I have mentioned that I am a scrapbook magazine junkie. I love flipping through scrapbook magazines looking for the latest and greatest ideas and inspiration. I don’t think I have ever completely copied a layout or project simply because I did not have all the materials necessary on hand. I tend to start with someone else’s idea and then expand upon it or change it to suit my style, needs and supplies. I wonder about proper scraplift etiquette. I’m honestly not sure if there are any rules, but here are some thoughts for you to think about.

In the world of scrapbooking, imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery or a big no-no depending on the circumstances. Scraplifting, or borrowing ideas from another person’s layout, is inevitable as we all search for inspiration for our scrapbooks. There has developed a fine line between being motivated by another person’s color choice and copying outright.

In the “old days,” it seemed perfectly logical to completely copy a layout from a magazine. After all, who was going to see it? However, now that the scrapbooking has gone digital, people have more access to each other’s layouts. It’s not so easy to “get away with” a complete scrap lift if you are posting your final page on an Internet forum. The advent of scrapbooking contests has also made scraplifting an important issue in the community.

What are the Scraplifting Rules of Etiquette? Use the following Do’s and Don’ts as your guide when you draw inspiration from the works of others.

1. Do use layouts in magazines and online galleries to expand your scrapbooking horizons. I know for a fact that there are certain color combinations or picture taking techniques that I would never have tried on my own if I hadn’t seen them in use elsewhere. Scrapbooking is a creative activity, and sometimes we just need to be inspired by others. Seeing different techniques, arrangements and creative ideas can help you stretch your wings a bit and work outside of your comfort zone. And when you do that, you’ll be surprised at what you can create!

2. Don’t copy outright, especially if you are entering a contest. This is the scrapbooking equivalent of cheating. Use a simple rule…if you are borrowing more than three elements directly, then you are in danger of being seen as a copycat. If you like the title font, color use and cropping of the pictures, try using a different layout arrangement and title. If the paper catches your eye, do something completely new and different with it. This may not seem like a big deal if you don’t plan on entering a layout in a contest or displaying it online, but practicing adaptations like these will make you a more creative (and more confident) scrapbooker.

3. Do give credit where credit is due. If you are posting your page on an online forum, and were inspired by another person’s layout, let the community know! As long as you haven’t outright copied, the original person is sure to be flattered. Who doesn’t like a little celebrity?

4. Don’t scraplift until you’ve asked yourself a few questions. Analyze the layout and ask yourself what you really like about it. What draws your attention to the page? Is it the contrast between the size of the photo and the title? Is it the additional touches like rivets and ribbon? If you can identify what elements are speaking to you, you might not need to copy at all. In the past, when I’ve taken the time to analyze why I’m drawn to a particular layout, I’ve discovered a way to make that same element totally me and totally original. It’s worth a shot!

Scrapbooking for kids

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 their 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!

About author:

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

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Scrapbooking for Generations
By: Vera Raposo

Generation scrapbooking is a wonderful way for different generations of your family to bond and share your family history. Spend some time to get everyone in the family involved in creating scrapbooks. Not only will you share pictures and stories, it will be a wonderful bonding experience as well.

Scrapbook For Your Child
Start a scrapbook for your child and get him or her involved in creating the pages. You can create a new book each year together with your child. Include artwork, homework as well as current pictures of your child and friends. Ask your child to help in creating layouts, choosing embellishments and adding descriptive titles and text. Depending on your child’s age, you may even want to let her do most of the scrapbooking and writing with a little assistance from your of course. You’ll be surprised how much you will learn about your child’s life outside of your home. The two of you will get to spend some quality time together and create a memento to remember it for years to come.

Scrapbook Your Family History
Record your family history in a scrapbook. Put your family’s story on paper for future generations. Create a special generation scrapbook that tells the story of your own childhood, teenage years, or how you and your spouse met. When your children are grown, they will appreciate being able to get a glimpse of what your life was like back then. Keep adding to the scrapbook over the years and get everyone in the family involved in deciding what should be added. You will create a book that everyone in the family will cherish and pass on for years, maybe even generations to come.

