: http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

Easter Scrapbooking Ideas

2005-03-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

Easter is a great time to capture family photographs for scrapbooking. Even if you don't scrapbook, planning your picture taking ahead of time ensures you won't miss any of these great family memories. No family traditions? Then this is a great time to start! Here are some Easter photograph ideas for scrapbooking:

Photograph spring flowers in bloom. Daffodils and tulips will make a colorful contrast to your other photographs.

Have your kids help you make Easter cookies or an Easter cake. Snap a picture of them working in the kitchen and then make sure to take a picture of the finished product. We made a layer cake and arranged it on a thick piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil. It was lemon cake with lemon filling and pink frosting. We decorated it with store-bought Easter candy. Around the base of the cake we arranged Easter grass and added chocolate eggs and peeps for decoration. It made a great picture!

Gingerbread houses aren't just for Christmas! Make a gingerbread house and decorate it for Easter with pastel colors and lots of Easter candy. The possibilities are limitless.

If your family attends Easter church services, make sure to get a picture of your girls in their Easter dresses. Dressing up is a great excuse to take a picture.

Coloring Easter eggs never gets old, whatever the age of your kids! They never get tired of showing you how creative they are. Join in on the fun and then take a picture of the finished product.

Easter egg hunts are also fun for the whole family. Take some good action pictures and get a picture of your kids with their Easter baskets.

Easter dinners are a great time to take family pictures. It's a good time to take pictures of relatives you don't often see, and fun to get pictures of the family laughing and enjoying a meal together. Take pictures of any of the good food you want to remember later.

Have fun picture taking, and have a happy Easter! Article by Rachel Paxton, W. Richland, WA, USA, Athens, GA USA aprylcthomas@hotmail.com

http://www.creativehomemaking.com

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of the "What's for Dinner?" cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, and frugal living, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Tim Bruxvoort
http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/sitemap.htm

New and Confused?

2005-03-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

by Traci Daugherty
www.myscrapbooksupplies.com

If you are new to scrapbooking, you're probably overwhelmed! Scrapbooking has become a very creative way to preserve and show off your photos for generations to come. Lets see if I can shed some light on some of the terms and help you find a starting point your comfortable with.

Scrapping--this is a shorter and more common term for scrapbooking -- means the same thing.

Die-cuts--accents to use on your pages.

Crop Party--this is where people get together and scrapbook with each other. Sometimes it is also referred to a home party, where someone in the scrapbook business shows their products and new techniques to a group of individuals.

Paper & Card Stock--paper & card stock are used to set the background for your scrapbook pages. They are also needed to “hold” your page together.

Page Protectors--like the name says, these protect your pages. Some albums come with page protectors and some do not.

Album/Memory Book--a scrapbook album. Sometimes called an album, sometimes a memory book, scrapbook albums are put together many different ways. Three most common are post bound, spiral and ring.

Page sets or Theme sets--this is a term for a complete page set (that you purchase) that has all of the items you will need to make a couple pages. It usually comes with frames and paper and other items to add to your pages.

Frames--just like a photo frame, this frames your picture on your page.

Journaling--journaling is when you write a bit about what is going on in the picture or you can use a poem. You do not have to do this on your pages if you dont want to.

Workshop--you get together with other people at a pre-determined place to work on scrapbooks, or learn how. There is usually a fee involved but most of the time you do receive items for the cost plus you will be able to learn a few new tricks and tips. It is also a great place to share your photos and get ideas. These are especially great to attend if you are in a creative slump.

Fiskars--scissors and cutting tools.

Top loading--this term describes the way you load your completed pages into your album.

Binder--an album. Sometimes it is called an album, sometimes a binder.

Adhesive--you will need something to adhere your photos to the page. You can use stickers, stick glue (make sure its acid free and will hold them!) or tape. If using stickers, you can substitute frames for them.

Embellishments--items such as eyelets, ribbons, buttons, glitter or just about anything you can add to your pages. With your imagination, the sky is the limit when it comes to embellishments!

Templates--these are guides that can help you place pictures on the page or help with titles.

