Scrapbooking 101

Getting Started

You have always wanted to preserve your family memories. Now the big question is "Where do I start?"

Start with your most recent pictures - the most recent birthday party, family vacation, picnic, first day of school. This way you won't feel overwhelmed by getting started. Your first goal is to get this year's pictures into an album. You can add new pictures as you get them.

An easy way to start is to make one family album and one for each child (or grandchild). Personal albums make wonderful gifts - especially to an adult child. I started with family vacations and completed an album with just vacation pictures, postcards, airline tickets, etc.

Use only the best of your pictures. Who needs to see five pictures of a sunrise or the entire film roll of that first solo bike ride? Look carefully at each picture and trim (crop) the unneeded parts. This means too much sky or ground, strangers on the side. You want the photo to showcase the subject only.

Example: My original picture has legs and arms of other children. The cropped picture brings the subject of the picture to the front.

If using photo mounting paper, try using a color that complements your pictures. You can add more color for contract. For the Example above, I would pick up one of the colors of the shirt - a dark pink for an adorable little girl.

Mount your pictures on the page, leaving room for journaling (adding your memories, dates, etc.). The number of pictures on the page will depend on what size page you choose to use. Five pictures on a 12x12 page is a good goal. Different sized pictures can be used too.

Journal - Who is in the pictures, When and Where taken, What's happening. All four W's are important parts of preserving your family heritage.

• You can use simple captions.
• Use bullets for the 4 W's (who, what, when, where).
• Storytelling (my favorite), using paragraphs and lots of details so the moment can be remembered forever. Your family memories will be enhanced if you take the time to tell the story.

Add a title to the page with your handwriting or with embellishments.

Add special souvenirs - Disneyland tickets, lock of hair, postcards, etc. Just be careful to keep these type of items on a separate page from your pictures as they may contain acid which is harmful to your pictures. Several manufacturers make pocket pages, photo sleeves, etc. for this purpose.

Add stickers or embellishments for the finishing touch. Use only Acid Free products. Lignin Free is an added safety.

Add a page protector to keep fingerprints off your pictures (and to keep little hands from removing stickers). Page protectors are generally used with strap-hinge style memory albums (also my favorite style).

Use only photo-safe albums, adhesives, stickers, embellishments and accessories. You will find an abundance of photo friendly products on eBay. More information on Acid Free and Lignin Free stickers and embellishments, see my Scrapbooking 101 Stickers and Embellishments Guide.

Store your albums upright, preferable in a bookshelf. Stacking albums may cause the pictures to rub, causing abrasion. Keep albums out of damp areas, like a basement, and hot areas, like an attic.

Warning: Scrapbooking is addicting and there is no cure, but shopping for your Scrapbook supplies on eBay will save you money!