Share Old Photo Albums
Go through old photo albums that have been in your family for decades. Spend some time with older family members to look through these albums. You will gain an appreciation for your family history and the life your family members lived long before you were born. You may also want to discuss options to preserve these old pictures.
If you would like to incorporate some of these pictures in your current scrapbooks, have copies made, or scan the pictures in your computer, edit them and then print. You can correct faded color and even some small tears and nicks with modern photo editing software. Plus you will have a digital version of the picture that will last long after the original photo deteriorates.

Grab that fabulous scrapbook that you bought months ago and saved for a special occasion and start generation scrapbooking today about yourself and your family. You will enjoy the process of creating that special book just as much as being able to share it with family members once it is finished.

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.

Choosing Layouts for Your Scrapbook Pages

You bought all your scrapbooking gear, set up a space, researched scrapbooking techniques and now you’re ready to get started.  Before you can start your first layout, you have to actually choose one.  This seems like a simple task, but there are so many styles and options it’s hard to know where to start.  Here are some great ways to find possible layouts for your scrapbooks.

If you’re looking for possible layouts, the first place you should look is online.  There are hundreds of scrapbooking websites, many with free layouts and how to’s on how to make those layouts.  From simple to complex, affordable to expensive; there are ideas for every person and every occasion.

You can also find inspiration from message boards and galleries.  People can submit pictures of their layouts, and they do so on a regular basis.  This means there’s a constant supply of new layout ideas one pretty much every topic (and every budget) you can think of.  Plus people are usually nice enough to give you tips and tricks about how they put it together.  Two very active places to check out are Scrapbook.com and Two Peas.

Books and magazines are a great place to get started while choosing a layout.  With just a little searching, you can find books with hundreds of sample layouts.  But there’s so much more you can gather from books than just layouts to copy.  Many books help get you started on creating your own layouts by sharing scrapbooking philosophies and ways to spark your own imagination.  You may even find inspiration from a book that has nothing to do with scrapbooking, like a beautiful picture, poem, or quote. Books and magazines also tend to have the products used in the layout so you can go out and copy it exactly. Scraplifting is a great way to find layouts as long as you are not looking to publish them.

If you want more original ideas without pulling them straight from a book, why not have a get together with friends and family who scrapbook?  You can get ideas from their work, or they can give you tips on a layout you’re already working on.  You never know, you may just get inspiration from a random conversation, story, or shared memory.

Sometimes the best layouts don’t come from friends or web pages; they come from you.  Scrapbooks are supposed to showcase your life and interests, so why shouldn’t they come from your very own inspiration.  If you feel like you can’t seem to come up with ideas, just get out your supplies and start playing.  Soon you’ll find yourself with too many ideas for you to make.

Once you start working on layouts, be sure not to get carried away.  You don’t need to have every idea all slammed into a few layouts.  You can start simple with a picture, journal, and a small embellishment, then work your way up as you buy more tools and gain more skill.  Remember that scrapping is an art, and sometime simple is better.

Scrapbooking for Generations

By: Vera Raposo

Generation scrapbooking is a wonderful way for different generations of your family to bond and share your family history. Spend some time to get everyone in the family involved in creating scrapbooks. Not only will you share pictures and stories, it will be a wonderful bonding experience as well.

Scrapbook For Your Child
Start a scrapbook for your child and get him or her involved in creating the pages. You can create a new book each year together with your child. Include artwork, homework as well as current pictures of your child and friends. Ask your child to help in creating layouts, choosing embellishments and adding descriptive titles and text. Depending on your child’s age, you may even want to let her do most of the scrapbooking and writing with a little assistance from your of course. You’ll be surprised how much you will learn about your child’s life outside of your home. The two of you will get to spend some quality time together and create a memento to remember it for years to come.

Scrapbook Your Family History
Record your family history in a scrapbook. Put your family’s story on paper for future generations. Create a special generation scrapbook that tells the story of your own childhood, teenage years, or how you and your spouse met. When your children are grown, they will appreciate being able to get a glimpse of what your life was like back then. Keep adding to the scrapbook over the years and get everyone in the family involved in deciding what should be added. You will create a book that everyone in the family will cherish and pass on for years, maybe even generations to come.

