Scrapbooking to Give as Gifts

Scrapbooking has become a nice hobby for you to creatively display some of your favorite pictures. If everyone raves about your abilities as a scrapbooking genius, you might want to create a scrapbook to give as a gift for those who don't have the talent or the time to make beautiful keepsakes like you do!

It's easy to shop online or mosey into a local store and pick up a present for someone you love. But a personalized gift means you've put your heart into it - and it will be far more treasured than a department-store gift would be.

Is someone you know having an anniversary? The first year of marriage is the paper anniversary - an ideal time to deliver a scrapbook of memories to a bride and groom just starting their lives together.

Older couples would also enjoy scrapbook keepsakes to look back on the years they've spent together. Put together a scrapbook that shows as much as you can share about the couple, but add some blank pages so that each of them can add their own memories to the scrapbook form their own perspective.

Milestone birthdays are another perfect opportunity to give a scrapbook as a gift. Someone turning 40 would enjoy an "Over-the-Hill" scrapbook that shows their lives up to that point - providing they have a good sense of humor.

Someone who's retiring might also love a scrapbook that shares their time spent with a company. To many, their work family is an integral part of their lives, and having a scrapbook to look back on and remember the people and place would be a gift they treasure for years.

Your themed pages could include ladder climbing, showing their progress as they were promoted up in the ranks. Add a few blank pages to include pictures and mementos (as well as notes) about the retirement party itself.

Scrapbooks are great gifts to give someone for holidays or everyday occasions. They're easy and fun to make and show you put a lot of thought into the gift. Scrapbooks that have photos of the past bring an overwhelming amount of happy memories they can relive and enjoy all over again.

By Tiffany Washko

Tiffany Washko is the editor of Nature Moms, http://www.naturemoms.com . After working several years in corporate healthcare marketing and public relations, she took time away to be a mother. This new pursuit lead her to a new passion, natural family living and writing about environmental and political issues. She currently works as a freelance writer and newspaper journalist.

Scrapbooking Pet Page Ideas for a Unique Pet Album

Our pets are part of our families and our memories. Whether they are dogs, cats, hamsters or rabbits, they enrich our lives. Creating a pet-themed scrapbook album will preserve the special moments you share with them. Consider these scrapbooking pet page ideas to make an album just for your pet photos.

Everyone remembers the excitement of bringing home a new pet. Make a scrapbooking page about their first night at home. You can include pictures of your pet's new bed and any toys you bought for your pet. Photos with each family member should be highlighted as well. Journal your thoughts about how you selected your new companion and what inspired you to choose its name.

Another scrapbooking pet page idea is to capture your pet's personality on a page. This can be done through photos and journaling. Dogs might be lazy, energetic or neurotic. Cats can be affectionate, frisky or aloof. Hamsters might be friendly, shy or bold. Consider your own pet's behavior. Funny stories and memories would be a great addition to your journaling.

Create a scrapbooking page of pet memorabilia. You can use pockets and envelopes on your pages to add tufts of fur, old ID tags, baby teeth and labels from your pet's favorite food or treats. A pet-themed album can preserve your pet's adoption papers, paw print impressions, veterinary records and obedience training awards and certificates.

Obedience classes are great photo opportunities. Design pages that show your pet's progress through training courses. More people are involving their dogs in classes beyond basic obedience. Many active owners participate in agility training, fly ball and rally competition. Don't forget to include photos of these events in your dog's album.

Pets are part of our holiday celebrations. Create a Halloween page with your dog in a costume. Around the holidays, pet stores often offer pictures of pets with Santa. Pages of a kitten playing in the wrapping paper on Christmas morning or a puppy sleeping under the tree can be part of both your holiday album and your pet-themed scrapbook.

Document your pet's firsts like your dog's first visit to the veterinarian or your puppy's first bath. Photograph your puppy's growth over its first year. Create a "day in the life" page for your pet. Meal, nap and play times can be more opportunities to show your pet's behavior and personality in photos. Celebrate your pet's birthdays complete with cards, presents and cake. Then, make birthday scrapbooking pages for your album.

