Scrapbooking is rapidly becoming one of the most popular crafts/hobbies in the world! It is a both creative and practical outlet for a crafter or hobbiest, and just plain fun for anyone interested in saving thier photos! It really is easy for anyone to create an exciting, artistic page that grabs the viewers attention! But, on the more practical side, this life-lasting hobby provides a family heirloom that will remain for countless generations to come. Starting a scrapbook page or layout is much like planning a small party. All it takes is choosing a theme, some well spent time, and your creative ideas. So let's get started:

• ORGANIZE

  - Get your pictures out of those shoeboxes and boxes and definitly out of those magnetic pages! Start by organizing and sorting photos by subjects, such as Activities, Events, People, Places, Things, Time, etc. Then, sort each subject into chronological order. After sorting you may wish to place these photos in an acid-free envelope or container and label it. This ensures their safetly. The most common albums people tend to scrap are for each child, a Christmas album, a birthday album or a vacation album. But you could do a wedding, or pet album. What you choose is entirely up to you! Just have fun with this!

• CHOOSE YOUR ALBUM

  - There are so many albums out there to choose from! The two most common sizes are the standard 8 X 10 or the newest addition, 12 X 12. There are tons of great decorative papers and cardstock to fit both sizes. Then after choosing your size, you have to choose your style! What is available? Three ring binder style, wire bound, add-a-page, and create your own. Of course there are many new styles coming out everyday! Some of the better companies are: Creative Memories, Pioneer and many other places! The choice is all yours!!

• ROUND UP YOUR TOOLS

  - Gather your decorating supplies. There are some things you just can't live without when scrapbooking. They are the essentials of scrapbooking: acid-free adhesive, to mount your photos and scissors. These are the two main products you must have in order to scrapbook.
  My suggestions for acid-free adhesives are: Zig Memory Systems 2 Way Glue in Chisel and Jumbo Size. I also highly recommend the photo corners, by 3M, and I believe Fiskars also has some.
  My suggestions for scissors are: Fiskars brand. You need a regular cutting pair, and then you can also purchase the decorative. Which style of decorative would I suggest for someone just starting out? Deckle! It's unique, and fun, and one of the easiest pairs to use!
  Obviously there are tons of other great, fun products you can use to make your album uniquely yours. Decorative papers, stickers, die cuts and rubber stamps just to name a few. Remember though, have as much fun as you can, but make sure not to use products that will harm your photos.

• AWAY WE GO

  - Decide which photos will be the first to start your new album! Select between 3-5 photo's all based on a theme. You may want to stick with a holiday or special event for the first page to get the "hang of things".

• WORKING ON THE LAYOUT

  - If you are stumped on layouts, Hot off the Press by Fiskars, offers scrapbooking kits that will greatly help you decide what papers to put with which die cuts. These are color coordinated and are made to go together. Francis Meyer ( a favorite company of mine) also has coordinating kits with stickers and die-cuts. There are also many more fun kits available from other companies.

• CROPPING

  - I would suggest, for beginners, get double prints of photos in case there is a mistake made. Practice what you want to do first, this way you have backups, in case of a mistake. You can crop photos to desired shapes, using die cut templates, scissors, corner borders, craft punches, etc. Then you can find coordinating papers for the background and crop those too. Before permanently attaching anything to your page, experiment with the layout by moving things around until you find the one you like best!

• ARRANGE YOUR PICTURES

  - When arranging your photos, the most important tip to remember is to leave room for journaling! (We'll discuss this in the next tip.) Don't be afraid to overlap photos. This can give your page a great look - and won't take away from the patch of grass or empty wall space often found in the corners of pictures. Once you have your photo's arranged, and maybe even glued, if you are confident you have it right...begin your journaling.

• JOURNAL, JOURNAL, JOURNAL...

  - Can I be any more clear? This is one of the most important parts of your scrapbooking page. Many years from now, when other's are looking through your books, you want them to know "who" they are looking at. One of the best ways to do this, is to include the "Who", "What", "When", and "Where" on every page. To do this begin by writing it on the back of your photos with an All Stabilo pencil (found at most craft or scrapbooking stores). This way, if you don't get the photos in the book right away, you won't forget important details. It also may help to write any funny stories or memories on the back's of certain photos too. You want to tell a story with your journaling...let the person who will be viewing your layouts know what was going on the day the photos were taken.

• ARRANGE YOUR PAGES FOR YOUR MEMORY ALBUM

  - Assemble your finished pages in chronological order to tell the story. Add memorabilia to the facing pages, such as letters, awards, programs, tickets, etc. VOILA! You have your first Memory Album, and are on your way to creating many more for years to come!! ENJOY!!!!
  
  
  
  
  
  
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