Scrapbooking – Memories Forever

There are events in our lives that make us smile, long after the occasion is over. How can we capture the special feelings of those moments?  Many people of all ages are creating their own books of memories, called scrapbooks. 

It’s pretty easy!  You need some basic supplies, but the biggest item you need is IMAGINATION. 

Start with some cool coloured and patterned papers and a book to fit them in.  Many dollar stores and craft supply stores carry great papers, and often a binder will do for the book.  Try to find papers that say they are “acid free” as these can help colours stay bright over time.

You’ll need a way to attach photos and decorations to the pages, so choose a glue stick or special two-sided stickers.  Scissors and cutout stampers that create patterns on the border of papers look cool… ribbons and stickers can add to a theme…even words printed on regular computer paper can drag a page from ordinary to amazing!

You can create whole books about one theme, such as summer vacations, or make one book for the whole year and have each page be a new theme.  Your parents are probably pretty reluctant to cut the straight rectangular edges of a 4x6 photo, but not you!  Digital cameras make it easier than ever to get prints of fun moments, and you can cut out the best parts to place in prime position on the scrapbook page.

Pick a great background page, and grab that photo that shows you waterskiing, or the one that has you hanging upside down on a theme park ride!  Draw some pictures on the side, or add a comment. Before you know it, you’ve got a scrapbook page that captures all the great feelings of the day and lets you re-live it every time you flip it open.

There are no rules, just imagination, fun and great memories…and they’re all yours!