New Baby

This could be of your own child, or it could be a grandchild or niece or nephew. Anyone would be delighted to be presented with such a treasure of their growing years. Maybe you could plan ahead and think of it as a gift to be presented to them on a milestone birthday, say their 18th or 21st. Or how about a wedding day or graduation gift? You can add in your own thoughts, hopes and wishes for the child, along with photographs, the hospital bracelet, doctor appointment cards during the pregnancy, congratulation cards, the list is endless.

Family

You can focus on your history of family and heritage. Take some time to research your family tree. Note any family achievements or anyone who has gone onto success in their chosen field. Do not forget the passing of exams and add in any family beliefs or traditions. Ask others to provide photographs from special occasions and family get together.

Military

Especially in the current world climate, with so many brave young men and women putting their lives on the line for their country, it has never been a better time to put together a scrapbook to honour the courage and selflessness of our armed forces. You can include copies of documents, awards and recognitions, details of medals won and newspaper articles. And you are sure to find a whole multitude of photographs from training camps, foreign countries and of military uniforms.

Pets

They give us so much of their love and bring so much happiness into our lives, so what better way to conserve the life and love of your pet than through a scrapbook. Make sure you add lots of personal memories, your favourite thing about your pet and tall their funny little habits. Of course, it goes without saying that you will include photos, and if you are of an artistic nature, how about some hand drawn sketches of your pet.

Wedding

Could there be a happier subject? What a superb way to commemorate such a special day, be it your own or that of a friend or relative. You can include details of the run up to the wedding, the day itself, and even the honeymoon. A wedding scrapbook is sure to become a most treasured possession.

As you can see, there is plenty of subject when you put your mind to it. So go on, give it your best shot and start your personal creation today.

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When you start looking at the different albums that are available, you will be astounded at the wide variety of materials and themes on the market. There are such covers as chipboard, cork, cloth covers and different fabrics. Embroidered patterns and pretty much every colour of the rainbow are produced, so there should be something out there for everyone. Disney characters are a popular choice for a cover, and you are bound to find your favourite character proudly displayed on the front of a cover somewhere. You can even find albums with covers in the shape of words; perfect for your themed scrapbook ideas such as Beach, Team, Travel or Wedding. These are easy to find, along with other, more general words and sayings which can be adapted to suit your own particular project.

Scrapbooking albums are available in a host of different sizes. The sizes quoted refer to the size of the pages inside.

The most popular of these is the 12 x 12inch, large square album. These are perfect for large layouts, ensuring plenty of room to spread your designs across.

Next you will find the 8.5 x 11inch album, also known as the A4 size. This size is fast growing in popularity, and a lot of people prefer these to the more traditional, square shaped album. This size is still large enough to display your large photos and other items, and gives you enough room to add frames, decorations and borders.

Then there is the 8 x 8inch album, a perfect size for both beginners and seasoned scrappers alike. The smaller sized pages provide an easier space to fill which may not prove as daunting to the beginner for their first few creative attempts.

You will also find 6 x 6inch albums and other mini albums in varying sizes. These are ideal if you want to create a gift for a friend or relative.

Most 12 x 12inch scrapbook albums come with 10, double sided pages which allow for 20 layouts, and most are designed to allow you to add more pages if required. The pages of your scrapbook should have page protectors, and it is into these that you insert your layouts and decorations. Again, you will be able to purchase more of these if you add to the page number. Albums are usually of either D ring style (like an office or school folder), or Post Bound, where you can unscrew the binding to insert more pages.

Whatever your choice of album, you will be guaranteed that your creation will be a unique a special memento which will delight for years to come.

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Scrapbooking magazines are filled with glossy pages of beautiful layouts which have obviously taken a great deal of time and effort to complete. You will often find that these are centered around one or two photos per page, and whilst this is a great focal point, you may well find that you have so much that you want to include that this small amount per page is not enough. So a good compromise is to create a stunning cover page using this technique and then have the following pages with more content.

Title pages

Following on from the point above, this will be where you can make the most of your creative abilities. Make a focal point of one picture or card, and embellish the page with as much decoration as you wish.

Never use originals

Unless you are prepared to commit your beloved photos and memories into your scrapbook for life, then never use the original. Have copies made of your photos from negatives; scan or copy any other ephemera. If you colour copy of photos onto photo paper, they come out as clear as the originals and will look great in your scrapbook.

Cropping

This is a very useful technique to ensure that you make the most of the available space in your layout. Often a photo may have a great subject which is surrounded by a lot of boring background. Cropping the excess gives the photo or picture far more impact on the page, and also means you will be able to insert more photos per page layout.

Sketch your ideas

You will probably find that a great idea comes to you at the most inopportune of moments. Be prepared for this and keep a notepad with you at all times so you can jot down a quick sketch of your idea, the title, picture, placements, embellishments and decorations etc. Inspiration can strike at any time and you will never know when a great title or saying will com up that you may like to use one day.

