Have you ever hosted a scrapbooking party? Not a traditional crop or a pseudo-party where your main concern is selling supplies in order to make a profit. I’m talking about a real party with friends, food, music, and a whole lot of space where your fellow scrappers can spread out and create eye-popping layouts while obtaining tips and inspiration from others. Sounds fun, right? It is, if you plan properly. One of the most important factors to consider before sending out the invitations is how much space you have to host a scrapbook party. Scrappers are notorious for requiring plenty … Continue reading →

Yesterday my second grader selected the Valentine’s Day cards and treats she plans to gift to her classmates in about, oh, three weeks or so. Given that Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens have been selling Valentine’s Day paraphernalia since December 27th, I figured we’re far from ahead of the curve. Not far from the Scooby-Doo, Snoopy and Smurf cards were two gigantic displays of Love Day-themed scrapbook embellishments. Two gigantic displays of overpriced Love Day-themed embellishments. Personally, I don’t craft more than two Valentine’s Day-themed layouts per year, so my wallet is not screaming out in pain after coughing up the … Continue reading →

February is a huge month for weddings. Valentine’s Day elopements and destination nuptials are major draws for couples looking to begin their lives as husband and wife. Once the pomp and circumstance is over, you’ll want to create a scrapbook to house all of your special memories. Unfortunately, wedding scrapbooks can often look generic if you don’t experiment with different techniques. This doesn’t mean you have to purchase expensive products or spend hours on a single page design in order to achieve an eye-popping layout. Rather, there are many ways you can infuse your book with creative touches with very … Continue reading →

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it can also translate into a room full of belly laughs if displayed just right. If you are looking to create a unique New Year’s layout for your holiday scrapbook, focus on the funny. For example, if your family members and friends tend to get a bit wild and wacky ringing in the New Year, be sure you capture the craziness with your camera. Then, continue snapping shots the morning after. By recording the recovery process in a series of photos, you will have ample material to craft an amusing scrapbook … Continue reading →

Don’t overlook the fine details when constructing a holiday layout. Often, it’s the little touches, such as proper photo placement, fonts and adhesive selections that can make the difference between an ordinary page design and an extraordinary one. When it comes to page titles or journaling blocks, you can enhance a holiday theme by using fonts that are decorated with seasonal details. Fortunately, many websites offer free fonts for scrapbookers that are embellished with festive designs, such as letters covered with snow or topped with Santa hats. Other choices include letters printed on Christmas ornaments or made to look as … Continue reading →

Tomorrow is the first day of December, and we all know how fast that month flies by. The countdown to Christmas is officially underway and the chaos will likely continue into the New Year. Consequently, now is the time to start stocking up on items you plan to incorporate into your holiday-themed scrapbooks. I’m not suggesting you leave home right now to purchase Christmas-themed stickers, die cuts and stamps. In fact, you might want to hold off on buying bulk purchases of seasonal items if you know your local scrapbook supply shop will put them on clearance in early January. … Continue reading →

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Advent has officially begun, my family is really getting into the Christmas spirit. It also helps that we put up our tree yesterday. Fa-la-la-la-la and ho, ho, ho! It’s off to create memorable holiday scrapbooks I go. Every year I swear that I am going to be more organized when it comes to collecting material for my Christmas scrapbook. I’m tired of creating the same, boring timeline of events: buying the tree, decorating it, baking cookies, listing presents everyone received, blah, blah, blah. It seems all of my layouts blur into one. They all … Continue reading →

Did you brave the crazy big (and just crazy) crowds this morning to score crazy good Black Friday deals? I know some people who camped outside of Best Buy for 10 hours in order to get one of the “golden tickets” that allowed them to be the first inside the store at midnight. For some families, Black Friday shopping is a holiday tradition that they hold near and dear. I’ve seen people design matching t-shirts to wear while they hunt down deals, while others don huge wacky hats so they can find their loved ones in the masses. What’s more, … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to collect material for a recipe scrapbook. Don’t let the holiday come and go without getting grandma, Cousin Maggie or Aunt Ruth to jot down their time-honored directions for your family’s favorite pies, green bean casserole or stuffing. Once you have the handwritten recipes in your possession, you can work on organizing your memory album. Some scrappers create working recipe books, which feature heavy-duty, plastic page covers. The added protection allows them to use the book in the kitchen and wipe down the pages when spills occur. Meanwhile, other scrappers prefer to design themed recipe … Continue reading →

There are two ways to interpret the title of this post. First, at the risk of sounding as though I lack an ounce of humility, there have been times when I’ve contemplated framing a scrapbook layout because it turned out beyond incredible. Why waste its beauty in an album that rarely gets open when it could be hung on a wall for the world to admire? There are times when we outdo ourselves and our page designs become stunning works of art. In these cases it’s easy to consider framing a layout. However, that’s not exactly the message I’m addressing … Continue reading →