Category Archives: Scrapbooking

Reviews of favorite scrapbooking products and tips on creating simple yet beautiful scrapbooks, cards and other paper crafts.

Locks of Love… and Hate

When was the last time you had a great hair day? Did you document your perfect do for posterity sake? Good hair days are an extremely rare occurrence in my life. In fact, I didn’t even like my tresses on my wedding day. I neglected to schedule a styling dry run prior to the big day and it showed. Needless to say, I have plenty of scrapbook layouts featuring photos of me with hair styles that I absolutely hate. Conversely, my young daughter barely has a day where a single strand of her hair is out of place. It’s just … Continue reading →

The Sunny Side of Summer Scrapbooking

I share a summer birthday with my dad and grandfather, so there was no shortage of greeting cards around our home during the month of August. Given our collective ages, it’s no surprise that we still treasure receiving traditional birthday cards rather than the digital ones that are sent via email. I am a tactile person. I love wrapping my fingers around handwritten well wishes, and then cutting up said well wishes and placing them in a scrapbook. I’ve been doing it for years. Why waste a perfectly good greeting card when you can add it to a scrapbook layout? … Continue reading →

Busy Summer Scrapbooking

According to the owner of my local scrapbook supply shop, summer is her slowest time of the year. Ironically, summer is when I do the bulk of my memory book-making. Perhaps, it’s because my daughter is off of school during the summer and we tend to craft more when she is home. However, I have a feeling that the reason I complete more scrapbooks in the summer months is because I take more pictures during June, July and August than other months. While the rest of the world puts their cameras to use extensively during the holidays (October, November and … Continue reading →

Scrapbooks Made Easy

I am a huge fan of Shutterfly albums. While some call them an insult to scrapbooks, when you are in a hurry or simply don’t have the creative juices to craft a traditional memory album, the hardcover digitally generated books featuring your favorite photos and journaling, simply can’t be beat. I like to refer to the albums as scrapbooks made easy. You simply can’t fail when crafting the digital albums, as the directions are a cinch to follow and the actual steps are short and sweet. Several companies offer these types of books, including Shutterfly and Snapfish, which have designed … Continue reading →

Summer Sayings

You’ve found the perfect photos of your summer vacation to feature in a super scrapbook spread. In addition, you purchased an amazing set of stickers, stamps and die cuts to further embellish your seasonal layout, yet something is still missing. Mementos? Nope. Frames? Negative. What you’re missing is a title that will turn heads and make your page design even more attractive. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways you can create an eye-popping page title. The Internet is teeming with free fonts that can add spice to summer-themed layouts. In addition, you could use letter stickers or cut-out words … Continue reading →

Space Savers

Most crafters make use of traditional 12×12 albums to create memorable scrapbook layouts. However, there are times when 12×12 simply isn’t enough space to showcase all of your photos, mementos and embellishments. You can typically avoid having to redo your hard work by blocking your layouts prior to adhering items onto your page. While you are arranging your materials to create a cohesive design, consider the amount of space you are dealing with and how you can make use of every inch. For example, if you are suffering from picture overload, consider using photo corners instead of frames or mats. … Continue reading →

Picture Overload

This is one of nearly 150 images I snapped of my daughter during our summer trip to Six Flags Great America. Yes, 150 shots in a single day. It may seem like a ton of photos, but if you are an avid scrapbooker, it’s not unusual to snap hundreds of pictures during a special event. The upside to nearly continuous shooting is that you are almost guaranteed a plethora of phenomenal photos taken from a variety of different angles. The downside is that it’s often challenging to select just a few of your favorite picks. One of the easiest ways … Continue reading →

Rope ‘Em In

Don’t underestimate the passion people have for horses. I recently posted a blog about crafting a layout featuring photos of my daughter taking horseback riding lessons. Who knew I would receive such an enthusiastic response from fellow scrappers? I truly underestimated how many crafty folks out there hopped on the scrapbooking bandwagon exclusively to showcase their love for equines. I didn’t realize that some horse shows actually gift memory albums to winners along with traditional prizes, so the recipient can display their photos, ribbons and other memorabilia in an attractive book. The page design I constructed featuring my daughter’s first … Continue reading →

Reflections

Visiting “The Bean” is right up there with boogie boarding on my daughter’s list of top summer activities. The shiny sculpture’s real name is “Cloud Gate” and it is a huge crowd pleaser in Chicago’s Millennium Park. It got its nickname for obvious reasons; however, the sculpture’s shape is not the only thing going for it. The Bean features more than 165 stainless steel plates welded together, minus visible seams. What you are left with is a highly polished, incredibly reflective blob that is said to be inspired by liquid mercury. The Bean’s surface reflects and slightly distorts Chicago’s stunning … Continue reading →

Horsing Around

My daughter recently attended a horse-themed birthday party for her friend Kira. Kira’s dad is a veterinarian and the family owns two horses that they board at a farm just outside of town. To celebrate Kira’s eighth birthday, her parents invited eight girls, including my daughter, to go horseback riding at the farm. Needless to say, my child is now hooked on horses. In fact, following the party, I finagled a way to get her enrolled in “sample” riding lessons without committing to the entire three-month, $400 program. My daughter’s lessons are limited, so I’ve been taking as many photos … Continue reading →