Scrapbook Journaling.

This refers to the text or words in your scrapbook that describe the events pictured. Rather than writing directly onto the pages of your scrapbook, it is far better to do this on a separate piece of paper and then fix it into your book. In this way, you can also choose to design your text on the computer and take advantage of all the different fonts available. Not only can you use the ones that are pre-installed on your computer, you will find thousands of different fonts available on the internet for free download.

The layout of your scrapbook is as personal to you as the contents themselves. Try experimenting with different backgrounds, frames, borders and quantity of items per page. You will be amazed at the different effects you can create with the most simple of changes. Let your creativity flow, and make sure you have fun.

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Large paper trimmer.

This is probably one of the most useful investments you will make for your hobby, and you will utilise it over and over again. Buy a 12 inch trimmer as this will prove large enough for the usual, square size 12 x 12 albums, and can also be used for cutting smaller sizes as well. A paper trimmer will enable you to cut multiple sheets of paper at the same time, as well as guaranteeing that your cuts are perfectly straight, which proves a difficult task to perform with a pair of scissors.

Scissors

Do not skimp on these. Buy the best pair you can afford as they will become one of your most common scrapbooking tools. Look after them and keep them sharp, thus keeping them in tip top condition for cutting out fine detail.

Adhesives

There is a myriad of different ways of sticking your treasures into you scrapbook album. From glues to tapes to photo corners, for the novice you will probably have have no idea which is the best to choose. It is well worth taking the time to study all the various products on the market to find out which suits your particular needs. Even if you are seasoned scrapbooker, do not be afraid to try and experiment with new adhesives and tapes.

Small paper trimmer

If your funds allow for it, it is also worth investing in a small one of these as well as the large. They prove invaluable for cropping small items, such as photographs and cards.

As your scrapbooking skills increase, then there are plenty of other accessories available on the market that you may wish to invest in. Items such as circle cutters, punches, templates and a die cutting machine may all be on your list for future purchases. As you become more proficient at your craft, you will be able to work out which tools are worth spending your hard earned cash on, and which you can do without.

There are also plenty of other embellishing accessories available to purchase. Items such as rubber stamps are a cheap and easy way of adding colour and fun to your scrapbook. You will find pretty much every design under the sun available, animals, shapes, funny cartoons, there is bound to be something which will suit your particular project.

Refill pages will be fairly essential if your project is a large one. Or you may find that it keeps growing as you create it. If you think that you might need to expand your album, it is always a good idea to buy an album which has the option to add pages when necessary.

There are hundreds of other accessories which you can purchase to embellish and decorate your scrapbook. In fact, half the fun is sifting and sorting through all of these to find the perfect ones for your particular needs.

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So, let take a look at the essentials you should consider when searching for the perfect glue or tape to use in your creation. Firstly, you need to realise that whatever adhesive you use, it is one of the very most important product in your scrapbook, asides from the contents, of course. Obviously the last thing you want to use is anything which might cause damage to the items, or one which would not stick things securely. After all, your scrapbook is set to become a memory to be treasured for a long long time, and passed on down through many generations. So the adhesive you use needs to be man enough for the job.

Your adhesive needs to be acid free. Ensure that it is clearly labelled in being so, otherwise you risk damaging your precious contents. Do not even think about using a glue you purchased for your child to use at school. What you need is something that is specifically designed for scrapbooking.

Do not use a glue stick. Although some of these might be acid free, they really are not the best way of applying your adhesive. Glue sticks are usually cheap and the glue of poor quality. As the glue dries it has a tendency to become brittle. This means that your photos and cards will not stay well stuck for long.

If you think you may need to remove a photo or other item from your scrapbook at some point in the future, do not use a permanent adhesive. A good way to stick photos is to use photo tabs. These are small squares of double sided tape which are specifically designed for using with photos.

Try out different tape runners. These are hand held devices which dispense tape quickly and of the desired amount. They really are the most efficient way to stick items into your scrapbook. You will find plenty of these on the market, so try out a few to see which type works the best for you. With tape runners, you can choose between permanent or a repositionable adhesive.

Vellium tape is great to use when you need to stick something but the tape is going to show. This tape becomes pretty much invisible once it is stuck down.

So, as you can see, there are plenty of different products on the market. You will probably end up using a combination of different ones, and will need to do some research and evaluating to find out which ones work best for you.

You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies

Wedding Anniversary

Well, would not this just be a fantastic gift for that special person in your life. Or how about giving it as an anniversary present for a happy couple? With a little thought you can create an extremely personal, and incredibly romantic, scrapbook filled with special moments and memories from the relationship. Use every resource available to you to get cards and other special mementos to use as your focal point. Remember to find out personal favorites, such as colours, foods, films and books, and use your creativity to weave this information into your scrapbook.