Scrapbooking manufacturers are responding to requests for pet-themed albums and embellishments. Most craft stores stock dog and cat stickers, and some even offer small animal stickers, like hamsters and rabbits. Patterned papers come with dog and cat themes. You can find materials for page accents, like die cuts, brads, ribbons, and stamps, designed for pet pages, as well.

Owning a pet is a relationship and a commitment. Pets provide companionship and their lives become part of ours. A pet-themed album is a reflection of your bond with your pet. Think about pet scrapbooking page ideas that capture the essence of your relationship with your pet. Make your next scrapbook one that celebrates the special moments you and your pet share.

By Christine Perry

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite photography and scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and religious scrapbooking ideas

Baby Scrapbooking - Because They Grow So Fast

Scrapbooking is an all-around crafting phenomenon, by no means limited to proud parents and proud grandparents. It seems that scrapbooking is attractive even to people who never considered themselves to be crafty before, it's the kind of anti-crafter's craft as well as a crafter's craft. What better inspiration to start a baby scrapbooking project? Everyone goes gaga over baby photos, right? Making a baby album is even cuter, somehow, than putting the photos into a baby photo album.

How to Make One

Thankfully for those of us with not too much crafting talent and little to no drawing ability, the industry has recognized the huge market for baby scrapbooking and has responded with an absolute wealth of supplies that lend themselves perfectly to making scrapbooks of all those new pictures of the most popular person in the family: a new baby.

Any major crafting store will have a decent selection of supplies. These stores are a good place to start collecting things to make a scrapbook, whether it's for a baby or not. Other great resources where you can find a multitude of supplies are specialty scrapbooking stores that have popped up only in the last decade in order to meet the needs of scrapbookers across the country.

Of course, there's also the internet. Many scrapbookers swear that they find more and more of their supplies on the internet each year. While your local crafting store, or even your local scrapbooking store, might have a lot of supplies, you're apt to find even more variety on the internet. If a store carries only 20 different layouts of a particular sticker line, you can be sure that on the internet you will find the other 80 layouts and many, many more lines of stickers.

Baby scrapbooking is no exception to this rule. Proud parents are having lots of fun making albums of their babies, and the internet is certainly one of their largest resources in finding the supplies that they need and want for their albums.

By Leonie Brogan

Leonie Brogan is an accomplished Author of several Romantic Novels and prize winner of Mills and Boon short stories competition 1993. Her love lies with living life to the best she can and helping others understand the world around them.

Leonie draws on her vast knowledge after turning her four sons loose on the world covering many diverse topics including relationships

Writing daily is Leonie's passion along with a never ending appetite for reading where she can devour a novel in a day if it burns her desires.

6 Time-Saving Tips for Digital Scrapbooking Enthusiasts

Digital scrapbooking can be addictive and very time consuming. Somehow, time just seems to slip away. So, I'm sharing a few of my time-saving tips to help you get the most out of your digital scrapbooking minutes.

1. Shopping tip. When you're shopping for scrapbooking embellishments, purchase a few kits at a time to save for a later date. We all have a certain style that we like, so pick some that fit your style and start a library of embellishments and papers. To get you started we have some freebies in our Free Download section, plus some from other shops.

2. Keep your photos and embellishments organized. I know, this doesn't sound like much fun, but it's well worth the thought put into it and the time invested. I've written an article on how to organize your photo, for more information I've provided the link below.

3. Focus. If you have little ones, obviously the best time to start digital scrapbooking is when they're napping or after bed. This will allow you to focus on your layout. Once you get started the creative juices will start flowing.

4. Invest in a timer. It's easy to lose track of time and the next thing you know it's midnight. Allot yourself a certain amount of time and a goal. When you're just starting out, you'll want a little extra time to allow for the learning curve. If you only have 30 minutes, don't force yourself to complete a page. There's only so much time in the day and we have to work with the time we have. When your time runs, save the work you've done and then take a few notes of the ideas you have. Now, next time you scrapbook you can pick up right where you left off.

5. Baby steps, take one step at a time. I have very little time to work on my own layouts, so I've implemented steps to create a layout. Even though I don't finish a layout in one session I have goals. I know that by completing one step per session that I'll have a completed layout by the end of the week.

a. Edit your photos.

b. Create your layout & choose a background.

c. Find/Create embellishments for your page.

d. Title your page and add the journaling.

e. Print, have it printed, email or share it online.