Cropping Tools--cropping tools are a BIG help. There are so many that do different things. Like the Xyron machines that make stickers, labels and magnets, the Fiskars paper crimper, paper punches that come in all shapes & sizes, cutting tools like the Fiskars paper trimmer, Sissix cutting tools and so, so many more! Now you don't have to have all of these things to get started, especially if working with page kits. Items in page kits are pre-cut for you. There are two basic items I won't live without--a paper trimmer and a shape cutter.

When you are just starting, you may become overwhelmed wondering what you need to do this or what kind of album to put your pages in once they are completed. The easiest way to get started is buying a page set. The page sets have all you will need to get started (except the adhesive and scissors). Don't forget your album! Albums range in price and in size. Make sure to check your album size and the page size you want to put in them. You can't fit a 12 x 12 page into an 8 ½ by 11 album. Albums can range in size from 5 x 7, 7 x 7, 8 ½ x 11 and 12 x 12. Price ranges will be anywhere from $8 to $40 (& more) per album. The price will depend on the size, how many pages it will hold, quality, etc...

Once you get the hang of scrapping, go on to more creative ways to add to your pages. Like adding embellishments, using different papers for your title, and journaling. Scrapbooking seems to have literally swept the nation. Finding a creative outlet is actually a good mental exercise and is lots of fun!

'I Didn't Know These Are Slowly Destroying My Scrapbooks!

2005-02-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

'I Didn't Know These Are Slowly Destroying My Scrapbooks!'

By Palyn Peterson

Once you spend your precious time and energy creating a scrapbook, make sure it lasts! There are a few simple things you can easily do to ensure that your scrapbooks look just as good as they day you finished them, for years to come.

The first thing to avoid is paper that is not lignin-free. You've probably heard that before, and it is true, but what is lignin anyways? Lignin is a stiff component of a plant that quite literally holds it together. Although lignin is necessary for plants and trees, you want nothing to do with it! After a while, lignin will cause photos, fabrics and other paper that touch it to turn brown. Yes, lignin-free paper does cost more, but it is a vital part of preserving your cherished scrapbooks.

If the paper is not lignin-free, it will eventually discolor your photos and other materials touching it. So when buying paper for your scrapbooking projects, be sure to look for packages that say "lignin-free," because if it doesn't say it, then it most likely isn't.

Fabric is a big concern for preserving your scrapbooks, but unfortunately it is often overlooked. Many people assume that all fabrics are acid-free, but they aren't. Silk actually goes through an acid bath during the manufacturing process, as well as many tie-dyed fabrics. This isn't to discourage you from using it, not all. Just try to make sure that no photos directly touch fabric, and if you need them to overlap, make sure there is a layer of paper between the two.

Another consideration when using fabrics is if the color will bleed off onto your page and other things touching it. To test for this, cut a square inch off and soak it in a glass of water over night. If there is no color bleeding from it the next day, then there isn't any risk to your scrapbook. But if you do see color in the water, or collecting at the bottom of the glass then don't use that fabric in your scrapbook at all.

When using glitter, be sure there is a top layer of spray adhesive to lock them down, or better yet use special glitter glue where the glitter is mixed right in. If this is not done right the glitter will slowly fall off, and loose glitter means scratched photos.

After you have planned the layout for your photos, be sure that you are using the right kind of mounting tape for them! Regular mounting tape is fine for buttons and bottle caps, but when it come to mounting photos you need to use special photo mounting tape which is completely acid-free. If you don't, your photos will slowly discolor. The tape should say "acid-free" right on the packaging.

These are just a few simple things you can do to ensure that your scrapbooks last and last. •

11/24/04

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About the Author
Palyn Peterson publishes "Scrapbooking News" Get more FREE scrapbooking tips, tricks and techniques. Claim your free gift now! http://www.expert-scrapbooking.com/toptenb.html
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http://www.scrapbookingsource.com/

Heritage Album Class Scrappin' and Stampin'

2005-02-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

Heritage Album Class Scrappin' and Stampin' Karen Chichester

Where to Start
Before you begin you need to do the following:

1. Decide Who will be Reading This Album? This will determine the overall "slant" of this album.

2. Gather Your Old Photos And Any Other Memorabilia. Do not limit your album to photos. Anything and everything else you include adds to the "story" that your album tells. This may also include researching your history and/or interviewing relatives.

