Start Making Scrapbooks
Most people enjoy taking pictures. Especially of their loved ones at special times, like birthdays, school events, vacations etc. If you are like me that means you have a lot of pictures. If these are newer pictures then they are probably in digital format in your computer. But you could also have many physical pictures. I know my family does. It wasn't so long ago that it wasn't that convenient to put pictures on computers. So now the question how do you make a scrapbook with all of these pictures. You really have two choices. Take all your old pictures and scan them into your computer and make digital scrapbooks or pick your favorite pictures from you computer and print them out and put them into an actual scrapbook with the older pictures. In this article I'm going to discuss how to go the latter route and make scrapbooks from all of the pictures.
The first step is to organize all of photos. You can do this chronologically, which can take quite a bit of time. Also if these are pictures from your family and predate you then knowing where exactly to put them can be an issue. I have pictures from approximately 1900 that are of family members but I don't know exactly when they were taken. So another idea of how to make a scrapbook is to put the pictures into themed scrapbooks. Either way once you decide you need to gather the pictures together so you know which ones will be going to which album. A great way to do this is use shoeboxes to organize the pictures.
How to make a scrapbook for a theme is fairly straightforward. First you need to come up with the themes. Here are some ideas: Christmas, Easter, high school graduation, family vacations, sporting events, school performances, weddings, trips to special places, etc. Separate the pictures out by the theme and put them into the appropriate shoebox. Now pick out the colors to go with each theme. You don't want the pages to be totally blank. Keep in mind that each page doesn't need to be different. By using the same or similar colors and shapes you will get continuity in your scrapbook.
Now pick out the kind of scrapbook you want to use. You can do a traditional scrapbook. These will have formats that are either 12 in. x12 in. or 8 in. x 11 in. The 8x11 format will allow you to more easily use printers. Also there are more paper products available in the 8x11 format compared to the 12x12 format. Something to keep in mind if you are trying to decide between the two.
The items you will need are:
- 12x12 (or 8x11) scrapbook
- 12x12 (or 8x11), acid-free 100-pound stock pages (in a number of colors), precut with holes and laminated on the edges for endurance
- Acid-free markers
- Glue sticks
- Adhesive photo corners
- Acid-free double-sided tape
- Crazy scissors (like pinking shears, they create decorative edges)
- Rubber stamps and pads
The process of how to make a scrapbook isn't too complicated. Keep the process fun and don't put pressure on yourself. If possible include your loved ones. If you have children and they are old enough to help then definitely include them. The process of building the scrapbook can be a great bonding experience and give you and your loved ones a great opportunity to make some lasting memories. Happy scrapping.