Share Old Photo Albums
Go through old photo albums that have been in your family for decades. Spend some time with older family members to look through these albums. You will gain an appreciation for your family history and the life your family members lived long before you were born. You may also want to discuss options to preserve these old pictures.
If you would like to incorporate some of these pictures in your current scrapbooks, have copies made, or scan the pictures in your computer, edit them and then print. You can correct faded color and even some small tears and nicks with modern photo editing software. Plus you will have a digital version of the picture that will last long after the original photo deteriorates.

Grab that fabulous scrapbook that you bought months ago and saved for a special occasion and start generation scrapbooking today about yourself and your family. You will enjoy the process of creating that special book just as much as being able to share it with family members once it is finished.

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.

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 (12×12) 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.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

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

Top 10 Reasons to Scrapbook

Number one is the most important aspect of scrapbooking to me.  The others in the list are in no particular order.  Sometimes my all time most important reason to scrapbook however, is to get together with friends.  Remember that this is an important aspect for some of us in scrapbooking.  When you are in need of motivation, make a list of why you scrapbook.

1. Save the incredible stories only you can tell.

2. Tell who, what, when and where about the photos you took.

3. Get together with friends.

4. Collect pretty paper and embellishments. 

5. Make memorable gifts.

6. Pages unique to you and your style.

7. Save stories for future generations.

8. Get pictures out of boxes and envelopes.

9. Communicate with family while looking at photos and layouts.

10. Relaxing and self-gratifying.

~ Val Selby  www.littlescrapbookshop.com

10 Ways to Get Motivated to Scrapbook

1.  Take a favorite photo out of a box or frame.  Decide today is the day you will show it off.

2.  Pull out some patterned papers or embellishments you have bought.  Remember the photos you were thinking of using them with?

3.  Set out photos from one event.  Now journal all your feelings, the facts (ie. where, when), and any quips you remember someone saying at the time.

4.  Buy a new magazine.

5.  Scope out a new technique book.  There are many at the local library.

6.  Get your friends together for a crop.

7.  Visit online message boards.  Chat with other croppers and look through the online galleries for scrapbook ideas.

8.  Try to schedule time each week or month to scrapbook.  It is easier to keep the creative ideas flowing if you are using them regularly.

9.  Take some new photos and get them developed right away.

10.  Show your completed scrapbook pages to everyone.  Nothing like a confidence boost to get you in the mood to scrapbook once again!

~Val Selby  www.littlescrapbookshop.com

You are a Diamond So Scrapbook About Yourself

by Fion Lim

You are important and you need to be in those pages.

3) Revealing the Real You

Happy scrapping about yourself!  

About the author:  Fion Lim is the creator of www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com – Here’s your how-to-guide to learning about scrapbooking. Find free online scrapbooking ideas, tips, inspirations, articles and resources to quotes, poems and fonts right here.

Back to Basics

None of us ever have enough time.  Many days we want to crop, but it just seems overwhelming. Before you accumulate even more pictures and get frustrated, try going back to basics.  Below are some tips to stay ahead or catch up with the pile of pictures.

1. Goes without saying…but use kits to speed up the scrapping process. Colors are already coordinated for you!

2. Challenge yourself to use nothing but paper to create the layout. Not only will this keep you from having to search for that perfect embellishment, but you will also go through some of your scraps.

3. Stick to a color scheme. Put together some of your favorite colors and then switch them around for various layouts.

4. Use layout sketches. I love Scrap Maps for layout sketches in many sizes. It’s much easier to use a map than to create something from scratch. Once you’ve found a map you like you can also use it over and over with slight variations. There’s no need to reinvent every page.

5. Only use the best photos. Get your focal point and a journal block started, then expand from there with other photos or some slight embellishments.

By sticking to the basics you should be able to do many pages in a sitting. Don’t forget this is about the fun and story of it. Not about what kind of award you win with every layout.

~ Val Selby www.littlescrapbookshop.com