3. Gather Archival Quality Material for Mounting and Preserving Your History. Make sure that you use only archival paper, adhesives, embellishments, mounting corners or photo corners, and albums. All writing and ink decoration should be done in acid free and permanent ink. Pigment is best. Photo Sleeves are a must!

4. Decide the Overall Organization of the Album. Will your album have one or both sides of the family in it? Will it begin with you or with your oldest relative? Will you include a family tree?
5. Sort and Organize Your Memorabilia According to Your Plan
6. Decide on a Color Theme. This is optional, but it may make your organization clearer.
Who will be Reading This Album?

If the album is for one person, you can:
¨ Refer to the recipient in your journalizing. i.e. "This is your Great Grand Mother Jones."

¨ Begin the album with a full size photo of the person the album is for. Include their date and place of birth.

¨ If the album is for a 50th anniversary or a special birthday, you can include notes of remembrance, and congratulations too.

If the album is for future generations, you should:
¨ Be sure to write down the names, parents names, dates of birth, death, & marriage on the first page which someone appears in your album. Family trees are a good place to record this important information.

¨ On photos where someone has written an explanation on the back of the photo, photocopy the back and put it on the page next to the photo. That way, you not only have the photo and the story, but you have preserved the original handwriting of 'Grandma Smith' or 'Great Aunt Betty'.

¨ If you have a large group photo, you can identify everyone by photocopying each photo, putting a dab of white-out on each person, letting it dry, and then numbering each individual. Mount this underneath the photo. Or, if it is a really large photo put it on the next page and make a list which identifies each person by number. This makes it easier to identify who that person in the center of the photo is without counting rows and counting how many people from the left, etc.

Gather Your Old Photos And Any Other Memorabilia
¨ Photographs, Tintypes, Postcards

¨ Copies of Newspaper Articles

¨ Wedding Invitations, Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Titles/Deeds to Property, and Other Documents

¨ Letters to and from the people in your album

¨ Consider interviewing family members and friends.

¨ After interviewing family members, consider visiting some of the places that are important to your story and look up the sites that had special meaning for importance to your family --places they lived, schools they attended, churches they attended, etc. Also include a map with all of those sites marked.

¨ Visit the library and find newspapers on microfilm/fiche/database. You could copy the front pages of newspapers with important dates and make copies of ads showing products and prices of that day for things like food, clothing, household items, and cars.
Genealogical Research

Here are a few ideas to get you started:
¨ Consult your local genealogical society for information on how to proceed.

¨ Do a web search for information. There are numerous genealogical web sites. The most reputable on the world wide web is currently "Cyndi's List": http://www.cyndislist.com

¨ Buy, download, or borrow Family Tree Maker software (http:// www.familytreemaker.com) Registered owners get web page space and can post their entire genealogy, or just part of it, with links to their other web pages. Registered owners are also listed on many search engines, so that distant and not-so-distant relatives can find them.

¨ Include a family tree. Draw your own or use a preprinted Family Tree page. There are some cute ones here at Scrappin' and Stampin', and Creative Memories has a new one. You can also contact Everton, a leading genealogy vender. Everton sells Pedigree Charts, Family Group Sheets, and other acid free papers.

¨ Put a genealogical chart at the front of the book and use the numbering system on the genealogical chart as an index. (Genealogists have a very systematic way of doing this. If you want to do it correctly, consult the local genealogical society.)

¨ However, if you are not that picky, you could just assign each person a number. *Example* On a chart for Sue's family, Sue is # 1, her father # 2, her paternal grandfather #4, and so on. (Sue adds an initial so you can tell whose ancestor is whose.) So in Sue's album, her father's page would be numbered # 2 S (for Sue), her husband's father #2 N (for Nick, her husband's first name), and so on.