Halloween

What an excellent and spooky subject for a scrapbooking project. There is a wealth of wonderful material out there to provide you with a great scrapbook. Get the kids to help as well. They are bound to be more than enthusiastic to dress up as witches and wizards to pose for photos. And it will be fun doing research into the history of the holiday. Feel free to make your scrapbook as scary as you like.

Christmas

Ho ho ho! Every child is (and most adults) favourite time of the year. Use your imagination to fill your pages with snow flakes and ice crystals. Cotton wool and paper doilies will take on completely different roles as you employ them to embellish the pages of your scrapbook. You will find plenty of supplies around your home, and just open the pages of any Christmas magazine to get loads of inspiration.

Summer and the beach

What better way to banish the winter blues than to delve into fantastic thoughts of summer. We have all got happy memories of playing on the beach, and the kids will love to get involved in this one. Think bright colours, yellow, blues and reds to embellish your pages. Travel brochures provide cheap and tempting beach scenes to go alongside you own personal photos and mementos.

Sports

You a sports fan? Or perhaps your partner is. Why not start a scrapbook to follow your favourite team or player. Maybe you play some kind of sport yourself. These are all great subjects for a scrapbook, and a wonderful way of following the highs and lows of any particular team or player.

Holidays

We all love em! But all too soon they end up as a distant memory. Creating a scrapbook is just the perfect way of keeping these memories alive. And an excellent excuse to keep snapping away with that camera whilst you are on holiday. Smile!

All it takes is your imagination. Once you have come up with the idea for your project you will find it takes on a life of its own. And even those of you who did not think you had a creative bone in your body will be amazed at the wonderful keepsakes you can produce.

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Create an eye catching background.

Your content do not need to be stuck straight onto a boring plain page. To completely change the look of a page, try cutting out a piece of patterned paper to create a border. This will instantly give more visual interest and add shape and depth to the contents.

Ribbons

These can be added to photos and cards, or as borders to pages to create splashes of colour.

Remember the focal point

Do not forget that the whole idea of your scrapbook is the photos and other memories. The embellishments are great, but always remember where it is that the focus should be centred.

Measure twice, cut once

This is actually an old carpentry motto, but it also holds true in scrapbooking as well. It can be so frustrating to make a mistake, so before you cut or glue anything, double check that you have everything exactly where it needs to be.

Be organised

If you have spent time and effort (not to mention money) on scrapbooking magazines, books and leaflets, then you need to store them in an organised way. Set up a system which suits you , be it a filing cabinet or in folders, that will enable you to store and access them as you require.

Paper flowers

This is a beautiful (and not to mention cheap) way of embellishing your pages. Cut a circular piece of paper into a spiral and mist it with water. Then twist the paper into a spiral shape and, once it is tightly wound, glue the edges to form a rose bud. You can ink the edges to create different colours, and then stick it into your book to add decoration to a page layout.

Handwrite

Neatly handwrite a favourite quote or saying onto some rich textured card, and fix it into your scrapbook for a really personal touch.

Colour contrast

Try displaying both colour and black and white photographs together on the same page for a striking effect.

Buttons

These are a great way of adding texture and colour to your pages. Try experimenting with size, type and colour to see what works for you.

As you can see, there is no end of little tricks of the trade to personalise and help with the making of your scrapbook. Keep your eyes open in your everyday life, and you are bound to see things here and there that you will be able to adapt and use in our scrapbook. The only limit is your imagination.

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Not only is scrapbooking the ideal way to preserve precious memories and keepsakes, it also provides hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people with a social network of like minded enthusiasts. Known as Scrapbookers, or Scrappers, there are many ways in which people get together to share their hobby. These range from small groups who meet together in their homes, through to scrapbooking retreats and even scrapbooking conventions. And the internet provides the ideal way for enthusiasts all over the world to network and communicate. Joining one, or more, of these groups will provide you with plenty of inspiration on how to make your own personal creation better and better. After all, we all enjoy talking about our passions in life, and this hobby gives so many outlets in which to do so.

Of course, the business world has sat up and taken notice of this huge potential market, giving birth to a multitude of small, specialist shops. Large chain department stores have laid on more and more shelf space to decorative supplies and products. But one of the largest areas of growth by far has been that of the private, home based individual who has set up as a business and sells their supplies via the internet. Still more people run parties and workshops so customers can see and buy their products.

In the current economic climate, scrapbooking is the ideal hobby which is within the realms of affordability for nearly everybody. After all, your basic requirements are your scrap book, a pair of scissors, and some decent adhesive and you are up and running. There are plenty of free materials out there for the taking, all you need is your imagination. Think newspaper cuttings, cards sent by friends and family, pictures drawn or painted by your kids, the list is endless. Personalise your book with photographs, ask friends and family to contribute any they think will enhance your collection.

