Archive for Misc. Tips – Page 2

Let the Kids Scrapbook

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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Scrapbooking for Kids

As a homeschooling mom of 4 girls, scrapbooking for kids has been on my mind alot lately. Let me back up a bit. My 4 year old was quietly playing one day with a roll of stickers. Afraid I was going to later find a bunch of stickers caught in the carpet, I asked her what she intended to do with them. She pondered for awhile and then said, “I am going to put them in a scrapbook. Mom, can I have my own scrapbook?” For some reason, this caught me by surprise, as I thought how wonderful of an experience this could be! So, I started thinking about it more and have come up with some tips and ideas to share with you on scrapbooking for kids.

First of all, I will admit, I am cheap! I wasn’t sure how excited I would be at the thought of my 4 year old and her sisters cutting up my beautiful papers and glueing everything down in sight! I immediately thought of our local dollar store. They have albums that would be perfect for showcasing their creations in for the time being. The dollar store also offers scrapbooking supplies in the form of kits, stickers and embellishments. We have a reward system in place, where the girls can earn a trip to the dollar store to purchase their own scrapbooking supplies to do with as they please. This alleviates the desire to “mess” with my stash while instilling a sense of responsiblity to earn thier reward!

Here are a few more “scrapbooking for kids” cost saving tips:

Have too many pictures to scrap? Let the kids scrap the leftovers.
When developing photos, get double prints. Let the kids scrap with the doubles.
When you complete a project, put the leftovers and unused scraps in a container for them to use. They can create their own embellishments with the scraps. You will be amazed at what they can create!
One thing I do want to mention, when you scrap for the first time with your children, be prepared to help and guide them. Don’t expect to get much done on your own pages until they start to get a feel for what they want to do and accomplish in their own scrapbooks. Now that they are ready to scrap, what should they scrap? Here are a few scrapbooking for kids layout ideas:

Have them scrap a page all about their favorite things at that particular age. (then repeat it for each year and see how their favorites have changed or stayed the same)
Have your kids scrap about their favorite activities or sporting events they are involved in. I’m sure you have plenty of photos!
Turn it into a learning experience and have them interview the subject of the photo. This would be great for older generations.
If there aren’t enough photos, have them draw pictures of people. Then watch how their drawings progress. Each one of my girls have a specific style of how they draw family members. It is interesting and fun to look at.
What about incorporating their artwork and creations? I am very blessed to get cards, pictures and artwork on an almost daily basis from my girls. But what do you do with all of them? Here are a few ideas:

Hang on the refrigerator for all to see. Then once the fridge is full, take a picture of your child in front of their artwork and scrap the photo. You can also incorporate their artwork into the layout.
Color copy and reduce the drawings/projects and use as photos in your layout or as embellishments.
Are you near the end of a roll of film? Use up those last couple of shots of your child’s artwork.
Use pocket pages to “hold” your child’s artwork.
Create a “brag” book and give to grandparents or other family members as a special gift!
Even though I can be anal at times, I still want to incorporate my girls work into my scrapbooks as well. Afterall, they aren’t really my scrapbooks but for all to enjoy! Here are a few “scrapbooking for kids” ideas:

Use child’s drawings as a background paper.
Use their creations as embellishments. You’ll be amazed at what they can create with some paper, scissors and adhesive!
Interview them. Ask them questions about the photo, layout, their mood. This would make for some awesome journaling!
I hope the above tips will give you some ideas on scrapbooking for kids!

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Dawn Stegall is a homeschooling mom of 4 girls and owns www.FaithfullyYours.net a site dedicated to scrapbooking your faith!

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Categories : Keep it Simple, Misc. Tips

Tags : kids scrapbook

More Reasons to Scrapbook

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Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

Scrapbooking for Generations

By: Vera Raposo

Generation scrapbooking is a wonderful way for different generations of your family to bond and share your family history. Spend some time to get everyone in the family involved in creating scrapbooks. Not only will you share pictures and stories, it will be a wonderful bonding experience as well.

