Do you have old photos from 20 years ago that need a home? Are you scrapbooking for other people that have photos from before you were even born? Are you making a scrapbook for your Grandmother’s 80th birthday? If so, then there is a great resource out there to help you get creative with those photos. There is a website called Infoplease.com that has a year by year section. This would be a great place to start to get ideas on what was going on in that time period before you were even born. I clicked on the year 1977 … Continue reading →

My young daughter is a huge fan of the new PBS children’s series, “The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!” Interestingly, she was never a huge fan of the “Cat in the Hat” books, but once she saw the cat come alive in the animated series, she was hooked. All of a sudden she is all about the cat. She nearly fell over when she saw that Target is selling “Cat in the Hat” socks in their $1 bins and she just about ripped my arm off dragging me over to the aisle in the scrapbook store … Continue reading →

Religious scrapbooks are becoming a popular trend. Also known as faith books or praise books, the scrapbooks contain religious milestones or other examples of one’s faith life. Some use the books to record personal journeys with God while others use them to show others how faith has shaped their lives, and how it could influence theirs as well. Regardless of your reason for creating a faith book, the overall goal should be to chronicle what religion means in your life and the lives of your family members. This can be done in a variety of ways, including journaling or including … Continue reading →

Halloween is one of those holidays when you can really let your creative juices flow freely. Weddings, graduation and anniversaries scrapbooks can be a bit stuffy at times, but when you have a holiday like Halloween, the sky is the limit when it comes to creating unique layouts. Scrapbook supply stores are filled to the brim right now with Halloween-themed stickers, rub-ons, rubber stamps, charms, chipboard embellishments, and decorative patterned papers, as well as brads and cool cardstock. However, you don’t have to blow your budget to design one-of-kind Halloween layouts. For example, if you have some leftover yarn around … Continue reading →

My parents will celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary next week. They have accumulated more memories in those four decades than I could ever fit into a single scrapbook. I marvel at the scrappers who attempt to create memory books for couples celebrating 50, 60, 70 years of marriage. To me the task is would be overwhelming. However, that shouldn’t deter you from creating anniversary albums. After all, it’s not every day that you try to chronicle multiple decades of a shared life. My advice when creating an anniversary scrapbook, especially if you are a beginner, is to keep it basic … Continue reading →

Do you remember the TV series, “A Year in the Life” starring Adam Arkin and Richard Kiley? It aired for a short time in the late 80s on NBC. I liked that show, but apparently I was one of only a small number of people who did because the network pulled the plug on it after just a couple of seasons. Still, I always think about the show, especially its title, when I’m scrapbooking a timeline of events. As I mentioned in a previous blog, my neighbor’s tween daughter is scrapping her favorite years as an elementary school student. I … Continue reading →

In a previous blog I told you about my friend who has created a scrapbook for each member of her family—human and otherwise. In addition to designing memory books for her four-legged family members, she also found the time to put together a scrapbook dedicated solely to her home. Yes, the structure that houses her entire family has earned a spot on the scrapbook shelf. Most people only consider scrapping new homes. When you move into a new house it is tradition to take a ton of photos and save keepsakes that can be displayed in a scrapbook. However, imagine … Continue reading →

Each month the local scrapbook supply shop in my small town displays a specialty theme book made by the owner or one created by a member of the shop’s scrapbooking club. October’s theme is military scrapbooks in preparation for next month’s Veteran’s Day celebrations. All month the store is offering 10 percent off military-themed scrapbook materials, including albums, stickers, cropping supplies, stamps, die-cuts, etc. In addition, customers are invited to attend workshops to help create their own one-of-a-kind scrapbook tributes to active, retired, and deceased military heroes. Fortunately, you don’t have to live in my little town to make your … Continue reading →

My friend has created a scrapbook for every member of her family. And by every member I mean even the ones that don’t walk on two feet. Alex the dog, Kitty the cat and Winkie the gerbil each have scrapbooks chronicling their lives as treasured members of the Richter family. You’d be surprised by how many scrapbook supply companies actually sell gerbil stickers. Don’t wait until your beloved pooch has passed away to create a scrapbook in his memory. Now is the time to take photos, record milestones and tuck away mementos of special moments. Once you’ve collected your pet’s … Continue reading →

The problem with being a snap-happy parent is that you are left digging out from so many (many, many, many) photos, that it’s almost too overwhelming to figure out a way to use them all in a scrapbook layout… or two, or three… or an entire book… or two or three. Take for example, my family’s latest trip to the pumpkin patch and u-pick apple orchard. In less than four hours I snapped nearly 500 photos of my daughter making like Linus in her search for the perfect pumpkin. Ditto for the apples. Then, there were the shots of her … Continue reading →