A Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking

Have you ever looked at that pile of pictures sitting in a draw or box and thought it would be great to create something special that your family could enjoy for years and generations to come?

It's really not as difficult as you might think. I got started when I had my first grandchild. I wanted to create something special that would start from her birth and go right through the years of her life. The idea to start a new tradition was born. I decided to create a scrapbook for every grandchild and great grandchild to come. So with 8 grandchildren and one great grandchild, I am knee deep in pages and ideas. Having said that, I would tell you, this is my particular passion ! And I am dedicated to share my passion with everyone.

With all the tools, ideas and products available, pages are completed quickly and easily. So no matter if you decide to be a digital scrapbook artist or a scrapbook that you create page by page with an album, you will get great enjoyment out of the process.

And guess what? You don't even have to have a great deal of artistic ability or talent to create great pages and books?

As a professional scrapper and making gift books for my friends, the joy of seeing someone seeing there pictures displayed on pages that were designed just for them was huge satisfaction. But there are lots of reasons to scrapbook.

1. To Preserve Precious Memories- Do you have your pictures in a drawer or box somewhere? Over a period of time, they can suffer damage if they are not preserved correctly. The worst offender are those horrific magnetic albums.The plastic covers on those pages will kill your valuable pictures. On correct paper and in correct sleeves your pictures will last for generations.

   Use dental floss to get pictures out f those albums. Gently slide it under the picture and work it till the picture is released

2. To Tell Your Family Story. One of the thngs that many people find after a loved one passes, are pictures that have no descriptions, dates or places attached to them. What a valuable legacy to be able to tell the story of who and what we were all about to future generations.Help your parents organize their pictures,This is a great bonding experience. Write names addresses and dates on the back of each photo.
3. To Build Esteem- Everywhere you turn, people are constantly being attacked with negatives. Especioally with children, creating a scrapbook is a super way to share time and build their esteem. Why not spend time with an ederly family member creating and journaling times past. You will be making memories for a long time to come

Remember to sign and place at least a year on the back of each scrapbook page you create. Someday it might be important for a great grandchild to see your handwriting !

Creating a scrapbook for a special occasion is a joy to the creator. Creating something with a special person in mind will be long remembered after the party is over. You can create a mini scrapbook in smaller sizes just for that special occasion. Add a single use camera or two, and a gift card to the store to develop the pictures, and you give a gift of memory that will last a lifetime

• Birth and Baby Showers-You can create a baby or a baby shower book. These are very appreciated by the moms to be.They love the smaller sizes that can be easily carried to show off those special pictures of the new baby. You can also create one for Dad so that he has an opportunity to brag too. Don't forget the grandmas and grandpas. What a great holiday gift to create.
• Birthday Books-Always appreciated at any age. You can craete a birthday book for a child with a birthday page for each age. Great gift for a one year old ! Adults having those special digit birthdays really appreciate a themed album too...As a special note, have everyone at the party write something special to the birthday person
• Marriage- Of course this event really is a wonderful theme for a special book as a gift. Shower memories as well as the special day photos are perfect for this theme. There are always so many extra pictures that this gift will be looked at and appreciated for many years to come
• Graduation- Why not have a small graduation album.Include the programs as well as the graduation. Include school information and other tidbits. Use the school colors!
• Anniversaries- There are special anniversaries like 25th and 50th that just are perfect to scrapbook. Create a special silver and gold edition. Include things like who was there and get them to write a note if possible. The couple will treasure this gift for a lifetime
• Christmas and Holidays- Why not give a gift full of holiday memories? No matter what holiday you celebrate, why not have a special book just for that time. We have a christmas album that my daughter in law made,covered in Christmas material that is a special part of that time of year
• Retirement-What a lovely token to give that special person moving on to a new lifestyle.
• Hobbies- Know a dancer, a gymnist, a swimmer, a craft person. Why not create a book celebrating their unique talents?

Here is a basic list of the products and supplies that you will need to get started on your scrapping journal. But if you are like the rest of us, you will wind up with a whole lot more, I promise !

• An Album- Start with a size that best fits your need. We recommend that you use an expandable album so that it can grow as you do. Color and theme is up to you and the choices are very large indeed.
• Refill Pages-They are chosen based on the size of your album. They can either be top loading or side loading. Purchase mre than one package so that you will have enough of the same size and manufacturer
• Sharp Pair of Scissors-Chose the best scissors that you can afford.Make sure that they are comfortable to your hand. Only use them for your scrapping or at least just on paper.Have one small pair and one larger pair.
• Adhesives-There are many types to chose from. Just make sure that it says on it "lignin and acid free.Other than that, the choices are wide open. Theer are glues, double sided tape, dots and a whole lot more
• Cardstock& Printed Paper- You will love the choices that are available today. beyond just stock paper,tehre are a host of other papers that will give you creative effects. In the beginning, purchase paper packs si that you wuild up some supplies
• Journal Pens-Look for acid free pens that have fine tips

  An even better buy are those that have a wide tip on one side and a finer tip on the other.

Premade pages or kits are terrific, especially for the beginner. They come with everything except the glue !

Generally, each kit comes with an album, preloaded with about 10-12 page covers. They also give you some coordinated papers, stickers or other coordinated embellishments. So all you need is some glue and some scissors.

Kits come in all kinds of themes from Disney, to family to birthday to weddings. You name it, there is a kit for that idea that you have.

Pens and markers are an important part of your scrapbooking. Beyond making a wonderful page, you need to tell the story behind the picture in your own words. You will be long remembered for your journaling, especially if it is in your own handwriting.

Your pens and markers can be used to create embellishments . They can be used to color and add creative flair to all kinds of things. They are reasonably priced and easy to use. Bring out your creative self !

Most of us who are avid scrappers have drawers of paper to chose from. Think of any theme you can think of and there is a complementary paper to chose. there are more colors than you can dream of, so the opportunities to create the page that tell your story are endless.

Layering solid and patterned papers create dimension that is always pleasing to the eye

We all loved stickers as a child and now we can play all over again on our scrapbook pages, Peel and press, it does not get any easier than that. There are more ways to use them to make your pages shine

Now to create the ultimate page you just gotta have these ~ They can be added as you create a page, or to an existing page that you would just like to add that extra punch to. Easy to use and reasonably priced, they are just plain fun !

Create scrapbooks for others, do papercrafts for sales at craft shows and flea markets, sell scrapbook products, the opportunities are emndless. Here are some great ideas for going professional if you would like to make a little money

• Make up scrapbook pages to sell. You can create a layout (two pages side by side ) areas designated for photos.
• Make up scrapbook kits Pull together some paper, embellishments and an idea sheet
• Teach a scrapbook class
  
• Be a scrapbook consultant There are quite a few companies that you could work for-most of them start you with a consultant kit
  
• Do scrapbooks for others