Archival Quality Material for Preserving Your History (Rewritten 4/19/99)
¨Use pH Neutral paper, inks and adhesives. The pH scale ranges from 1.0 to 10.0 with 7.0 as neutral. A pH level below 7.0 is acidic. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline. Just remember that the farther away from 7.0 a pH level is, the greater the Acidity/Alkalinity. The numbers go up and down in a geometric progression (a pH level of 6.5 is 10 times more acidic that a pH level of 6.6).

Nothing is truly acid free. Most products are virtually acid free. This means they have a pH level close to 7.0. At the present time there is no standard for what the term "acid free" means. (Just like "low fat".) Companies are allowed to claim this as long as their papers are close to 7.0.
Also, too much alkaline is just as harmful. The alkaline is added to "buffer" some paper. This buffering helps keep the acid from memorabilia and photos from migrating onto other items on the page. Be aware that buffering can cause a slight color shift in color photographs over a number of years. This shift is slight, but avoid placing buffered paper directly on the emulsion side of your photographs.

¨ Truly Lignin free paper is the best. However, that paper is only sold by companies that supply museums and is very costly (dollar or more per sheet). There is no test for lignin. Companies are allowed to say their paper is lignin free if a certain chemical was added during the paper making process to neutralize the lignin.

¨ Try to stay with one and no more than two types of adhesives on each page. Even if all products are "acid free", or "photo-safe", the combination of a number of other chemicals can cause undesirable effects.

¨ If you are really concerned about the longevity of the photos in your heritage album, do not use the originals. Have copies of the original photographs produced with a good color copier, and use the color copies. Have Black and White photos copied on the color copier with it set in black and white mode.

¨ Have newspaper articles copied onto 100% cotton paper. Cotton paper does not contain lignin.

¨ Encase other memorabilia in photo sleeves.

¨ Use page protectors.

¨ Two ways to mount very special pictures:
- When mounting directly on the page, use corner mounts, or photo corners

- When mounting photos on colored paper, cut a diagonal slice in the corner of the paper and slide the pictures in like you would with corner mounts or photo corners. This also works great with corner slot-punches.

Overall Organization of the Album
One family or two? What do I do? Here are a few ideas:
¨ Mount all of the pictures from one side of the family using one color scheme. Choose a complementary color scheme for the other side of the family. Combine the two color schemes for the children.

¨ Start with "farthest back" ancestor and work your way forward on one or both sides of the family. End with you.

¨ Have a genealogical chart at the front of your book, and use the numbering system from it as an index. Each person should have their genealogical number on their page so you can look at the chart and see where they are on the family tree.

¨ Begin with a family tree. Then do a page for each couple, front and back. Try not to do a 2 page spread, unless it is the center of 2 full front and back pages. This way you can re-arrange the pages. If you have enough info on the husband or wife, do another page...maybe front for husband, back for wife. Include any memorabilia that you have for the couple.

¨ Start with the recipient of your album and work backwards. That person's photo is matted with two colors of background paper, one color for the paternal line and the other color for the maternal line. Photos in the front of the album are matted with both colors of paper. Then when the photos separate into maternal and paternal family lines use only the background paper related to that family line. This way as you get farther back into the album you can always tell by the color of the photo mat as to whose side of the family the photos are from.
Layout and Other Ideas ¨ If using Albums with scrapbook pages (as opposed to drop in page protectors), do the pages from each family line always using either 1 page front and back or 2 pages front and back, etc. so you can rearrange later. If you really want a 2 page spread, fill in with a miscellaneous page (old letters, deeds, tombstone photos, poems, etc.)

¨ Copy the back of the old photos and put that beside the photo in the album.

¨ If you nothing more than name, dates of birth, marriage, and death for a person, consider using clip art which is characteristic of events going on in that time period: covered wagons representing western migration in the U.S., sailing ships to represent immigration from other countries, Victorian ladies in their fancy clothing, etc. Look in history books to find major events that occurred during each person's life.

¨ Do not get too "Creative" with each page. Stick to very basic layouts so you do not detract from the pictures. Use some color, but nothing too flashy.

