Overview:   Scrapbooking is an experience for the builder to preserve the past and tell the story so it can be relived in the future.  Recently, scrapbooking has become very popular due to some of the new tools and techniques that enhance the presentation of your memories and ease the experience of constructing a scrapbook.    Because of the love that is put into them, scrapbooks wind up becoming valuable family heirlooms.

Approx. equipment costs:  $25

Approx. costs per project: $5-$10

Difficulty for beginners:  Easy

Approx. time to complete project: 1-2 hours for a page or group of pages

Types of Projects:  Family albums, themed albums such as baby or wedding albums,

Variations:  Using various materials (ribbons, embellishments, saved items),  styles (borders, stickers, stamping, etc.), and themes; digital scrapbooking

The most important aspect to scrapbooking is for the scrapbooker to choose their own style.  Some people prefer presenting their scrapbooks using more graphical methods, including stickers, stamps, and embellishments to enhance the story.  Other people prefer less graphics and more textual “journaling” to tell the story.  Most people use a combination of the two. 

Collecting content for scrapbooks is an ongoing process.   Pictures are typically the main content for scrapbooks.  New digital photography techniques make it easier to take more pictures due to the lower cost and the ability to select which ones are printed.  As you get more into scrapbooking, you will actually understand what types of pictures work better in a scrapbook and it will influence your picture taking.   Materials saved from events such as baby announcements, wedding invitations, concert tickets, post cards, etc. also make great scrapbook content.  Keep your scrapbooking in mind as you do your family activities.  You may want to save mementos from these events that you may have thrown away in the past.  Most scrapbookers keep their mementos, their photographs, and their materials organized until they want to break them out and make their scrapbooks.    

Constructing the actual pages is where the fun really happens.  Get your creative juices flowing to determine what you want to present on a page.  Do you want to use only a few pictures or a ton of pictures?  Do you want to use a variety of colors or patterns or have a more simple presentation?  Do you want to use stickers, frames, borders, stamps, or embellishments?   Do you want to do lots of journaling, or do you want the pictures to speak for themselves.    The sky is the limit.   A great way to present is to tie the page together with theme, typically based on the content of the pictures.  If sports pictures, most people use sports colors, stickers, or other embellishments to enhance the story.   Each scrapbook page will be unique based on the content, but you can get some great ideas from looking at others to get design ideas.  Once you figure out your design, you can use the variety of scrapbooking tools (scissors, cutters, templates) and pre-packaged products (stickers, lettering, borders, etc.) to make your design a reality.   Most new scrapbooks use acid free paper and other protective materials so they will be protected over time.  These products make it much easier to create professional-looking scrapbooks than you ever expected.

An alternative to traditional scrapbooking is to use a home computer for their scrapbooking.   New digital methods allow users to follow a similar process of presenting their pictures and mementos with other graphics and fonts, but all done online.   Software packages, custom graphics and fonts, and even complete digital scrapbooking sites exist to support digital scrapbooking.  A major benefit of digital scrapbooking is that when it is are complete, it can be shared online with friends and family.

Common Equipment and Supplies:

• Acid-free scrapbooking album
• Photos and other scrapbooking content
• Pens (a variety of colors including brush style and calligraphy)
• Scissors (regular and decorative scissors such as pinking shears)
  Colored Papers
• Paper Cuter/Chopper
• Corner Rounder
• Hole punchers
• Plastic boxes or other organizers
• Stickers (decorative, letters, and numbers)
• Die-Cuts
• Stamps
• Embellishments
• Templates for Shapes
• Ribbons

Another great way to start is to attend a scrapbooking party or "crop".  Crops are set up among friends or sponsored as formal parties by scrapbooking “consultants” for scrapbook materials providers.  Crops allow participants to work on their scrapbooks in a social situation, but more importantly share layouts and design ideas.    Check out Scrapbooks.com for great prices on many of the basics. 

Scrapbook.com:

Thousands of scrapbooking supplies. HUGE daily discounts!

Here are a few themed kits that may be a good way to get into the hobby:

Making Memories 12 x 12 Scrapbook Album Kit - Wedding

Deja Views - Sharon Ann Collection - 8x8 Album Kit - Baby Boy, BRAND NEW

Deja Views - Sharon Ann Collection - 8x8 Album Kit - Baby Girl, BRAND NEW

 

The following books were some of the best rated by Amazon.com users:

Check out these great deals on scrapbooking magazines:

Simple Scrapbooks Simple Scrapbooks Magazine is the perfect way to learn more about this fun and rewarding hobby. Each issue of Simple Scrapbooks provides ideas that are easy to do, rewarding and inspiring.  Save up to 33% of the cover price!

Memory Makers Memory Makers Magazine features dozens of inspirational scrapbook designs in every issue. Its no wonder Memory Makers has become recognized as the first source for scrapbook ideas! With complete supplies lists and easy-to-follow instructions included with each design, Memory Makers provides all the tips and techniques the beginner or advanced scrapbook artist needs to create beautiful scrapbooks and preserve precious memories for generations to come! Save up to 61% of the cover price!!!