Mini Albums

By: Vera Raposo

Mini albums are a perfect scrap booking party project. Invite a group of gal pals over for a night of scrapping fun. Tell each one to bring a yummy snack, their left over scraps and bits and 10-15 photographs from a recent event that they’d like to create a brag book about. You pick up a bundle of inexpensive mini albums at the store. They usually come six by six or seven by seven inches and cost just a few dollars.

Have your computer and scanner set up and ready with some card stock by the printer to be able to create text headings for the individual mini album pages or to create a title graphic for the cover if there’s a place for one.

Spread out all of your leftovers and tools and everything your friends brought with them and prepare to have a blast creating from what you have. There isn’t a lot of room for complicated layouts on a mini album page so you should find that you have plenty of material to work with.

It’s like a treasure hunt to explore all of the little bits that others have been saving for just the right little project. Ask the women to share stories about the original projects these leftovers came from, this out to spark some really interesting conversation.

Creativity seems to pour out when you get together in a group to do something like this. Watching each other’s ideas take shape is fun and inspiring. This is also a great opportunity to introduce a friend to scrapping for the first time. She can experience the process, get ideas and not have to have spent a lot of money on supplies in advance.

A mini albums party lets you create some fun new memories while you celebrate older memories and friendships at the same time.

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

Vera Raposo is the Scrapper’s Business Coach. Sign up for her personal mailing list at www.VeraRaposo.com and get tips and resources to help all of your scrap ventures succeed.

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

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.

Digital Scrapbooking: Using Digital Collages by Barbara Ryan

Digital scrapbooking is gaining popularity and there is so much available online now to fill the demand. The benefits of going digital include saving time and money on supplies. You can quickly find everything you need for little or even free online to create memorable pages.

Another benefit is in the creativity that can be used in digital scrapbook pages. You are not limited to one or two pictures per page. This is where it gets interesting. Have a group of pictures from a day and cannot narrow it down to just a select few. You don’t have to, with digital scrapbooking you can use all your pictures. You can resize them at will in your graphics program and create a collage.

A collage will add visual interest to your page. Use digital papers and elements to complement the photographs. A collage can also be a group of elements or papers not necessarily photographs. Using a mixture of both is also a great option.

There are various collage styles you can use to add interest to your digital pages. Blending photographs together seamlessly is a traditional collage style. This style suits any group of pictures as background and anything you don’t want can be removed from the picture. A more modern approach is a symmetrical design, using square and rectangular layouts. This style is more suited to photographs that are similar in color and style, all taken the same day, same photo shoot, or same place. Or if they are not, simply convert all the pictures to black and white and this will give an appearance of being similar. Another style is a more artistic approach, blending your photographs into digital papers and elements. Play around with the opacity of the layers of your layout for a unique fresh look to your pages.

All it takes is a little time to explore the possibilities and some creativity and the result will be a unique scrapbook page. Why not print and frame an individual page to showcase as part of your home’s décor.

Barbara Ryan is the Owner/Digital Artist of Cherish Collages – Custom Photo Collage Design, http://www.cherishcollages.com a business dedicated to creating unique personal keepsakes and gifts from photographs.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Brag Books

By: Vera Raposo

The brag book is the scrap booking enthusiasts answer to what to do with all those left over bits and scraps from other projects. Brag books aren’t just for showing of babies either. They can be used to tell a story about trip, event or even a special accomplishment.

Even on a short weekend trip, a scrapper develops a habit of saving small mementos from just about everywhere that she goes. She pockets a matchbook, napkin or paper coaster from a restaurant. The plastic room key from a hotel does not get dropped back off at the counter. Parking stickers and pay stubs all make it into her purse.

Then later when she has photographs printed and ready to scrap from her weekend away, she has fun scrap elements from all of those places to work into her brag book. And when she is finished, she doesn’t have to just tell all her friends about her trip – she can show them.

Train your kids when they go to summer camp to do the same thing. Give them a supply of disposable cameras to fill up with memories. Tell them you want everything that they create and every ribbon that they win brought back home with them and to keep an eye out for other keepsakes that they would be allowed to pack away. A bunk assignment list gives them a lifelong reminder of the kids they shared space with.

Many couples take photographs as they remodel their home or redesign a room. Keep snips of the old curtains and furniture fabric to use with ‘before’ layouts. Even old
sun-faded pictures can be pirated for a wistful background to represent days gone by.

A brag book is perfect for those scrapping stories that deserve more than a single page but just aren’t big enough to fill a whole scrapbook on its own. They have wonderful pass around value and they’re small enough to ship inexpensively so they make a great gift for friends far away.

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

Vera Raposo is the Scrapper’s Business Coach. Sign up for her personal mailing list at www.VeraRaposo.com and get tips and resources to help all of your scrap ventures succeed.

