100 Days

Today is the 100th day of school for my child. To mark the occasion she and her classmates were asked to bring in 100 of their favorite items. Yes, the assignment that parents from coast-to-coast dread each year. It’s even more dreadful when your kid reminds you that she needs said items two hours before they’re due. So, you run around like a nutcase looking for 100 what to cram into a Ziploc bag? Cheerios, LEGOs, coffee beans… blood, sweat, tears? When all is said and done, hopefully you remember to snap a photo of your kid holding up his … Continue reading →

Get Creative with Valentine’s Layouts

Love Day has come and gone, though the memories will linger for a lifetime, especially if you scored a serious sparkler and a marriage proposal on February 14th. Even if your sweetie didn’t get down on one knee this Valentine’s, you shouldn’t let the holiday go by without crafting at least a single page layout detailing the day’s highlights. However, rather than employing the same ol’ trite scrapbooking techniques, consider getting a little creative with the following ideas: Choose a Theme: So, you didn’t get the five-carat diamond tennis bracelet you had your heart set on for Valentine’s Day. Surely, … Continue reading →

Super Inspiration

Don’t let Sunday’s Super Bowl match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers kick-off in vain. Even if your favorite team didn’t make it to the NFL championship game, you can still party with other football fans. The festivities can then be documented in a simple scrapbook layout featuring football-themed elements. Start with affordable embellishments, such as stickers, stamps and die cuts in the shape of footballs, goal posts, helmets, jerseys, cleats, banners, mascots, flags, cheerleading megaphones, foam fingers and pennants. Next, spice up your page title with a play on words. Some examples include: “Having a Ball,” … Continue reading →

Setting Scrapbooking Goals

Just because January is coming to a close doesn’t mean time has run out on making New Year’s scrapbooking resolutions. Now that the hectic holiday period is over, you likely have more time to evaluate your scrapbooking style and consider incorporating new techniques into designs. For those of you who haven’t completed your holiday scrapbooks, you could try new trends to pep up your pages. For example, if you have photos of your family and friends partying it up at a New Year’s Eve celebration; consider choosing a colorful background using non-traditional materials, such as mylar rather than plain cardstock. … Continue reading →

Seasonal Titles

It’s time to haul out the holly and deck those halls. The holidays are a hectic time whether you are traveling thousands of miles to grandma’s house or you’re hosting Christmas at your own home. In the midst of the madness, scrapbooking often gets put on the back burner. However, if you are planning to craft a memory album to preserve your family’s precious holiday moments, it’s important to keep documenting despite the hoopla. Have your camera handy so you can snap your family members and friends making merry. Remember to take some candid shots along with the posed images … Continue reading →

Get Organized Before the Holidays Hit

My scrapbooking area looks like an F-5 tornado ripped through it. Sadly, it looks that way after completing just one back-to-school memory book. Imagine what will happen if I leave it this way until the holidays. With Halloween just about a week away, and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, now is the time to get your scrapbooking materials organized. The holidays are chaotic enough without having to search high and low for specific embellishments, paper and tools. What’s more, if you are planning to design scrapbooks as gifts to give for Christmas or Hanukkah, then you have added … Continue reading →

Get Set for Holiday Scrapbooking

Have you been to Michaels lately? Step inside and you may wonder what month it is. My local Michaels has two medium-sized displays of Halloween items and right behind them are 10 aisles filled with Christmas merchandise. Nothing like getting a jump start on your holiday scrapbooking. I didn’t have it in me to browse through all of the Christmas-themed supplies; however I did notice that Michaels is having a sale on cardstock. If you are planning to do a lot of scrapping during the holidays, now is the time to stock up on cardstock. Generally, you can purchase cardstock … Continue reading →

Tribute Page

Scrapbook tribute pages can be created for a variety of occasions, including the first day of school. The simple layouts are designed to record milestones using materials that go beyond traditional scrapbook embellishments. For example, if you are putting together a tribute page documenting your child’s first day of school, you will want to use a few mementos that reflect the date, such as newspaper clippings or a magazine cover. You could also cut-out ads for school supplies or foods that you packed in your child’s lunchbox. Just be sure to include the price of the items, so that you … Continue reading →

Get Creative for Fall

May lightning not strike me down for writing about autumn scrapbooking in mid-August. Sure, Halloween Express has already opened its doors for business in my neck of the woods, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got my costume picked out. I prefer to ease in and out of seasons, and for me, summer is especially hard to say goodbye to. Still, many kids around the country have already bid adieu to days spent at the pool and park. School is back in session for students in Georgia, Hawaii and parts of California. The start of a new academic year is a … Continue reading →

Scrapbook the Snips and Giggles

Next week, my soon-to-be third grader will visit the salon to get her annual back-to-school haircut. Nothing drastic; the hair stylist will simply clean-up her existing bob. I’m not anticipating any tears, though you never know with my scissors-fearing kid. This is a child, who has never once felt the sting of a wayward clipper, blade or stylist’s fingernail, but freaks out whenever we enter a hair salon. It’s been this way for years; however, she’s gotten a lot better in the last 18 months. Still, if you look through old scrapbooks documenting my daughter’s visits to get her hair … Continue reading →