Whether a beginner or seasoned scrapbooker, we all love to draw new inspiration from magazines, idea
books, and (of course) DIY! Like me, you may have toppling piles of Creating Keepsakes and Scrap &
Stamp Arts (just to name a couple!) overtaking your closet, yet every time you see a great new idea
book you still gotta have it! Right? Well, if you want to learn how to quickly and easily clear your
clutter and create a great inspirational idea book for yourself, read on!

Idea books are certainly not in short supply these days. It seems there are idea books for just
about every scrapbook topic you can think of…and then some! I’ve seen idea books for layouts,
sketches, journaling, altered scrapbooking, mini albums, tear art, paper piecing, vellum tricks, tag
art, chalk art, stencil art, punch art, mosaics, and more. Who has the money or space for all these
idea books? 

Another problem occurs when I remember a layout or technique that I’d like to try that I had seen in
one of my magazines or books. “I know its here somewhere…probably dog eared the page so that I could
find it easily” I remind myself. Easily? There’s certainly nothing easy about searching thru piles
of magazines and books for that one page that you probably won’t ever find again. That’s just
frustration! 

But don’t despair…I’ve found a remedy for our inspiration/frustration dilemma! You can make your own
idea book. It’s easier than you might think. 

All you need is a three-ring binder and some dividers. Now, go thru your old magazines and tear out
pages that have unique layouts, techniques, or anything else that inspires you. Yikes! Tearing out
pages from our precious magazines? I know…I was a bit reluctant myself, but it’s a great way to
clear your clutter and get organized. Save anything that gives you inspiration: color combinations,
photo and graphic styles, layering patterns, title ideas, etc. Once you’ve torn out all the pages
you care to keep, you can toss the rest of the magazine in the trash. Just keep repeating this
process until you have cleared your magazine towers and replaced them with a nice tidy stack of
pages instead. 

Simply hole punch the pages and organize them in your binder, using the dividers to create different
categories such as layout ideas, techniques, etc. You may even decide to create special sections
such as holiday ideas. There is no wrong way to do this. Organize it however you’d like, in a way
that works best for you. You may even choose to “alter” your binder by adding decorative papers and
ribbons to dress it up a bit.

Now you’ve got your own personal, portable idea book! And the best part is that everything in this
book gives you great inspiration…not just a few pages here and there. Keep adding to your idea book
whenever you find new pages in magazines or even while surfing the web. The next time you need an
idea, you’ll know exactly where to look! And it won’t take hours of searching to find what you need.

I’m not saying not to ever buy another idea book…but at least NOW you’ll have extra room for them
where the magazine towers used to be! LOL

Please visit my store Scraps-n-More for inspirational premade layouts (when I have time to make
them!), ideas from our Monthly Cyber-Class Kits, and sign up to receive our FREE Newsletters with
lots of new ideas, techniques, and more! Other helpful articles are also available there!

Happy Scrapping!

© Copyright 2006, Gina M. Woods, All Rights Reserved.

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