Is it really important to journal in my scrapbook? by Vanessa Calleja

Looking through my grandma’s scrapbooks I always had to ask “Who is this?”  She shared the information proudly.  But, over the years, some of the details became foggy.  After she passed away there was no one left to ask. By journaling in your scrapbooks, you can make sure your story is told.  It only takes a few minutes and can be inexpensive.

The only tool you really need for this project is an acid free journaling pen.  You can pick these up at any craft store for a few dollars.  Once you have this, you are ready to start.

There are three simple steps to journaling in your scrapbook.

Who is in the photo?  This is the first question that you need to answer.  Be as complete as you can.  If you know the person’s full name, write it down.  You can write Mom under the photo, but I usually put the person’s given name on the first page.  This is good for Family Tree information later down the road.

When was the photo taken?  Even if you don’t know the exact date, if you know what year the photo was taken in you are all set.  You can even put a time frame, for example, 1999-2000.

What is happening in the photo?  It could be a vacation, a family reunion, a trip to the zoo, a baptism, etc.  If you took the photo it was a memorable event.  So, make sure you write it down.  If you aren’t sure what is happening you can always share a story about the person in the photo.

Where did this occur?  This is not as important as the name and date of the photo, but I like to add this when I can.  If a photo is taken  in front of your house, write that down.  Some people look at the faces in a photo.  Other people focus on the surroundings.

No matter how much information you have you should include it in your scrapbooks.  You may not have every piece of the puzzle, but you may come across someone in your family that can fill in the blanks.

It is important to share your story.  Telling someone the story as they look through your photos doesn’t guarantee they will remember.  In a few minutes you can journal the story and be sure it is told for generations!

Vanessa Calleja is a freelance writer specializing in scrapbooking, pets, family relationships, & health and wellness topics. Learn more secrets and tips on organizing the memories you cherish at memories to cherish.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

By: Vera Raposo

I went to a baby shower once where various colors and flavors of baby food were smeared into the lining of a diaper. The guest of honor had to guess what kind of baby food it was. Yuck! But I’ll tell you what – that was one of the most memorable and fun baby showers I’ve ever attended.

For the mother-to-be, a baby shower is a glorious event because the entire day is all about her. Who doesn’t like to get presents and be pampered? For the guests, sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, a baby shower can be, well, quite frankly, a duty or an obligation. Your family and friends make an appearance to show their support.

Hopefully your baby shower will be marked by fun activities and lots of laughs. It will be a day the ladies are talking about for some time to come. The mother-to-be certainly will never forget her baby shower.

To ensure you capture the day in its true essence, make yourself a baby shower scrap book. Include your invitations, your guest list, your gift list, a sample of the decorations, what food was served, and what games were played. Journal something really funny that happened that day and then don’t forget to include you thoughts after everyone left. When the last piece of cake was eaten, and the last game played – how did you feel? Make an entry into your baby shower scrapbook.

By the time your shower is scheduled, your due date isn’t too far off. You may have finishing touches to put in the nursery; you’ll want to wash all your new outfits for baby; you’ll have breathing classes to attend; and doctor appointments every week.

Baby will be kicking your ribs, you won’t get much sleep, your back will hurt, your toes may look like little sausages and waddling will probably hurt your child-bearing hips. Life will start to get more hectic as the days roll on – and that’s only the start. Wait until baby arrives! Create your very special baby shower scrap book right after the baby shower. You will still have time, and you’ll be able to still savor the day.

If you put compiling the scrapbook until “later”, later may never come. Do it while it is still fresh in your mind. Once baby comes out kicking and screaming, you may not have the time – or energy to get out your scrap booking supplies!

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

Vera Raposo enjoys scrapbooking and is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas, and interviewing some outstanding guests on her radio show www.ScrappersTalkRadio.com

Top 5 Organizational Tips for Scrapbooking by Vanessa Calleja

When starting a scrapbook project there are five simple things you can do to make your project run smoothly.  These things also allow you to spend your time scrapbooking instead of spending your time looking for what you need.

Organize your photos.  This is a simple task.  Sort through your photos by date, category or by family.  This depends on what type of scrapbook you are making.  Having your photos ready saves so much time.  You can just pull out what you need for that particular page and you are on your way!

Decide what colors you would like to use throughout your scrapbook.  For example, if you prefer to stay with pinks, you can choose all different pinks and even some reds.  Even if you change your mind and decide to add other colors, you have the base color ready.  This saves time because you don’t have to sort through all of your papers.

Depending on the theme of your book, sort through your stickers.  Pull out the ones that pertain to the subject you are scrapbooking.  Even if you have to go back and add stickers later, this will get you started.

Organize your workspace.  Do you have your pages?  Do you have your stickers?  These things should be in reach as you are working.  Trimmers, tape runners, etc. too.  Having these things handy allows you to concentrate on your scrapbook instead of wasting time looking for the tools you need.

Set a time limit.  If you only have an hour to scrapbook then shoot for 45 minutes.  By only having the stuff out that you need your clean up should take less than 15 minutes.

