I have always thought it odd when people take pictures at a funeral. But, I guess it is a time when a lot of people that normally aren’t together, get together. So, many times, photos are taken. When my Mother-in-Law passed away, there was definitely a lot of picture taking going on. While, I did not bring my own camera, I do have some photos from that day. What should one do about scrapping them? In our case, I wanted to make a book of remembrance for my husband so that on those days when he was really missing his … Continue reading →

Tis the season to create “Year in Review” scrapbook layouts. I am a sucker for these types of pages, as I often have so many photos and mementos that it is nearly impossible for me to fit all I want in the original layout, so I hold on to certain items and use them in year in review page designs. If you don’t have many photos leftover from previous layouts, then consider making a smaller year in review photo collage and adding it to your page. It’s a great way to use up extra pictures while offering another glance at … Continue reading →

My best friend has a Black Friday tradition that hasn’t been broken in nearly a decade. Instead of hitting the malls to scoop up holiday deals, my pal and the rest of the females in her family head to the spa for Black Friday makeovers. Since we don’t live in the same state, I’m not always privy to the results of the girls-only spa day. Fortunately, I still get a chance to revel in the memories because my friend is a die-hard scrapper and all of the photos that are snapped on the big spa day are almost immediately featured … Continue reading →

Nothing helps kick off the new year than a new scrapbook. A blank scrapbook is a clean slate, similar to a new year. It affords you endless possibilities and gives you incentive to try new techniques. For example, if you’ve always been intimidated by journaling, crafting a New Year’s resolution layout could help you work through your fear. Journaling is a major part of a New Year’s resolution book or page design. However, it doesn’t have to be elaborate; rather, consider creating a journaling block and updating it as the year progresses. If you have multiple resolutions, then you might … Continue reading →

I suppose all scrapbook pages are relatively special, otherwise they wouldn’t be created. However, today I witnessed the makings of an extra special scrapbook page with hair as its theme. Last year my friend’s daughter decided to grow out her hair so that she could eventually donate it to the Locks of Love organization. The public non-profit group provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children, who suffer from long-term illnesses. After nearly 10 months of diligent maintenance and few, if any haircuts, my friend’s daughter lopped off more than a foot of tresses for kids she has never met. The momentous … Continue reading →

Take a look at your old Thanksgiving layouts. Do you recognize a pattern? Most scrappers include page designs that feature the Turkey Day spread, family members gorging on the spread, and a few candid shots of the guys watching football or the kids playing outside in the leaves. However, one of the benefits of scrapbooking is being able to tailor your pages to reflect personal memories. So if you spend Thanksgiving deer hunting instead of roasting a turkey and mashing potatoes, then your layouts should illustrate this. Buck the trend of sticking to traditional Thanksgiving layouts if your family adheres … Continue reading →

T-minus 72 hours or so until the opening day of gun deer season in our neck of the woods. Here in northern Wisconsin hunting is not just a sport, it is a way of life. And while the men are away the women will… scrapbook. Deer hunting widow events are HUGE in this part of the state. This weekend various local retailers, including the two scrapbook stores that bookend our town, are offering free workshops, sale-priced merchandise and prize giveaways, for the ladies left behind while their men take to the woods. My neighbor counts down to this sale each … Continue reading →

It’s Homecoming week at a number of high schools in our area. I know this because earlier tonight I saw my neighbor’s daughter standing outside in her full-length ball gown posing with her date and a group of other friends. That was a few hours ago. I’ll bet $500 that her mom already cropped and printed the photos and has them featured in at least four or five scrapbook layouts. The woman is a machine when it comes to scrapping and I know she didn’t waste a minute getting her daughter’s Homecoming pictures in place in what are probably eye-popping … Continue reading →

This year my daughter celebrated her birthday with 26 of her closest friends. It’s a shindig I won’t soon forget, and believe me; it won’t be duplicated for at least another 10 years. In addition, to opening 26 different birthday presents, my little girl tore open nearly three-dozen birthday cards, many of which were handmade by her young friends. Given that I don’t plan to host a bash for those many kids anytime soon, I kept each and every one of the birthday cards. I wasn’t sure what I was planning to do with them, but after seeing a scrapbook … Continue reading →