¨ Crop minimally, if at all. Use the personal trimmer and a corner rounder. No more than that.
¨ Black and white photographs look great with black and white paper. Also, using the lace edge punches adds a very elegant look to those pictures.

¨ Remember that simplicity has classic appeal. It is not necessary to mount every photo. The layouts can be simple and straight forward. It is the journalizing which makes heritage albums so special.

¨ If you can get all your photos mounted in your album, you can take your album with you and journal when you have a few minutes waiting in the doctor's office, waiting for your child to get out of school, etc.

¨ Appropriate Colors/Combinations: ¨ Navy and pale blue ¨ Brown and cream ¨ Blues and browns ¨ Neutrals plus dusty rose ¨ Pastels ¨ Muted Colors ¨ Neutrals plus navy ¨ Black ¨ Beige
¨ Stickers ¨ Victorian theme flowers and artwork ¨ Gifted Line Stickers ¨ Floral Stickers ¨ Use these minimally
¨ Diecuts ¨ Only use if they are really appropriate. ¨ Stay within your color scheme
¨ Pen/Ink Colors ¨ Brown ¨ Black ¨ Gold
© Article Content Copyright Karen R. Chichester 1997-2001

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2004-12-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Find Joy in Your Photos Again

2004-12-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

Find Joy in Your Photos Again-Simple Steps
to Regain Control

by: Christine Sutton

Photographs are intended to bring us joy. Instead most people feel anything but joy when it comes to their photographs. Most people feel challenged, frustrated, and overwhelmed by their photographs!

The average person has shoeboxes and dresser drawers full of photos that are a jumbled mess. Many people have years and years’ worth of photos that have never even made it out of the film developer’s envelopes! Even worse, some people have even stopped taking pictures because they feel so guilty about their already out-of-control photo “collection.”

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your photos, then start by taking these simple steps to find the joy in your photographs once again:

1. Practice Photo Safety

If you were to ask someone to name their most prized possessions, they would likely tell you that their photographs and keepsakes were most important. And yet, most people are unknowingly damaging these very items that they consider most valuable!

How about you? Are you damaging your precious photographs? If you have any photographs in shoeboxes, magnetic albums, manila folders, plastic baggies or standard film developing envelopes, then your answer is YES! If you have ever written on the back of your photographs with a ballpoint pen, then your answer is YES! That is because all of these items expose your photographs to the three biggest hazards: Acid, Lignin and PVC. Here's a quick explanation of these hazards:

* Acid: A chemical substance that can weaken paper and cloth, causing it to brown and become brittle. * Lignin: An organic substance that is present in wood pulp. It becomes more and more acidic as it deteriorates. (The yellowing effect of a newspaper is an example of lignin.) * PVC: (also known as polyvinyl chloride) A chemically active plastic that, when combined with moisture in the air can emit hydrochloric acid.

This may sound complicated, but you don't need to worry about remembering the details. Just remember that acid, lignin and PVC will damage photographs! Whenever you purchase photo albums and scrapbooking supplies, be sure that they are acid-free, lignin-free and PVC free.

You also need to protect your photographs from hazards in the environment, such as excessive heat, light and humidity. For ultimate safety, you should store your photo collection in a windowless closet away from water pipes and heat sources.

This may seem like extra work, but practicing photo safety should the first step in any of your photo organizing projects. The greatest organizing systems are useless if your photographs are destroyed in the process!

2. Gather everything in one place.

It’s hard to organize your photographs if you don’t know where they are! Having everything in one place will bring an immediate sense of peace, and it will make it easier for your family to enjoy your precious photographs. There’s a security benefit, too! If the unthinkable happens and you need to evacuate your house, you will be able to quickly gather your treasured items.

3. Don’t get hung up on the “big picture”.

If you’re like most people, then just thinking about your massive photo collection is enough to discourage you from taking action. You see years and years' worth of photos and think you could never get them all organized, so why bother? Get rid of that "all or nothing" mentality!

Set mini-goals so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment. Focusing on one theme (such as holiday or vacation photos) will be a lot more manageable than trying to tackle the entire photo collection at one time. Don't sabotage yourself by thinking you need to set aside an entire day for your organizing. Take advantage of small blocks of time – even 15 minutes – and take some action. Small progress is still progress!