Scrapbook For Your Child
Start a scrapbook for your child and get him or her involved in creating the pages. You can create a new book each year together with your child. Include artwork, homework as well as current pictures of your child and friends. Ask your child to help in creating layouts, choosing embellishments and adding descriptive titles and text. Depending on your child’s age, you may even want to let her do most of the scrapbooking and writing with a little assistance from your of course. You’ll be surprised how much you will learn about your child’s life outside of your home. The two of you will get to spend some quality time together and create a memento to remember it for years to come.

Scrapbook Your Family History
Record your family history in a scrapbook. Put your family’s story on paper for future generations. Create a special generation scrapbook that tells the story of your own childhood, teenage years, or how you and your spouse met. When your children are grown, they will appreciate being able to get a glimpse of what your life was like back then. Keep adding to the scrapbook over the years and get everyone in the family involved in deciding what should be added. You will create a book that everyone in the family will cherish and pass on for years, maybe even generations to come.

Share Old Photo Albums
Go through old photo albums that have been in your family for decades. Spend some time with older family members to look through these albums. You will gain an appreciation for your family history and the life your family members lived long before you were born. You may also want to discuss options to preserve these old pictures.
If you would like to incorporate some of these pictures in your current scrapbooks, have copies made, or scan the pictures in your computer, edit them and then print. You can correct faded color and even some small tears and nicks with modern photo editing software. Plus you will have a digital version of the picture that will last long after the original photo deteriorates.

Grab that fabulous scrapbook that you bought months ago and saved for a special occasion and start generation scrapbooking today about yourself and your family. You will enjoy the process of creating that special book just as much as being able to share it with family members once it is finished.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas on her radio show at www.ScrappersTalkRadio.com.

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Categories : Misc. Tips, Motivation

Caring for Your Scrapbook Materials

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Monday, September 8th, 2008

Caring for Your Scrapbook Materials

By: Vera Raposo

When handled carefully, your memorabilia can look its best even after years of display. Here are some tips to keep your treasures safe.

Keep all of your scrapbooking supplies, albums, photos and negatives in a cool, dry place. Humidity and liquids will destroy these sensitive scrapbook materials.

Handle your photos carefully. Oil from your skin and fingerprints can become visible after time. Wash your hands frequently or wear thin cotton gloves.

Store your memorabilia in acid-free envelopes or plastic sleeves to prevent scratches, tears and bending. Direct sunlight will eventually diminish the quality of your heirlooms.

Use sheet protectors, binders, photo enclosures and photo corners that are made of acrylic or polyester. Some of these items could be made of PVC that will eventually corrode your photos and historical items.

Remove any items that you may have in a magnetic photo album and put them in a safer place. Magnetic albums have an acidic adhesive that may be difficult to remove from your photos. High levels of acid in items like newspaper, regular paper or other memorabilia can cause a chemical reaction with your other photos. Use acid-free paper next to or behind these items.

Portraits are not usually replaceable. Scan and save all portraits before putting them in an album. Use photo corners to mount on acid-free paper. Do not crop Polaroid photos. When the protective seal is broken the image will eventually disappear. Document and file all photos as soon as possible without writing on the back of the photos.

And finally, for long-term album storage, do not lay albums on a flat surface and stack them. Doing this will damage the bindings and put pressure on your photos and embellishments.

Knowing how to care for your scrapbook materials can save you much time, money and effort in the end.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

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Categories : Misc. Tips, Products

Tags : scrapbook materials

Spectacular Scrapbook Styles

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Sunday, May 11th, 2008

Spectacular Scrapbook Styles

~author Marcy Larsen

When starting your scrapbook pages, it is good to remember that no two people scrapbook the same.

Also, no scrapbook pages with turn out exactly the same. That is because we all have our own personal style that we use. These styles shine through everything on a scrapbook layout, for the use of one color and embellishments to the choice of paper textures and lettering we choose.

Your individual style can also change over time as a your you learn new techniques and try different products. All of which is perfectly fine, because there is no right or wrong way to design your scrapbook.

As your style changes, your albums take on a new meaning as a unique way to reflect your personality. With that, there are five different categories that your styles fall into.

Classic

Classic pages are usually done in darker, solid colors in shades such as navy, burgundy, and forest green along with black and white. Straight lines lend and elegant look that is crisp and clean. This design is simple yet timeless.

