Winter Inspiration

Old Man Winter is relentless. As if the bitter cold weren’t enough, now we’re dealing with a wicked ice storm that’s threatening to bring our city to a standstill. Of course, as I sit here and complain about our latest round of putrid weather, there are likely some people loving every minute of it. I suppose the ice is pretty to look at as the moonlight glistens off of its surface… provided that surface doesn’t belong to the power lines that help keep the lights on in my home. Believe it or not, I am not a winter hater. I … Continue reading →

Spring Into Spring

Spring can spring any time now, as far as I am concerned. Like millions of other Americans enduring the most recent Arctic blast, I’m over winter. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do to control the weather. However, rather than wallow in despair, I’m channeling my inner sun goddess and working on spring-themed scrapbooks. If you are looking for ways to keep warm this winter, spring ahead a bit and take advantage of sales on spring scrapbooking kits. The seasonal collections typically hit the shelves in mid-January and feature colorful paper, plus a slew of coordinating embellishments, such as stickers, … Continue reading →

Experimenting with New Designs

Many avid scrapbook fans also dabble in book-binding. Newbies may be intimidated by the prospect of making their own scrapbook covers, but once you start experimenting with new techniques, the idea of designing a memory album from cover to cover is not as challenging as you may think. There are many advantages to crafting your own covers. For starters, you get full reign over creative control. You can design a cover of any shape or size. In addition, you can use a variety of your favorite materials to embellish your cover. For example, one of the first covers I attempted … Continue reading →

Experimenting With Different Textures

One of my favorite ways to add texture to a scrapbook layout is to incorporate a variety of fabrics to the page design. For example, in an effort to add flair to my daughter’s First Holy Communion memory album, I used real lace and lace paper to enhance the theme. Several manufacturers have recently come out with paper that can be mixed with items to add more texture to layouts. Patterned paper with raised edges or lines for journaling can be found in a variety of colors. In addition, many online retailers offer paper that serves as an attractive background … Continue reading →

More Sticky Options

Self-adhesive scrapbook paper is just one of the many options available to make memory book constructing a breeze. In fact, once you discover how easy it is to craft a layout using sticky back paper, you may never go back to traditional paper. Or, you could be like me and start hunting high and low for other self-adhesive products that are safe to use on scrapbook layouts. Fortunately, paper is not the only scrapbooking element you can use to save time creating elaborate layouts. Some other sticky options that busy scrapbookers may consider employing are self-adhesive charms. Rather than dealing … Continue reading →

Scrapbook Layouts as Gifts

Earlier this summer I attended a wedding for one of my former TV news co-workers. He and his wife got married in a lovely ceremony on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a touching vow exchange, though, I was equally impressed by the gifts the couple received from the bride’s crafty friends. Each of the gals from her weekly book group got together to design individual scrapbook layouts for the newlyweds’ wedding memory album. While this is not an entirely novel idea, what made their layouts stand-out (to me, anyway) was the fact that they all included the same … Continue reading →

Home Makeover Layouts

Not everyone is in a position to purchase a new home right now; however, that shouldn’t stop you from documenting any improvements you make to your current abode. Each year our neighbors spend their tax return on home improvements. Two years ago they refurbished their kitchen, last year they purchases new windows for the entire house and this summer they are giving their master bathroom a facelift. Given her passion for scrapbooking, it’s no surprise that each time my neighbor embarks on a redo the process ends up as the subject of yet another memory album. Personally, I think scrapbooking … Continue reading →

Cover Designs

In a previous post I detailed my attempt to turn my daughter’s old school tablets into kid-friendly scrapbooks. The recycled composition notebooks don’t rival traditional memory albums that you purchase in stores; however, they are ideal for children learning the ins and outs of scrapbooking. What’s more, they are also perfect for older scrapbook fans looking to experiment with different techniques, but are afraid to do so with expensive albums. For example, if you are interested in designing a photo collage as an album cover, but are afraid to do so because you don’t want to ruin an expensive scrapbook, … Continue reading →

Frugal Scrapbook Fun

My 7-year-old has been on summer vacation for nearly two weeks and I only got around to sorting through her bulging backpack yesterday. She brought the bag home on the last day of school crammed with the contents of her desk and nine month’s worth of junk. Given my frugal nature, I refused to dump all of her school supplies in the trash. Rather, I painstakingly sorted through the pile of used items to see which ones I could salvage for the upcoming school year. Obviously, I couldn’t save it all, but there were many materials that could either be … Continue reading →

The Importance of First Impressions

We all know how important first impressions are in the business world, but the phrase is just as relevant in the world of scrapbooking. The cover of a scrapbook speaks volumes for what’s inside the album and the person responsible for crafting it. Fortunately, there are no hard and fast rules that dictate how you have to put together a scrapbook cover; however, there are a number of popular techniques that make wonderful first impressions. For example, one of my favorite ways to decorate a scrapbook cover is with a photo collage. This is a great option if you are … Continue reading →