Despite taking five years of piano and three years of flute lessons as a child, I can’t play myself out of a paper bag. Well, that’s not entirely true. I can still play “Turkey in the Straw” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” on the piano from memory without messing up… too much. And I can blow out a decent rendition of the theme song from “Dallas” on the flute like an aging rock star. Do rock stars play the flute? In any event, memories of my days as a lackluster music student came flooding back recently when I was … Continue reading →

I finally finished the beach-themed scrapbook I’ve been working on for more than a month. It features a ton of photos like this one: My daughter adores the sun, sand and surf. She swims like a fish; however her new passion is boogie boarding. I really tried to highlight her love of riding waves in several layouts, though the rest of the memory album is dedicated to other beach adventures. One of my most favorite page designs pays homage to our last day at a beloved beach in Hawaii. I tried to recreate the topography of Hapuna Beach by covering … Continue reading →

Country music may reign supreme deep in the heart of Texas, but here in Northern Wisconsin people are quite fond of boot scootin’ too. In fact, the Dairy State is home to one of the premier country music and camping festivals in the nation, Country USA. My country music-loving neighbor just returned from the multi-day concert which featured the likes of Sugarland, Keith Urban and The Band Perry. She ended up renting a VIP RV with a bunch of friends rather than camp in a tent. Judging by all of the photos she shared with me, she and her pals … Continue reading →

With much of the nation baking under record high temperatures, it’s no surprise that area beaches are packed to the gills. After all, who doesn’t enjoy soaking up the sun, sand and surf? Whether you are visiting the sea solo, or you are there with your entire clan, a trip to the beach is a memorable occasion. In fact, beach-themed layouts are extremely popular with summer scrapbooking fans who want to preserve the season’s highlights. Photos of family members burying each other in the sand, surfing, frolicking in white wash, collecting shells or watching the sunset make great additions to … Continue reading →

Learning how to boogie board is a summer memory my young daughter won’t soon forget. It will be even easier for her to remember given the multiple page scrapbook layouts I created showcasing her attempts to ride to shore. As I mentioned in a previous post, it is not hard to spice up summer page designs given all of the amazing beach-themed embellishments available in stores and online. You can find everything from glitter sunglasses and 3D beach umbrella stickers to fake sand and die cuts in the shape of bathing beauties and breaking waves. Another way to jazz up … Continue reading →

This shot was taken minutes before my daughter’s first boogie board lesson at Hapuna Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was a huge milestone for her and duly documented to display in her scrapbook. In fact, the photo joined seven others to create a double page layout showcasing her first experience riding waves. I even included a shot from this adventure to illustrate how much she had grown from the little girl, who preferred to stand on the sand and have her rubber duck body surf in to the shore, to the second grader who shredded the day … Continue reading →

Did you spend the Fourth of July enjoying the sun, sand and surf at an area beach? If so, then you likely have a ton of phenomenal photos to add to your summer scrapbook. Whether you snapped the shots on Independence Day or earlier in the season, beach pictures make fabulous additions to family memory albums. While a single photo can speak a thousand words, it doesn’t hurt to spice up your beach-themed layouts with some unique embellishments. Consider the following ideas to give your beach memories a boost: Paintings: If you have a passion for painting, use watercolors to … Continue reading →

With much of the country baking in record high temperatures this summer, the name of the game is cooling off. Whether you seek comfort at the pool, in a backyard sprinkler or at the beach, lake or pond, don’t forget to take your camera so you can document the dog days of the season. According to some meteorologists, this summer could be one for the record books in terms of high temperatures. You can add this fast fact to your summer scrapbook along with shots of your family frolicking in the sand and surf. Then, to enhance the theme, consider … Continue reading →

Pledging a sorority or fraternity is a major milestone in the lives of some college co-eds. In fact, there are a slew of Greek-themed scrapbook embellishments for those looking to craft a memory album dedicated to life as a sorority sister or fraternity brother. With graduation season in full swing, many commencement-themed scrapbooks feature at least a few layouts spotlighting life as a Greek. Most are constructed by mixing formal portraits with informal photos reflecting the fun the graduate had bonding with his or her sisters or brothers. Page designs could also feature sorority of fraternity colors, crests, and letters, … Continue reading →

Graduation layouts have the potential to be highly personalized. Unlike generic birthday, anniversary or Christmas page designs, a commencement-themed layout should reflect special moments in a student’s academic and extra-curricular life. How you showcase the journey that leads up to graduation day is entirely up to you, though there are some common approaches. One of the most popular is the timeline. This basic design features a chronological listing of major moments that led up to graduation day. You could accomplish this by documenting the student’s entire senior year or spotlighting particular stages of the graduate’s life from birth to commencement. … Continue reading →