Contemporary

The contemporary style “pulls out the stops” with both patterns and accents. The look is clean, with spare lines, and may include a few strong accents or embellishments.

Romantic

This includes floral patterns, velvets, lace, and usually soft, warm colors. The text is often create using a script or an ornate, embellished lettering.

Playful Charm

This style incorporates complementary colors in muted or bright tones. Paper with coordinating patterns, checks, dots, strips, and accents such as paper dolls, three dimensional and whimsical accents are common.

Naturalist

Pages with the Naturalist style get “back to Nature” through earth tones, speckled paper, and monochromatic colors. Naturalist pages often incorporate texture by using handmade papers, fibers such as jute, ripped torn or sanded edges.

With these different styles in mind, remember that there are different levels of complexity to each layout. You can choose from Quick, Intermediate, and Complex. Quick is simple smooth edges and a title, Intermediate is off setting things a little with slants to the photos and a few extra embellishments, and the Complex is adding layered borders, cutting shapes with your photos, adding a journal block and finishing it off with embellishments that coordinate with your theme.

Your style will change and grow the more you branch out and try new techniques and styles. You don’t have to stick with the same style or the level of complexity, mix it up a bit, you will be happy with your final layout.

Scrapbooking by Close To My Heart Consultant Marcy Larsen. Free scrapbook articles, stamping techniques and more at marcylarsen.com.

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Categories : Misc. Tips

Do you have a theme scrapbook?

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Tuesday, August 21st, 2007

Choosing a Scrapbooking Theme

Author: Susie Cortright

The scrapbooking industry has taken papercrafting to an entirely new level in recent years, and that means there is an amazing amount of tools, papers, textures, and embellishments to choose from.

But all of these choices can make even the most inspired scrapbooking artists feel a bit paralyzed.

It’s helpful to choose a theme for your albums and mini albums. Doing so can help you stay focused, and it can help reduce the tendency to buy more products than you’ll actually use.

Here are a variety of scrapbooking themes to choose from. Choose one or two themes to work with at any given time, and enjoy the process of preserving your memories for generations to come.

Annual Scrapbooks.
Create one album each year, with one 2-page spread for each month. This is a great way to stay up-to-date, without feeling pressured to scrapbook every photograph.

Significant Life Events.
Of course, you’ll want a wedding album, as well as an album spotlighting your other shining moments.

Children.
Have one album going for each child, starting with those first ultrasound photographs. Don’t forget to record all of the significant events, including a child’s first tooth, first haircut, first day of school, etc.

Sports.
If your child or other family member is particularly interested in sports, have a running sports album going. Include team photos, rosters, and significant achievements. Record your children describing big games in their own words.

The Hero Scrapbook.
This is the place for the certificates, awards, and newspaper clippings for all members of your family. You could also do an album along the theme of “Good Deeds We’ve Done” and “Things We Are Grateful For.”

About Me album.
Imagine the joy of future generations as they learn about your favorite books, recipes, TV shows, hobbies, and – most importantly – your life philosophy. Record all the things that make you, you.

School Years Album.
Create a new layout for each year of school. Ask your children to sign their name each year and include a photo taken on the first and last day of school. Also include a copy of the child’s school schedule, a photo of their teacher and significant achievements throughout the school year.

Holidays.
Have an ongoing scrapbook for each holiday celebration. Bring it out with your holiday decorations after Thanksgiving and enjoy adding to it during the festivities. For many families, scrapbooking is a fun family tradition in itself.

Scrapbooking club kits can also help you to work inside themes. Some such clubs send pre-coordinated supplies according to new themes each month, including patterned papers, cardstock, ribbons, journaling prompts, stickers, and other fun embellishments, which provides inspiration for some great projects.

No matter what theme you are currently working on, the key to keeping it fun is to remember that not every photo needs to be scrapbooked. (That’s what photo albums are for, after all.) Choose the events and photographs and stories that are particularly significant and enjoy creating lasting memories for generations to come.

Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape’s Scrapbooking Playground at http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking and a Team Captain for a large group of scrapbooking instructors. Find out about the opportunity she chose here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm .

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Categories : Misc. Tips, Techniques