As it is such a personal hobby, there are no hard or fast rules to follow. Whatever you want, whatever tickles your fancy, go ahead and include it. Your project does not have any limitations, except the boundaries of your imagination. Modern scrapbooking is all about having fun. So, go on, let your creative juices flow, and soon you will be the proud owner of a multitude of personal and unique memories which is sure to become an item to treasure and that can be passed down to future generations.

Now that is something money can not buy!

You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies

Obviously you are going to need an album. There is plenty of choice to buy, and to suit all different pockets, but before you shell out for an album, explore a few other possibilities to find the perfect home for your memories. Firstly, have a hunt around your own home in the attic, in the back of cupboards for long forgotten presents you or your family may have been given. If you have no joy, then ask friends and relatives, you will more than likely be surprised at what people have sitting unused in their homes.

As for contents well, everyone has photographs. And you do not need to deprive them of their treasured collection. If someone has a photo you would like to use then all you need to do is scan or copy it, and voila , it can you into your album.

The same applies for embellishing your album. Who does not have a tin or drawer somewhere in their house which is filled with scraps of ribbon, brightly coloured tags and papers? Most people will be glad to give these to you.

Car boot sales, jumble and garage sales can be a wonderful hunting ground for unique and individual content for your book. For just a few pence here and there, you will more than likely come away with items you never even realised could be used in your scrapbook. All it takes is an ingenious person with some imagination, and some wonderful items can be recycled and take pride of place in your creation.

It is also worth signing up for email alerts from scrapbooking supply retailers, this will make sure you know when any are having sales or special offers. You may not necessarily need the items at that point, but supplies can be stored for a later date. Some great deals can be found, especially when two for one, or buy one get one free offers are around. Also keep an eye out for end of line or stock clearance sales. The canny buyer will soon develop a nose for a bargain, and you can stock up on the best quality supplies at rock bottom prices.

The most important thing with your scrapbook is that it is personal and works for you. If, for example, you are creating a scrapbook of your child growing up; as they outgrow certain items, maybe you can somehow incorporate them into your scrapbook. If your child grows out of a certain fashionable fad, then you can recycle their once favourite posters, books, stickers etc and put them in the scrapbook as a memory of a more innocent time. Just imagine their faces in a few years time when you pull out a scrapbook that shows that your ultra cool 19 year old had a terrible crush on Edward from Twilight, or was mad about Hello Kitty.
Memories are a wonderful thing and a scrapbook is a perfect outlet for them. Enjoy creating your masterpiece, sure to become an item to be treasured.

You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies

Come the 16th century, friendship albums became all the rage. People would ask their friends and associates to contribute to their albums. Often these would be used as a diary of a trip or a tour, and people would include items acquired from local artisans they met on their travels.

School children especially girls began to keep scrapbooks as a diary of their lives. Not only did this give them somewhere to showcase any literary skills, it allowed them to keep a detailed and personalised history of their school days. Of course, many of them continued this way past when they left school.

In the 18th century, it became popular for authors to leave several blank pages in their books so that readers could add their own content. The first author to do this was James Granger in 1755 with a book about the history of England. It proved so successful that he was copied extensively and the process became known as Grangerising. In 1825 the first official book on scrapbooking was published. This was called The Scrapbook. Closely following on its heels the following year was a book called Manuscript Gleanings and Literary Scrapbook by John Poole. This was filled with advice on collecting and compiling scraps and was responsible for a huge explosion in the popularity of scrapbooking in the USA.

Then, with the advent of photography in the 19th century, it became fashionable to include these in scrapbooks. With the invention of modern photographic paper at the end of the 1880s, along with the introduction of the Brownie camera in 1900, photographs became available to more and more of the population and were taken up by scrapbookers everywhere.

Companies began to produce leather bound albums specifically designed for scrapbookers. Some of these had pre-printed title pages embossed with delicate patterns of birds or flowers for the owner to fill in with their own items. They also responded to demand by producing items specifically to be used in scrapbooks – highly decorated and embellished papers that could be cut and pasted onto the pages.

The popularity of scrapbooking declined in the early 20th century due to the First World War and following recession, soon followed by the Second World War. It has only been in recent years that it has once again become a popular hobby.

In the 1980s it became fashionable once again, and companies began turning their production to making suitable items which scrapbookers could use. Marielen Christensen made public her 50 book collection of family memoirs at the World Conference in Utah, and this caused a huge amount of interest. She then went onto open the first scrapbooking store called Keeping Memories Alive. This proved a huge success and other companies were quick to jump on the band wagon.

The original reasons our ancestors began scrapbooking still hold true today. Scrapbooking is a wonderful method of preserving special memories, expressing ones feelings, emotions and sentiments, keeping and accurate and personal family history to name but a few. And its a lovely gift to pass onto future generations.

You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies