Tips On Organizing Your Scrapbook
By: Vera Raposo

You can create more scrapbooks in less time of you take a few moments
to organize your thoughts and supplies. Before starting your newest
scrapbooking project, plan out everything you will need and have it close
at hand.

This includes supplies such as tape, glue, and pens, photos
and memorabilia you intend to use, and an idea of how you want your
pages to flow from one to the next.

Effectively organizing your scrapbooking projects includes keeping a
written record of what worked for you in the past and what did not.

Notes of materials and fabrics that worked and those that were difficult to
maneuver, the types of paper and decorations that were the easiest to
attach, and which particular supplies were the most effective will save
you a lot of time when starting a new scrapbooking project.

Basic supplies such as scissors, paper, and page protectors should be kept in a special box or container so they will be within easy reach when you are
ready to begin your next project.

Keeping your family photos and mementos in a central location will make
it much easier to locate the ones you wish to include in your newest
scrapbook. Your calendars and journals should be kept up to date. This
will save you many hours if you don’t have to take time to remember
dates and places.

Make a special effort to keep your information current. Digital photos can be placed into directories according to the special event, the person, and the places in which the photos were taken.

Advance planning and making an effort to keep your scrapbooking items in a
central location are the best ways to keep yourself organized and make
scrapbooking a joy rather than a stressful experience.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas on her radio show at www.ScrappersTalkRadio.com.

Pregnancy Photos
By: Vera Raposo

During my pregancy I didn’t really have the desire to have my pregnancy-photos taken, I really wish I would have made more time to get them done.

If you’re anything like me, you’re usually the one holding the camera. Make sure to give the camera to hubbie so he can get the shots you can’t.

Here is what I believe are the best pregnancy-photos that you need to have done. Ok, some may sound a little strange, but believe me you will love looking back on even the silly ones!

Read my list of must have pictures!

Photo #1 Of course the day you found out you were pregnant! There are lots of women who keep the actual pregnancy test… why not take a picture of it and that can go into your pregnancy album?

Photo #2 If you have children…. take a picture of their reaction to the news.

Photo #3 Don’t forget the picture of the surprised daddy!

Photo #4 Get hubbie to take a picture of you calling your family & friends. If you’re having a dinner party to announce the wonderful news, be sure to click away that night.

Photo #5 Get a picture of yourself infront of the doctor’s office on your first visit, even get one with your doctor.

Photo #6 The next time I would bring the camera is when you get to hear the heartbeat for the first time. What a moment to capture! That’s the best moment there is for a mom to be.

Photo #7 Time for some mugshots! Get a nice front shot of yourself, then turn to your side for a profile shot. Do this every month as your pregnancy progresses. Easy to do.

Photo #8 Do you know a friend who can take some pictures of you and your husband? Get some nice shots of your husband with his head on your tummy….putting the music to your tummy…. kissing your tummy…. I could go on and on. Very cute and loving pictures.

Photo #9 Repeat Photo #8, but insert your older children.

Photo #10 Did your older children make something for your baby? Take pictures of them with their proud creations.

Photo #11 Get at least one picture of your doctor measure your belly. This is something that us women do every month with the doctor and it’s so comforting that the baby is growing properly.

Photo #12 Waiting around for an ultrasound? Bring the camera, get a picture of you infront of the hospital. You know they will make you drink a ton of water, so you’re doing the dance anyhow. Bring the camera to keep yourself busy. If there’s no one there with you……you’re in your gown right? Get a nice shot of those swollen feet.

Have fun with your pregnancy-photos! Create your pregnancy album during pregnancy is alot of fun.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas for your new baby in her newsletter www.baby-scrapbooking.com

So You Think You Want to Scrapbook…

Learning to scrapbook will take some commitment, as it is really like a piece of art. You will learn new techniques for scrapbooking you will be able to use and enjoy, however, you will have to get to know a few basic tools, supplies, and learn some basic skills before you get started. You will want to create albums, but it could take a little time to get the hang of it. Projects can be time consuming, but it is very rewarding when you end up with a family heirloom. It is enjoyable to do and the memories that you gather can be passed down to your grandchildren.

To get started, you need pictures. Everyone has boxes filled with pictures, but you may notice that some are discolored or warped because of poor storage. Our homes are full of acid and moisture, which breaks down the chemical balance, used to produce photographs and causes them to change appearance. With scrapbooking, you will want to use acid free supplies so that you can preserve the pictures for many years and decades to come.

