A special moment in your life needs preserving, and not just with photographs in a boring old album, or even worse, just left to sit in your pictures files on your computer, never to be printed out!!!

Scrapbooking gives you the opportunity to make a  memory  come alive for others.

WHERE DO I START?

Sift through your pictures and find that one photograph that jumps out at you - the one that takes you back to the day in question, think about how you felt, what else happened, who was there, what would you tell the intended recipient of your layout if they were sitting next to you right now?

ONE LAYOUT AT A TIME...

Put the rest of the photographs to one side for now - otherwise you can feel overwhelmed - I promise that once you get hooked, you'll find that you don't have enough photographs as the ideas start developing thick and fast. I've even been known to "create" a photo opportunity to match a particularly nice sheet of 12x12 paper that I've found. I've also been known to buy clothes for my daughters that would match a certain paper design...I think I'm addicted.

GATHER YOUR "STASH"

Once you start scrapbooking, you'll probably never throw anything away again! Do you have any other bits & pieces related to your chosen photograph? Tickets from a concert? A special gift tag? Newspaper cuttings? (Scan these and print them on to acid free paper or cardboard - newsprint fades terribly and is not acid-free). Whilst you are playing with the scanner, make a copy of your photograph and put the original safely back with the others - you may want to use it again, and don't want to have to peel it off your finished layout! These are your memories - now comes the fun bit...

LET'S GO SHOPPING....

The three most popular sizes of scrapbook album at the moment are 12x12 inches, 8x8 inches and 6x6 inches. I prefer the 8x8 size, which gives you room to add some pretty bits and pieces without having a lot of space to fill.

All you really need is same base cardboard for rigidity, maybe some pretty patterned paper,  acid free adhesive and a scissors. Of course, need & want are two different things. You'll be amazed by the huge variety of scrapbooking supplies available. A few carefully selected embellishments make a big difference to your page and will turn your photograph from a picture on a page in to something much more. Ribbon always looks lovely on a layout and is relatively cheap. Unless, like me, you can't resist buying loads every time you go past a shop....

HERE WE GO.....

Don't touch that glue just yet!

You really do need a safe place to work, preferably with a door - little fingers do enjoy rifling through all the shiney bits that you will inevitably leave lying around. A contribution from your beloved child in the form of a  black felt tip pen "masterpiece" over your layout can be a little annoying. Make sure the kitchen table is well-scrubbed - ketchup stains are just as annoying! And if you need to pick the kiddies up from school, keep a clock nearby - time flies when you are scrapbooking!

 Move your photograph, and your bits & pieces around the page without attaching anything. Find a layout that is pleasing to your eye. You may decide at this point to "crop" your photograph (cut it to a different size, or even shape!). "Matting" the photograph (framing it by layering it on to a contrasting piece of cardboard,) will make it stand out from the background)

 There are no right or wrong ways to scrapbook, as long as it looks nice! When you are happy, get that glue going...  

If inspiration won't come - search the internet for scrapbook galleries and forums - but no direct copying or "scraplifting"...

JOURNALING

The wordy bit, which provides the information that helps the person looking at your layout to appreciate and understand what is happening in the photograph.

You can do this in:

Bullet points (basic information - who, what, where).

 Captions (basically the same but instead of "Me. Aged 7. On holiday", "Besides the seaside, at the age of 7, I had the nicest bucket in Cornwall").

Story Telling - putting the photograph in context ("Our first holiday since my sister was born. I was 7 years old, so proud of my new bucket. We went wading in rock pools and watched little crabs rush to hide from us as we blocked out the sun")

Poetic Journaling - Using meaningful song lyrics, or poems to illustrate the mood of the page. Particularly popular for wedding layouts as you've already got the song! Or for Christmas layouts, with the wealth of Christmas songs available.

Hidden Journalling is where you keep your private thoughts away from a casual observer of your layout - you can hide your writing away behind a photograph with a pull out tab or in a little envelope if you have a personal message that you don't want to share with just anybody! 

ENJOY!!!

It's a lovely hobby.

 It combines creativity with shopping - my two main hobbies. 

Don't get stressed.Remember - it's right if you think it looks right.

 When I look back at my first few layouts, I wonder what I was thinking of - it would look much better like this, with that over there etc etc. But I keep them to remind me of how my style has developed over time. If they really bug you, put them to one side and completely redo them, using another copy of the original photograph. Put your "old" layout in your album behind your new one. Even that is part of your memories....        

So there you go, my first guide and I hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Whilst I am by no means an expert, I'll help you in any way I can. More guides are planned for the near future, and if you have any suggestions, those are also welcomed.

Katy

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