6. Journaling.Once you have picked your photos you can start thinking about what you'd like to journal on your page. Keep a notebook in your purse and jot down notes on your lunch break, when you're waiting for the train to pass or right before you fall asleep. I always do my best thinking before I fall asleep. You can also be proactive and keep your notebook handy to jot down things that happen, as they happen. Then you don't have to go back and try to recall that memory. Now you have everything in your handy-dandy notebook when you need it.

I hope these tips help you save time and get the most out of your digital scrapbooking minutes.

Jennifer Thompson would like to inspire and enrich your digital scrapbooking experience. Scrap! by Penelope & Simon is a place where you can find tutorials, tips & tricks, product reviews, inspiration, how-to guides and the latest news in digital scrapbooking. We're here to provide a safe and secure place where you can share your ideas, experiences, techniques and your favorite shops. Our goal is to become the #1 information source and community for all your digital scrapbooking needs.

Free Downloads

Organizing Your Photos

By Jennifer Thompson

Add Digital Scrapbooking To Your Journal

Now, instead of buying one book to keep your memories in, you can create a unique page for every memory digitally. Just use the same technology that digital scrapbooker use, such as software like Photoshop Elements® 6.0 by Adobe® and kits from shops like Scrap Girls or Computer Scrapbook. Now you can have fun while you journal and create a book, all at once.

A good time to write is at night when the house has gone silent and solitude is among you. You don't have to spend a lot of time writing, or write a lot. Just 5 to 10 sentences and you're done. You can add quotes or lyrics to your pages too. Sometimes you can't find the right words, but you know the right quote or song that can express how you're feeling.

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!" - Anne Frank

Start by documenting your birthday, New Years, a promotion, marriage, birth of a child, you get the idea. These are times to reflect upon ourselves and set new goals. Change and growth are inevitable; they're a sign of strength which empowers us to continue growing. By looking back at previous years you can rediscover yourself and watch yourself grow. For instance, what did you want to be when you "grow-up"? As children we look forward to growing-up. Now we are grown-up, so what do we look forward to now? Watching our children grow-up and their children? So, why not capture these memories and sharing these moments of yourself for generations to come.

It's always fun to capture the good times, but the bad times are just as important. Although, we may not want to admit it, the bad times mold us into who we are too. By reflecting on the bad times it may just help heal your soul. Remember, you don't have to share everything with everyone.

My grandmother and I have started going through some of her pictures. We have found pictures of her as a child, her mother as a child, even pictures of her grandmother. Hearing all her stories, and having faces with names, has given me a new found sense of family. I've always been close to my grandparents and am fortunate to still have them in my life. I feel that it's important to document these stories, because I know that someday she's not going to be here to tell me. The stories that she shares with me, and my own story, are ones that I want to share with my children and grandchildren.

I've inspired myself to start journaling, I hope I've inspired you too.

Jennifer Thompson would like to inspire and enrich your digital scrapbooking experience. Scrap! by Penelope & Simon is a place where you can find tutorials, tips & tricks, product reviews, inspiration, how-to guides and the latest news in digital scrapbooking. We're here to provide a safe and secure place where you can share your ideas, experiences, techniques and your favorite shops. Our goal is to become the #1 information source and community for all your digital scrapbooking needs

By Jennifer Thompson

Creative Scrapbooking Albums For Your Pets

Scrapbooking is a wonderful way to preserve your cherished memories. For many people their pets are an important part of the family, so it is just natural to want to capture those special times shared with a beloved pet. You can use your favorite scrapbooking tools to make unique pages that you can enjoy for years to come.

As always, make sure the scrapbooking materials you use are acid and lignin free. You'll need the typical scrapbooking supplies such as an album, cut-outs, stickers, letter rub-ons, and any other creative embellishments you desire. Choose things related to your pet such as dog breed stickers or cat themed papers. Creating scrapbook pages for your pets is also a great way to get the kids involved.