There are some basics tools that you will need to get before you start your voyage in scrapbooking. Every good scrapbooker needs a cutting tool. You will need to get sharp scissors. You will also need some form of adhesive. Beginners may find that the easiest products to buy are photo mounts, which are tiny pre-cut pieces of tape, and glue dots, which are pressure-sensitive strong spots of glue to hold larger embellishments. Beyond a cutting tool and adhesive, you really don’t need any other tools to get started, but if you want to create fancier pages, many options are available including rubber stamps, paper crimpers, and punches. Start with a few smaller items and increase your inventory as you learn more and more scrapbooking skills.

You will also need a few basic supplies before you begin, the most important of which is the album itself. Make sure whatever you purchase is large enough to hold all the pictures you want to include; two to five pictures will fit on a standard 8 ½ x 11 page with cropping, with the most balanced layouts having three pictures. You can also choose from larger or smaller albums. Really, the only other supply that you will need to get your scrapbook album started is some paper. Most albums come with a white piece of paper in each sheet protector, but there are many colors and designs to choose from to help spice up your album. Other supplies that add interest to your pages include paper dolls, stickers, die cuts, and three-dimensional elements otherwise known as embellishments.

When it comes to the skills that you will need, you’ll learn how to do things that you see in a magazine or online and mimic it in your art. If you would like to gain some skills the fast way, you will want to attend or join a scrapbook workshop or class. As for the workshops, you will be able to attend many workshops when you check out the craft schedule at the local stores. You can also go to a local craft store and ask them how to start the scrapbook and you’ll be able to learn and master the process of scrapbooking.

You Don’t Need to Buy the Whole Craft Store to Get Started

When you finally make the decision to start making scrapbooks, you are very likely to go out and buy all the materials you think you need and then some.  This will probably lead to some buyer’s remorse when you realize you have a bunch of stuff you don’t need and you totally overspent your budget.

It’s easy to make a scrapbook on a budget with a lot of stuff you already have, you just need to know where to look.  Here are some things you probably already have that can help get you started

Clothes.  If you have clothes that are too worn out or stained to make good hand me downs or donations, why not add pieces of them to your layouts.  Not only will you be saving money and making less trash, you’ll also be reminded of great memories of your loved ones even if you didn’t manage to get a picture.

Jewelry.  Have an earring that’s missing it’s mate?  A necklace with a broken clasp?  What about a bracelet your child has outgrown?  Instead of getting rid of them or just filling up space in a box, why not use them to add a little sparkle to your scrapbooks?  Make a photo frame or make your own cool ornate embellishments by adding the jewelry to the bits of clothes from the previous suggestion.

Gift decorations.  Think about all the birthday, Christmas, baby, wedding, and any other gifts you’ve ever given or received.  Now think about all the money you spend on wrapping paper, bags, bows, ribbons, and other decorations.  Sometimes old decorations can be reused, but often they just get shoved in a closet or thrown away.  Using them in your scrapbooks can make beautiful layouts and bring you back to the special occasion where you got them.  Just watch out, some of these products can have high acid content.  ( Please see special note at bottom of post )

Trash.  Yes, some trash belongs in a trash can (or a compost heap), some might just make for a creative new layout.  Next time you go to throw something away, take a good hard look at it first.  It might just make a great background, border, or embellishment.  If you are doing a BBQ layout, that pop top or bottle cap may just make the perfect little free addition to your page.

Souvenirs and Memories.  Pictures aren’t the only way to spark your memories.  Add to pictures of your ski trip by using your lift ticket or trail map in your scrapbook.  If your son won the science fair, use his blue ribbon to add a special touch.  Remember good times with friends by scrapping the tickets stubs from a movie you saw together or a matchbook from the restaurant you always eat at

Storage.  You can not only use things you already have to put in your scrapbook, you can also store your supplies in items that may be taking up closet (or trash) space.  Old jars and cups work great for storing ribbons and other embellishments.  Did your husband get a new tackle box and hasn’t gotten rid of the old one?  All those little spaces are great for organizing buttons are even different adhesives.

Creativity.  The only limit you have when you scrap is your own imagination.  There are all kinds of things you can use in a scrapbook that aren’t found at a scrapbooking store; you just need to teach yourself to recognize them.

So get up, look around your house, and start scrapping.

**special note** when unsure about the acidity of products, make sure they do not touch your photos and you will be safer.

Scrapbooking can be defined and created in many different ways.  But you see, of all those meanings associated with scrapbooks, there will always be one thing central to it- keeping memories.

