Think You're Too Busy To Capture And Store Your Memories In A Scrapbook? Let Me Show You Scrapbooking, The Easy Way!

 by: Ann Doyle

Do you remember when your child lost their first tooth? You probably took a picture to preserve the memory. You get a warm feeling just thinking about that cute smile. Hey, why not take a look at that photo right now?

What's that? You can't because you don't know which box of photos you stored the picture in? That warm fuzzy feeling has quickly turned to frustration because you know that memorable smile is lost, buried in some drawer or box somewhere, possibly lost forever.

That scenario used to be the story of my life. That is until I decided to stop losing memories and start cherishing them with a scrapbook. What better way to relive memories-- page by page, memory by memory.

Okay, I know what you're saying; "I don't have time for scrapbooking, that's only for crafty people." I know that's what I used to say. Then I discovered some simple tips to make scrapbooking easy and yet still professional looking.

Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an album, some glue, a pair of scissors, and some photographs or newspaper clippings.

Any fabric, ribbon, or bits of leftovers from other projects can be used to embellish your scrapbook.

If you're too busy to get those materials, you can even buy complete kits that include not only the album but also the background paper for your project. Some kits will even include embellishments like beads, flowers, feathers, and even paste on letters. Get one or more of these kits and you can create a beautiful keepsake in just a just a couple of hours.

Once you have you scrapbooking materials together, it's time to pull out your photos. While going through your photos you're going to start thinking about a "theme" for your scrapbook page.

Creating a theme is important if you want your scrapbook to look professional. It'll also make the process of sorting through photos easier and that's the effect we're after; fast, easy and professional looking.

To create your theme, think about these questions;

• what is the overall purpose for my scrapbook?

• Who is the scrapbook for?

• Who is the scrapbook about?

Once you have your answers -you have the appropriate subject of your theme!

Now that you have your scrapbook theme, it's time to start planning your pages. Another tip I found that made this process easy is planning a "Title" for my pages.

Titles can be as basic as the date of an event, the name of an individual, or a specific event. Or they can also be more interesting and exciting by including quotes, sayings, fillers, or simple phrases. Some great places to look for title inspiration; in greeting cards, advertisements, and commercials.

That's it! You now have the basics to start creating great looking scrapbooks. I wish I had known it was so easy; my family photos have spent nearly all their memorable lives hidden in drawers until I discovered these simple tips.

So what are you waiting for?

Now that you know these simple tips, you can save and cherish memories forever in a professional looking scrapbook, in very little time. And believe me, your friends and family will say "wow" when they come over to take a look. Become an easy scrapbook maker today!