4. Purge your photos!

Photographs hold so much meaning and significance for us, and most of us consider our photographs to be among our most prized possessions. Because of this, many of us would never dream of throwing away a photograph. It sounds dreadful doesn't it?

But guess what? You don't have to keep every picture! Don't be afraid to sift through your collection and free yourself of those photographs that don't stir your emotions. For starters, release anything that is dark, blurry, or otherwise unattractive.

If you insist upon keeping every photograph, then your truly special photographs will be lost in the mass of other photographs. Keep those photos that inspire you, and release the rest. Purging your photographs is one simple thing you can do to dramatically simplify your organizing.

5. Develop a system for handling just-developed pictures.

We realize that you probably have oodles and oodles of older photographs that need organizing. So, you may think it odd that we’re focusing on handling just-developed pictures. The simple reason for that is that you need to feel a sense of achievement, and this will give you an easy starting point. It may take you a while to go back and organize your older photographs, but at the very least you’ll feel in control of your pictures from here on out. The system that you create should be simple, so that you’ll use it every time.

6. Capture your memories that go along with your photographs.

Your photographs will hold more meaning, for you and your loved ones, if they know the story behind them.

As you begin to get your photographs in order, you may be interested in discovering the joy of scrapbooking! Scrapbooking is the art of safely and creatively showcasing photos and memorabilia in albums using archival, acid-free albums and products. Pages are embellished with stickers, artwork, and journaling. Scrapbooking is the fastest growing segment of the craft industry, with good reason.

“Scrapbooking is truly a magical activity with immeasurable benefits. It allows us to record our family stories and reflect on life’s greatest treasures”.

Whether or not you plan to scrapbook, be sure to take the time to capture those magical moments in life. You know, those times in life when something wonderful happens and everything seems right with the world . . . or you're amazed by your child's words of wisdom. Capture those special moments as they happen.

Copyright 2003-2004, by The Sentimental Playground. Article may be reprinted with permission. Please contact info@organizedphotos.com

About The Author

Christine Sutton and her business partner, Tracey DuBois, have helped countless people organize, protect, and enjoy their precious photographs. They co-founded http://www.organizedphotos.com where they provide empathy, fun, and completely sane solutions. FREE Photo Organizing Idea Kit, Articles, Step-by-Step Guidelines, E-courses, Creative Projects, Tips, Ideas, and more.

Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas

2004-12-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas

by: Elaine Clay

Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal your scrapbook pages?

You are not alone! Many scrapbookers find it hard to get started when it comes to adding journaling to their scrapbooking layouts.

If you are one of those people who go blank at the thought of having to journal, don’t worry. Here are some stress-free scrapbooking journaling ideas to help you write the right words whatever your page theme.

Make a list. This is a fairly simple journaling technique that is suitable for use with any type of page theme, for example:

Doing a friendship page - list how you met, where you met, how long you have known each other, include what you like about your friend and why you are both pals.

Doing a recipe scrapbook page - then make a personal top 10 list of reasons why you like Grandma’s chocolate cake so much.

Doing a baby layout - do a list of baby’s favorite foods, you can even do one for the foods they don’t like!

A variation of this technique is to use bullet points to mark each line on your list, giving you an opportunity to empathise each item of your journaling:

- Anguilla

- April 2004

- My first trip to the Caribbean

- This is the view from my hotel balcony overlooking the cove – I can’t wait
to go swimming the sea looks so nice!

Make sure you have fun experimenting with all the different kinds of embellishments that you can use as your bullet points!

Another bonus with using the list technique is that you do not need to worry about the structure of your sentences or that your journaling makes sense because the list breaks down what you want to say into it’s basic readable form.

Write a Letter. This is one of those great scrapbook journaling ideas that’s fairly simple to do and it’s also a lovely, personal way to journal your layouts too.

All you have to do is pretend you’re writing to a friend telling them what is happening in your photographs and including the “Dear ….” at the beginning of your writing will give your journaling an intimate feel.