Scrapbooks are the keepers of our precious moments and the direct tie back to those moments. They have been captured in photos and your creativity, deeply embedded in every page, note, caption and journal in your scrapbook.

Every day, you can take a look at the scrapbooks you have created and they will deliver you back in time.

Not all of us are avid scrapbookers. Many may not even have tried starting one. However, we all have an idea of how to preserve our past.  Well, scrapbooking is like that, only add some creativity and art concepts into the mix.

The hardest junction might be to start from scratch. Scrapbooking may look simple for some yet the hours and the ideas you have to invest on them are so enormous that many find themselves initially frustrated. Or possibly, on wits end before an idea crops up.

We have prepared some guidelines here that you may want to modify and apply your own experiences to. Basically, this is just a collection of ideas that will help shed light on the thoughts bugging in your mind.

Somehow you have to know your own style.

Shine up with your personality. After all, it will show in your craft. If you are not as sure with what truly is your preference when making the design or the layout of your scrapbook, it is best that you analyze your self first. Know your personal tastes and refrain from following the hypes and fads as presented in the scrapbooking industry. This way, you will more likely to produced original and personal ideas that will work best in your own ways.

Sometimes, we have to find outlets for our personalities to show. Some people do writing stuffs, some delve into less serious practices. Scrapbooking though may fill the gaps between the two.

If it is really that difficult to produce an original idea, you can forgive yourself by mimicking other scrapper’s works.

Many find great uses in other people’ s designs. Sometimes, they even bring out the best from adopting a concept into their own. This technique is called scraplifting.

Other people choose not to follow this concept. However for beginners it is always easier to follow those that worked for many. Somehow, along the way they will find their own methods of doing things.

As a beginner, it won’t harm if you check some great works. Then modify these using your own materials, photos and touches. And once a good inspiration breaks out, the scrapbooker may find herself immersed in the confidence of doing things in her own way.

Create your own mood board.

Mood boards are commonly used in the fashion industry as testing grounds for new ideas. These are like boards wherein cutouts, drafts of designs and fabric swatches are portrayed to provide initial impressions of the new trend. In fact, anything that will help the viewer’s see the direction and concepts of the designers are placed on the mood board.

By making use of mood boards, a scrapper may easily find her style. Placing concepts into more tangible mediums will construct foundations for your layouts and intentions.

Don’t be too critical in this process. While flipping through magazines, you need not know why a picture or an image attracts you. If it produces positive reaction then go and tear it out. This is one good test to determine your style.

Second, you would want to check on color combinations. For some of us, we have already set definite grounds on what our favorite color is what we may most likely not use. Using a single group of shades is good if you can manipulate and mix them into varying combinations.

However, most people find it hard to detract themselves from a single concept. It won’t be bad if you will experiment on some other hues. When inspiration turns bad and there seem to be no color available for you, look at the butterflies for inspiration.

With 2008 coming to a close and 2009 already underway, now is the time to remember and record all of your family’s 2008 adventures.   There are 100’s and 100’s of events and moments worth recording from just one single year.  So how do we organize and and stay on top of all those stories?

Here are a few simple rules I follow each January as I record and write about the stories of our year.

1. Don’t wait! Get a jump on your family yearbook as soon as you can.  Have a goal to finish it by January 31 of the new year.

2. Get your family involved.  Have your husband, children, grandparents and friends share their favorite memories, stories and photos.

3. Do an A-Z book.  When you’re “chronologically” challenged, resort to the A-Z style.  Pick a few favorite pictures and memories that work with the intended letter.

4. Use your calendar from the previous year.  Sometimes flipping through your old calendars will help remind you forgotten events.

5. Try out Cherish’s Bound Family Yearbook Story Starter.  I use one of these every year.  With it’s pages of questions and room to write our year is organized and ready in no time at all.

6. Keep it simple.  Less is more…

Hope these simple tips will help motivate you and help you tell your family’s stories year after year.

Happy New Year!

Tara

Scrapbooking for Kids

By: Dawn Stegall

As a homeschooling mom of 4 girls, scrapbooking for kids has been on my mind alot lately. Let me back up a bit. My 4 year old was quietly playing one day with a roll of stickers. Afraid I was going to later find a bunch of stickers caught in the carpet, I asked her what she intended to do with them. She pondered for awhile and then said, “I am going to put them in a scrapbook. Mom, can I have my own scrapbook?” For some reason, this caught me by surprise, as I thought how wonderful of an experience this could be! So, I started thinking about it more and have come up with some tips and ideas to share with you on scrapbooking for kids.

