Simplified Scrapbooking

This will be a crash course in scrapbooking, a beginners guide if you will. Scrapbooking could probably best be described as a picture journal, meaning that you tell a part of your own personal history not only in words, but in pictures and other knick nacks that hold a memory for you. I emphasize the “for you” part because there will be things you put in your scrapbook that only you will get. And thats the beautiful thing about scrapbooking.

Of course another good thing about scrapbooking is that it takes little to no talent, because you can find all sorts of scrapbooking templates to help you out. I am one of the least creative people I know and have managed to make some pretty creative scrapbooks, along with some duds of course. But here’s the cool part, as long as you have an idea and a memory, something cool will usually pop into your head. Another option when it comes to thinking up something creative is to use sites like this one. We have all sorts of scrapbooking templates and ideas for the other aspects of scrapbooking, like scrapbook storage. Most of our scrapbooking ideas are for the traditional, old school type scrapbooks. The kind you can actally sit down and look at. We do plan on eventually having digital scrapbooking ideas, though. That being said, lets get started.

We’ll start with the obvious. You’ll need a folder or binder and scrapbooking paper to fill it with. Now, your pages don’t have to be made out of scrapbooking paper, so anything including these clear plastic binder pages can be used. You’ll also need of course writing supplies, like colored pencils and markers.

Now it’s time for the fun stuff. And this is where being creative will come in handy, so if you’re not, you’ll want to go online and look at digital scrapbooking layouts to get some ideas. You can also look for scrapbooking templates too. You’ll need things like jewlery, different kinds of cloths, stickers, craft paper, stamps, pictures, or any other type of memorabillia you have, or can get your hands on. You can also take “clip art” from your favorite magazines or books. Remember, this is the fun part so have fun!

Another thing to keep in mind for those of you who are creatively challenged. Most cities will have scrapbooking events or some sort of scrapbooking retreat that you can go to. They typically will last all weekend but will get your creative side going. I would recommend that for serious scrapbookers only though.

Just remember not to complicate things. There really isn’t any “wrong” way to make a scrapbook. They’re your memories and you can present them any way that you want. Sometimes the best pages in your scrapbook will be the pages with the most goof ups!