Sent any emails lately? Like letters, emails are also a good source of journaling material that you can use for your layouts.

If you are unsure of your own journaling then doing it in a letter format could help your writing flow more easily, as you describe the people and the events taking place, letting you tell the story naturally and in your own words.

Ask a question. If you are completely stuck and cannot think of anything to write this can be a good quick fix technique to use. Just ask some simple questions like, “What was your favorite part of..?” or “Did anything funny or embarrassing happen?”.

This technique can be very effective when used for a special occasion layout, like a bridal shower, where you can ask each of the guests to tell you about their favorite memory of the bride-to-be.

Why not take it a stage further? Give each shower guest some suitable decorative paper and let them write down their own memories rather than journal all of them yourself.

For an extra special touch, you could get the guests to bring with them their favorite photo of the bride-to-be. Ask them to journal why they picked that particular picture and then do a separate layout for each individual photo.

This is an effective way to make a wonderful and unique scrapbook that is quick, simple and full of memorable pieces of journaling that add a very personal feel to the album.

If you are one of those people who find it difficult to begin the journaling process these fun scrapbook journaling ideas will provide you with some basic tips and techniques to help make it easier.

So go on, try out the scrapbook journaling ideas above for yourself and add some stress-free journaling to your pages... Once you’ve finished you’ll see that it’s been well worth the effort.

About The Author

Elaine
Clay is the owner of

Online-Scrapbooking-Guide.com :: your one-stop online scrapbooking
resource. Find inspiration, increase your creativity and have fun with
our helpful tips, ideas, articles and much more.

- Feel free to use the above article on your web site or ezine. Provided that it is published in it’s entirety, including my resource box above and a “live” clickable link to:

http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com

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The Power of Scrapbook Journaling

2004-12-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

The Power of Scrapbook Journaling

by: Elaine Clay

By journaling your pages you will transform an ordinary collection of photographs into a vibrant and visual storyboard - telling the stories behind the pictures, revealing hidden memories and emotions.

It will give your scrapbooks a unique and intimate feel, it is this personal touch that turns your albums into something very special.

That is the power of scrapbooking journaling and why it is one of the most important elements of your scrapbooks.

What to write…

When you are doing your scrapbook journaling think about the people who will read it in the future. Try and remember that they weren't there, give them as many details as you can so that they can relive your memories and stories for themselves.

One favorite scrapbook journaling technique is to write using the 5 W's method.

- Who :: who's in the photo, who took it and who else was present. It is important to name the people in the pictures you use. People change throughout their lives, especially children, so it is vital to tell readers who they are looking at.

- What :: what is the photo about? Describe what is happening.

- Where :: where is the event in your photo taking place? Give some background information.

- When :: when was the photograph taken? Give a specific date and include the year if possible.

- Why :: why did you use this photo? Does it show a special event like a wedding or a milestone birthday? Explain why it is so memorable.

Tell the story…

Don’t be afraid of scrapbook journaling. Just ask yourself, "What would I want to tell future generations about the photos on my page?" and then write it down.

A tip to remember is that all stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.

For example, a nice way to start off your scrapbooking journaling is to give your album a title page. Use one of your favorite photos and write down who or what your album is about, you can even include famous sayings, quotes or a special poem if you want.

This leads nicely onto the 'middle' part of your story, the actual scrapbook pages and when you get to the 'end' make a page about yourself. Perhaps use a picture of you working on one of the pages and explain why you have made the scrapbook.

About The Author

Elaine Clay is the owner of

Online-Scrapbooking-Guide.com :: your one-stop online scrapbooking
resource. Find inspiration, increase your creativity and have fun with
our helpful tips, ideas, articles and much more.

http://www.online-scrapbooking-guide.com

Return to Home Page

Welcome to Scrapbooking Resource Directory

2004-12-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Welcome to the Scrapbooking Resource Directory Blog. Every few days we will be updating content here so check back often.

You can also check out the Scrapbooking Resource Directory at www.scrapbookingsource.com .

Best wishes,
Tim Bruxvoort
www.scrapbookingsource.com