First of all, I will admit, I am cheap! I wasn’t sure how excited I would be at the thought of my 4 year old and her sisters cutting up my beautiful papers and glueing everything down in sight! I immediately thought of our local dollar store. They have albums that would be perfect for showcasing their creations in for the time being. The dollar store also offers scrapbooking supplies in the form of kits, stickers and embellishments. We have a reward system in place, where the girls can earn a trip to the dollar store to purchase their own scrapbooking supplies to do with as they please. This alleviates the desire to “mess” with my stash while instilling a sense of responsiblity to earn thier reward!

Here are a few more “scrapbooking for kids” cost saving tips:

Have too many pictures to scrap? Let the kids scrap the leftovers.
When developing photos, get double prints. Let the kids scrap with the doubles.
When you complete a project, put the leftovers and unused scraps in a container for them to use. They can create their own embellishments with the scraps. You will be amazed at what they can create!
One thing I do want to mention, when you scrap for the first time with your children, be prepared to help and guide them. Don’t expect to get much done on your own pages until they start to get a feel for what they want to do and accomplish in their own scrapbooks. Now that they are ready to scrap, what should they scrap? Here are a few scrapbooking for kids layout ideas:

Have them scrap a page all about their favorite things at that particular age. (then repeat it for each year and see how their favorites have changed or stayed the same)
Have your kids scrap about their favorite activities or sporting events they are involved in. I’m sure you have plenty of photos!
Turn it into a learning experience and have them interview the subject of the photo. This would be great for older generations.
If there aren’t enough photos, have them draw pictures of people. Then watch how their drawings progress. Each one of my girls have a specific style of how they draw family members. It is interesting and fun to look at.
What about incorporating their artwork and creations? I am very blessed to get cards, pictures and artwork on an almost daily basis from my girls. But what do you do with all of them? Here are a few ideas:

Hang on the refrigerator for all to see. Then once the fridge is full, take a picture of your child in front of their artwork and scrap the photo. You can also incorporate their artwork into the layout.
Color copy and reduce the drawings/projects and use as photos in your layout or as embellishments.
Are you near the end of a roll of film? Use up those last couple of shots of your child’s artwork.
Use pocket pages to “hold” your child’s artwork.
Create a “brag” book and give to grandparents or other family members as a special gift!
Even though I can be anal at times, I still want to incorporate my girls work into my scrapbooks as well. Afterall, they aren’t really my scrapbooks but for all to enjoy! Here are a few “scrapbooking for kids” ideas:

Use child’s drawings as a background paper.
Use their creations as embellishments. You’ll be amazed at what they can create with some paper, scissors and adhesive!
Interview them. Ask them questions about the photo, layout, their mood. This would make for some awesome journaling!
I hope the above tips will give you some ideas on scrapbooking for kids!

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Dawn Stegall is a homeschooling mom of 4 girls and owns www.FaithfullyYours.net a site dedicated to scrapbooking your faith!

This past weekend I attended a very large women’s expo in Orlando as a vendor with Cherish Bound. Sitting among the sea of booths I had a very steady flow of traffic, but I also had many concerned and overwhelmed memory keepers lurking around.  When talking with guests and even neighboring vendors I could sense their sincere  love for memories, stories and pictures, but many were very frustrated and commented, “I don’t know where to begin.”

That seems to be a standard theme among new memory keepers.  Believe it or not there are 1000’s and 1000’s of people who have never attempted the memory keeping process.  99% want to, but most just “don’t know where to begin”.

I have a few tips and a little advice for the aspiring memory/story/photo keeper.

1. Start with the NOW.  Do not go back and do your life history, yet.  That is the past and it was stay the past.  But the longer you keep forgetting about the “now” the more past you’ll have to catch up with.
2. Keep it Simple!  Start with a simple story, one simple memory, one simple and small event.  Maybe a first birthday, 10th Anniversary, dance recital, etc.  Stick with a “one-even” type of project.
3. If it’s your kid’s event or your spouse was involved in the memory, get them involved.  Let your family help you with the story and journaling.  Everyone has a different side to the story and everyone deserve to be heard.  This takes pressure off of you and let’s everyone share the responsibility, not to mention a great evening around the dinner table.
4. Only use products that are easy to use, for beginners, or help you organize and write your stories.  By going out and purchasing all kinds of “stuff” you’re still not getting your memories preserved.  The process of putting your memories together is not all about buying “stuff”.  It’s just “stuff” until it’s in a finished book.  Cherish Bound offers Story Starters that help you organize and write your stories and memories in order, with detail, and in themes.
5. Look into going digital.  By going digital and doing the storybook styles you eliminate the need for tools and products you may not use, no mess and no printing!  This can save you 100’s of dollars and hours and hours of time.