Scrapbooking should be fun.  It should be simple.  Being organized can help you stay on track and enjoy what you are doing!

Vanessa Calleja is a freelance writer specializing in scrapbooking, pets, family relationships, & health and wellness topics. Learn more secrets and tips on organizing the memories you cherish at memories to cherish.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Scrapbooking Teen Memories by Rachel Paxton

By the time your teen is in high school, you probably aren’t taking as many pictures of them as you used to. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple of years left and no time to waste trying to capture fleeing teenage memories.

You might be thinking that I’m really organized to be already working on scrapbooking my daughter’s high school memories. To be honest, I have a shoe box full of pictures of my daughter waiting for me to get to someday.

But if I wait until “someday” to continue taking pictures because I already have so many pictures I haven’t done anything with, then my daughter’s teenage years will come and go while I try to catch up.

I don’t want to chronicle every detail of my daughter’s life (nor would she want me to!), but I was trying to think of some memories that she might want to laugh about and maybe even treasure someday. So how do you do that without ending up with pages and pages of memories?

I decided to do two large (12×12) pages (facing each other in the album) for each year of high school. I will challenge myself to use this space creatively to tell the story of each year. When I started thinking of all the the possibilities, it really inspired me to start getting organized and collecting some great memories. And don’t limit yourself to just photographs, your scrapbook pages can really be accentuated by other types of memories. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Photograph Ideas:

High School Dances
First Date/Boyfriend
School Building
Church Events/Retreats
Braces (the day they’re removed)
Hair Styles
Clothing Fads
Learning to Drive
First Job
First Car
Best Friends
School Plays/Concerts
Family Vacations
Favorite Family Pets
Babysitting
Sports/Band/Cheerleading
Musical Instrument Practice

Other:

CD Covers (scanned)
Favorite Song Lyrics
Drivers’ Permit
First Pay Stub
Programs from Play/Concerts
College Brochures
School Newspapers
ASB Card
Awards/Certificates
Ticket Stubs (concert, movie, sporting events)
Report Cards

You can be creative when you’re arranging your layouts. Don’t be afraid to cut pictures down or cut out portions of play programs or school newspapers. Just cut out enough to accentuate the other items on the page. You will create the overall effect from the entire page, not necessarily from an individual item.

Have fun and don’t worry if you don’t get it done all at one time. I figure if I can do one every summer for the previous school year, by the time she finishes high school (she’s a freshman this year), all of her high school memories will be recorded in the family archives.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Scrapbooking Toddler Memories by Rachel Paxton

Toddlers give us many opportunities to take great photographs for scrapbooking. I’ve listed some activities you can do with your toddler that will give you a chance to take some wonderful pictures that will last a lifetime. If you haven’t gotten out much lately, use these ideas to spark your imagination and have some fun with your little ones!

- Haircuts
- Swimming lessons
- Throwing rocks in the river
- Christmas, Easter
- 4th of July, family reunions
- Riding tricycle
- Flying a kite
- Blowing bubbles
- Playing in sandbox
- Playing at playground
- Picnics
- Playing in the sprinklers
- Fingerpainting
- Birthday parties
- Helping dad
- Camping
- Going to the zoo
- Visiting grandparents or great-grandparents
- Eating popsicles
- Playing with pets

Remember to always take more pictures than you think you’ll need and invest in a large memory card for your digital camera (they’re cheap). When trying to capture photos of my toddlers I’ve found that only half of my pictures turn out because the boys move so fast! You can always delete the ones you don’t want later. Have fun picture taking…you’ll get some of your best candid shots at this age.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Basic Color Theory Scrapbooking Ideas

author: Jay Moncliff

     Remember the color wheel? Colors arranged in a circle, similar to a rainbow, and all of the colors related? Red combines with yellow to make orange, yellow and blue combine to make green, and red and blue make purple, remember? Visit your local craft store and invest in a simple color wheel to get you going. Most of the art departments will have one, and EK Success now makes a fancy one just for scrapbooking. Any color wheel will allow you to use these simple ideas.

Let your picture be your guide in choosing a color scheme for your page. Choose one color from the photograph to be your “key” color. It may be a color from a flower in the foreground, or the color of the shirt your child is wearing. Whatever you choose, it will be the starting point for your color themed page design.

    The first color scheme is monochromatic. Say you’ve chosen the blue of your son’s eyes. Since every color comes in many values, choose two or three additional values of the blue color you want to use. You may choose one lighter value and one darker value, or two lighter or darker values, it’s up to you. Now do all of your work on the page in these three colors. The result will be restful, calming and cohesive. Your page will be pleasing to the eye and stylish, no matter how you accessorize.

The basics of color theory that we learned in grade school are worth reviewing when you’re looking for ideas to get started on your next scrapbook page. Invest in a color wheel and put those great papers to work for you!

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.scrapbookingcenter.info a website specialized on Scrapbooking, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Scrapbooking. For more info on Scrapbooking visit: http://www.scrapbookingcenter.info