Fall is one of the most affordable seasons to travel. With kids back in school and the holidays still a few weeks away, hotels, rental car agencies and airlines typically offer budget-friendly deals to entice people to escape from the chaos of their daily lives. If you are planning to jet-off on a seasonal getaway, don’t forget to plan ahead if you intend to scrap your vacation memories. By creating detailed page designs you can relive your travel experiences by simply opening your scrapbook. To start, don’t forget to snap a ton of photos. Begin with your packed bags and … Continue reading →

Last week we took our annual summer trip to the State Fair. We gorged on crazy deep-fried food-on-a-stick creations, rode the Sky Glider and learned exactly how a pig pees. Interesting stuff. I have way more than enough photos and memorabilia to craft an entire memory book of our family trip. I also jotted down some funny anecdotes for journaling purposes and scored some cool stickers from various vendors to add as embellishments. In between the grazing and game-playing, we spent a fair amount of time exploring the animal exhibits, and even witnessed a doggie wedding presided over by an … Continue reading →

Tens of thousands of college coeds head back to school this weekend and my neighbor’s granddaughter is one of them. Kara is beginning her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and in addition to hauling bedding, clothing and school supplies, she’ll be taking an extra- special item with her as she begins her foray to higher education. My neighbor just put the finishing touches on an Off-to-College-themed scrapbook filled with photos of Kara’s family members and friends. The memory album’s pages also include unique embellishments and special mementos that complement the photos taken at milestone events. To make the … Continue reading →

Summer is primetime for beach-themed scrapbooks. Scrapbook shops and craft stores are filled to the gills with seasonal embellishments designed to spice up seasonal spreads. From beach umbrellas and palm tree stickers to bikini die cuts and tropical libation-shaped rubber stamps, there is no shortage of beach-themed frills to add to page designs. However, if you are short on cash, then stocking up on the aforementioned embellishments may not be possible. Fortunately, you don’t have to dig too deep to find unique touches to add to your summer beach scrapbook. Rather, you just need to exercise some creativity and you … Continue reading →

Whether you are celebrating your 5th, 10th, 20th or 50th wedding anniversary, the milestone deserves to be documented for prosperity. Fortunately, there are hundreds of anniversary-themed scrapbook items available to help you create a heartfelt album that can be viewed for years to come. Your job is simply to provide the photos and memorabilia. Obviously, if you have been married for 40 plus years, you will have undoubtedly accumulated more memories, and therefore, more “stuff” than a couple who is celebrating four years of wedded bliss. Still, when it comes to crafting anniversary scrapbooks, quality matters more than quantity. While … Continue reading →

This month my local scrapbook shop is running a layout contest. The winner walks away with $500 in store credit, plus a basket full of albums, tools and embellishments. In addition, the mastermind behind the winning entry will also be invited to demo his/her layout techniques at the store’s monthly scrapbooking workshop weekend. The store’s contest is run on a quarterly basis and each time it is advertised I consider entering, but never do so. I’ve seen past winners and know I can’t compete with the incredible craftsmanship and creativity submitted by my fellow scrappers. I wish I wouldn’t allow … Continue reading →

I don’t own a GPS device, but it’s not because I am part Bloodhound. Rather, I still use good old fashioned maps… because I am retro like that. Laugh as you might, but if you are an avid scrapper, then you know that maps are more than just tangible tools that help you to get from point A to point B without getting too lost. Whether I use traditional fold-up maps or print out more detailed versions from online travel websites, I typically have plenty of paper to use in my vacation scrapbooks. Recently, I used a map of Chicago … Continue reading →

High school and college commencement season is winding down in my neck of the woods. The UW system held its graduation ceremonies a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, the majority of our city’s public and parochial high schools will complete their commencement exercises tomorrow night. If your student already received his diploma, you might be in stage two of the scrapbooking process. Once you’ve captured all the pomp and circumstance with your digital camera, it’s time to move on to the tedious task of reviewing and editing the shots, and then selecting the best of the best to feature in … Continue reading →

Have you ever considered scrapping your kid’s school lunch? In an age where it seems nothing is off limits in regards to preservation on cardstock pages, I would have to say that photographing and journaling about a school lunch is about as desperate as it gets. No offense to my sister-in-law. Really. I mean that. I love how she pushes the envelope when it comes to scrapbook material. I love her more for providing fodder for my posts. So here’s the thing; upon reading my last post about school scrapbooks, my uber-crafty sister-in-law sent me an email admonishing me (in … Continue reading →

I’m not talking about the world; rather, I am referring to the end of the school year. I am definitely not working like a madwoman trying to piece together a Rapture-themed scrapbook; however, I am scrambling to put the finishing touches on my first grader’s school memory book. If you are planning to tackle a similar project in the coming weeks, give yourself plenty of time. Chances are you will have to wade through a mountain of artwork, book reports and essays that your child has completed during the course of the school year. It took me hours to sort … Continue reading →