Do I Include This Photograph in my Scrapbook?

Recently I was faced with some big decisions regarding my layouts and albums. I needed to make some choices on whether or not someone and some photographs would appear in our family scrapbooks. Have you ever had a photograph and wondered if it should go on your layout or not or even if it matters? My decision was based on a very hurtful thing that this individual did to my family. There is not one single family member (there are seven of us) that wanted to see her face in our albums. This proposed a problem for me because I … Continue reading →

Quickie Layouts: Getting Your Scrapbook Pages Done Faster

Trying to get more done in the short spurts of time that we are allowed in our increasingly shorter days can be difficult. Making the time to scrapbook is important, but there are other methods to create more pages and get more accomplished when you are able to find the time. Creating quickie pages makes scrapbooking go easier. There are several ways this can be accomplished: My favorite way is through using sketches. There are loads of idea books, Internet sites and other locations to obtain sketches or as some refer to them, page maps. These are sketches that show … Continue reading →

Make Time For What You Love

So many times I hear would be scrapbookers and even those that have been scrapbooking for awhile, say they do not seem to find time to do something they love. Scrapbooking is a creative outlet for most and has additional benefits in that you are also preserving memories. It is important to make times for the things that you love. Everyone deserves a little “me” time and if you want those few special moments to include your favorite creative hobby – scrapbooking, then you must work on making the time for it. Here are a few methods for allowing yourself … Continue reading →

Tips To Make Scrapbooking a Priority

It feels selfish to make scrapbooking a priority, doesn’t it? It sounds like a demand more than it could ever be a special request. But if you don’t make your scrapbooking a priority, how do you ever plan to get anything done? There are a few simple ways to make scrapbooking one of the top things on your list of “to do” items, even when you think you do not have the time to do it. Here are a few tips or pieces of advice, to help you obtain your goals of scrapbooking more. Plan Use a Planner/Calendar. There are … Continue reading →

Scrapbooking Time Management Tips

One of the largest complaints I hear from scrapbook supply collectors, aka scrapbookers, is that they have a difficult time finding time, or making time to scrapbook. This can be a real problem when you have loads of photographs to scrapbook and you keep taking more. But there are a few ways you can combat this issue. Organization – The first step to good time management is simply to get organized. Give all of your scrapbooking supplies and tools a home. Everything should have a place. And in addition to that, organizing your photographs should be a priority too. Lists … Continue reading →

Learning About Color For Your Scrapbooks

Color is all around us, everywhere we look, there are bursts of colors around us. In the sky, the tree’s, the grass, the water, simply – everywhere. It surrounds us in our home, and often it is a daily part of many people’s occupations (home designers, home builders, construction workers, even doctors use colors to be able to diagnose certain things). Colors evoke different moods and different feelings. Colors change the way certain things look when they are near them. Colors truly inspire and spark creativity, they can set the mood or break it. What would our world be like, … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Photos Safe: Fingerprints and Scratches

Fingerprints can quickly diminish the quality of your photographs. And although a fingerprint can be avoided or wiped away, a scratch is permanent and it is a costly situation to have repaired by a professional. These are two additional ways that your photos can be damaged and two situations that need to be addressed. When handling your photographs, you should hold the edges. Some experts recommend wearing a special type of glove, but I have found that unnecessary. As long as when holding photographs, you attempt to hold the edges, you should be alright. You can place your photos in … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Photos Safe: Extreme Temperatures

Continuing on in the Keeping Your Photos Safe series, another large contributor to photo damage was listed as temperatures and climate issues. In this regard, temperatures can play a huge part in how fast or how slowly your photographs fade. This isn’t just the case with photo storage, but in album storage as well. The sad stories I heard at a photo preservation class I taught, told about photographs ruined from basement storage, attic storage, garage storage and even storage units at non climate control companies. People have lost precious memories due to completely controllable circumstances. First, attics and basements … Continue reading →

Keeping Your Photos Safe: Water Damage

Recently, I had the opportunity to teach a scrapbooking class about photo preservation. The hot topic of the night seemed to be protecting your photographs. Almost every question asked was about how to properly store your photos, how to protect them when putting them into your albums, and what to place near and not place near the photographs on a layout. All good questions, as well as ultimately important to the longevity of your scrapbooks and memories. Although it seems obvious that someone would not store their photographs near water, you’d be surprised at how many people do not realize … Continue reading →

Quick Tips for Your Photos

There are always times in scrapbooking when you need a fast and fun way to display your photos. I have a few techniques that work well time and time again. Here are a few of my favorite techniques. Place the photos right next to each other. This technique works well for a few reasons. First, it allows more space for more photos because you don’t have to allow for any space between the photos. It keeps the design clean and uncluttered. You also save time because you don’t have to mat any photos. Paint the edges of your photos. This … Continue reading →