My area of expertise is keeping it simple, going digital, and writing and publishing your families stories.  There are so many simple ways to preserve your memories and stories.  By keeping it simple you’ll find a place to begin and you’ll begin accomplishing the rewarding task of memory keeping one story at a time.

The world of scrapbooking has evolved into a mega market that is so big and vast that it has become overwhelming and at times intimidating.  Families, moms especially , have become “mega-busy” in this face-paced lifestyle that none of us can escape.  And just in case you didn’t know, one of the jobs as a mother and wife is “family historian”. Unfortunately as life takes control of us the first thing to go….is scrapbooking.  So how do over-booked moms keep up with the extremely important task of family historian?  It’s simple.  We downsize, prioritize, and get back to the basics!

There’s no question that our memories and stories need to be preserved, but we have to be realistic about how this can happen successfully, affordably and efficiently. We have to remember the basics first.  What is the real reason behind all this scrapbooking?  Why did we get into this in the first place?  Or in some cases why are you thinking about diving in to it?  It’s the memories.  The stories.  The people.  The pictures.  Those are the basics of scrapbooking.

Technology has evolved just as the world has, yet some people still resist the amazing tools and opportunities it offers.  Technology has brought “digital scrapbooking” into almost every home in some form or another.  By turning to the basics of technology you are able to downsize the masses and piles of product that are over flowing guest bedrooms, closets and kitchen tables, save money, and become apart of trends that are changing the face of scrapbooking.

Prioritizing your memories is a must.  Number one, you must start with the NOW!  What’s in the past….well, it’s in the past and you can go back at anytime and do the past.  But the present is right now and that’s where you need to start…or restart.  No need to rush and do your 16 year old’s baby book.  Start with the now.  Start with the fresh stories that are in everyone’s mind.  There are plenty of tools out there to help you recapture the past at a later date.  And Number two, work efficiently.  Scheduling time to working on your memory keeping is a must, but more importantly you realize that you can’t do it alone.  Bring your family on board.  Let them help you tell their side of the story.  Their version is just as important as yours.  More often than not the only version of the story is mom’s.

Going back to the basics of memory keeping is a guarantee for success.  We do have a duty to our families, ourselves and the generations that will follow behind.  This “hobby” is supposed to be enjoyable and bring happiness to us and those we love.  So get back to the basics of why you scrapbook, find things that work for you and get your family involved.

Check back in on the 2nd and 4th Monday of month to get tid-bits of information about digital scrapbooking, transitioning from paper to technology, and how journaling, traditions, and family are all apart of the memory keeping process.

Top 5 Organizational Tips for Scrapbooking by Vanessa Calleja

When starting a scrapbook project there are five simple things you can do to make your project run smoothly.  These things also allow you to spend your time scrapbooking instead of spending your time looking for what you need.

Organize your photos.  This is a simple task.  Sort through your photos by date, category or by family.  This depends on what type of scrapbook you are making.  Having your photos ready saves so much time.  You can just pull out what you need for that particular page and you are on your way!

Decide what colors you would like to use throughout your scrapbook.  For example, if you prefer to stay with pinks, you can choose all different pinks and even some reds.  Even if you change your mind and decide to add other colors, you have the base color ready.  This saves time because you don’t have to sort through all of your papers.

Depending on the theme of your book, sort through your stickers.  Pull out the ones that pertain to the subject you are scrapbooking.  Even if you have to go back and add stickers later, this will get you started.

Organize your workspace.  Do you have your pages?  Do you have your stickers?  These things should be in reach as you are working.  Trimmers, tape runners, etc. too.  Having these things handy allows you to concentrate on your scrapbook instead of wasting time looking for the tools you need.

Set a time limit.  If you only have an hour to scrapbook then shoot for 45 minutes.  By only having the stuff out that you need your clean up should take less than 15 minutes.

Scrapbooking should be fun.  It should be simple.  Being organized can help you stay on track and enjoy what you are doing!

Vanessa Calleja is a freelance writer specializing in scrapbooking, pets, family relationships, & health and wellness topics. Learn more secrets and tips on organizing the memories you cherish at memories to cherish.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com