Scrapbooking 101

Scrapbooking is truly becoming one of the most popular hobbies in the country. Not only does it allow you to be creative, but scrapbooking is easy and rewarding. If you have boxes of photos sitting in the closet, then you have a story to tell. Think about a theme, set aside some time and let your creative juices flow. It's time to begin your journey into scrapbooking and preserve those family treasures.

Step #1
Organize! Gather everything you have in one place and try to sort it in chronological order. It's time to group all of your photos and mementoes. Be sure to include postcards, brochures, ticket stubs, awards, programs, maps, itinerary, report cards…any and all important paper paraphernalia.

Sort everything by subject matter, using categories such as time, people, places or events. Decide if your album is going to be a memory book for a child, a family album, a birthday or seasonal book, vacation or wedding album.

Step #2
Gather all decorative materials to help embellish your scrapbook. "Photo-safe" products are so important. Everything that touches your photos must be of archival quality to protect them. Here's a list of items that many people use to create their pages. You do not need to incorporate all of these ideas to have a nice album.

Stickers, Pens, Markers, Scissors, Adhesives, Card Stock, Paper, Craft Punchers - Punchies, Die-cuts, Rubber Stamps, Beads, Eyelets, Fasteners, Foil, Glitter, Brads, Fibers, Artistic wire, Chalks, Charms, Buttons, Pebbles and so much more!

Step #3
Create! Select your photos for your page and don't be afraid to crop them. Use scissors, corner borders, craft punches or templates to crop your photos to desired shapes. Select papers, stickers, punchies and more to enhance your page. You can even create a background using rubber stamps. Move things around and do some experimenting with your layout. Assemble and glue.

Step #4
Tell the story! Leave room for journaling and adding details.

Step #5
Share with your family and friends. Relax for a little while and then start creating your next album.