To get started, you'll need to have some good photos of your pet. Try taking pictures from a variety of different angles and include your pet with different members of the family. If your dog has a favorite toy, include some special pictures of that as well. Do you celebrate your pet's birthday? Then by all means include some "birthday" photos in the scrapbook. My children even celebrate the birthdays of our fish!

Here are some fun theme ideas for creating your pet's scrapbook.

Focus on "the firsts". If you are fortunate enough to get your pet while he or she is still a baby, then create a scrapbook album around the "firsts". Even if you adopted your pet when it was older you can still create some great "first" scrapbook pages. Create a scrapbook page or album around your pet's first bath, coming home, first holidays, first visit to the park, first car ride, etc.

Another great scrapbook theme is "A Day In The Life of ________" which would include pages about your pet's morning routines, nap time, meal time, play time and favorite toys, and outdoor time. Trace your pet's paw print and include that in the pages too!

A theme around "pet favorites" is also a fun idea. Take photos and create pages around your pet's favorite activities. For a cat you might include pages on favorite toys and favorite nap places. For a dog, choose photos of favorite outdoor play or playtime with favorite toys.

Whatever kind of pet you have, you can enjoy creating special scrapbook pages that you will enjoy for years to come!

By: Dee Marie

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

Dee Marie is a freelance writer who enjoys scrapbooking. Visit www.scrapbooking-bug.com for more scrapbooking tips and ideas.

The Art Of Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is one of the most popular hobbies in America and is done in recognition of special occasions, including anniversaries, graduation, birthdays, weddings, new births and as a memoir of precious moments. The possibilities are limited by the owner’s imagination and may even include such things as building your first house or as a journal used to document a dream vacation.

There are several products needed for scrapbooking, which includes an album that can easily have pages added or removed, photos, magic markers in a rainbow of colors, glue, stickers, confetti-like embellishments. These products are readily found in any craft store or the craft section of most retail stores, but are also commonly found online. Many online specialty stores carry a broad range of crafting supplies and embellishments that are designed to make the scrapbooking experience a terrific one.

An example of a quality scrapbooking project may be a high school or college graduation. Photos of the graduate, along with special moments with his/her friends at college, could be added onto various scrapbooking pages. For each page, perhaps the graduate could share some thoughts in writing about the image that was captured on film and what he/she was feeling at that moment. Perhaps it was a big win for the football team or a special dance but, whatever the case, it is nice to have a written sentiment to go along with the photo. Once the picture is applied and a few words are written, it’s time to add the embellishments. It’s fun to add a catchy title to the top of the page, which can be written, printed from a computer or found on stickers. Once the title is added, some ribbon or confetti-like additions can be placed sporadically throughout the page.

Scrapbooking is a fun hobby and is also a way to preserve the memories that we wish to keep in our life forever. As the years go by and memories slowly fade of how we felt on a particular day or at a particular time, it is wonderful to turn to a scrapbook and see what we were thinking at the big game or how we felt after being asked to a dance or after meeting our future spouse. Not only can scrapbooking be a wonderful way to pass the time, but it is also a treasure that we can share with our children and grandchildren through the years.

By: Angel Estrella

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

To find out more about scrapbooking, please visit our website at www.scrapbooking-guide.info . It contains tons of free scrapbooking articles, resources and tips.

Quick Tips For Super Scrapbook Business Success!

Here are some mini-tips I've been collecting:

1. Pitch your business to telemarketers. When they call to sell you the latest gizmo, turn the tables on them. Have they heard of scrapbooking? Tell them what a wonderful, relaxing hobby it is after a day of getting yelled at and hung up upon. If you're a retailer, ask them if they live in the area and want to stop in for your "telemarketers' special." Online storeowners and product designers, just give them your Web site. Direct sales consultants, this is your chance to score another recruit (now, you know they can't be terribly happy being on the phone all day). And if they say they just have no time, custom scrapbook artists can step up to the plate and offer your services.

2. Did you know that some of the email newsletters you subscribe to could be getting marked as unsolicited email? This means that you might not ever receive some of the newsletters you love! Take a moment to remember all the e-mail newsletters you have subscribed to and really, really enjoy - like ours! Then contact your e mail provider to put us all on your "safe" list. It will be worth it - believe me!

3. Retail storeowners and event organizers, do you have a map somewhere on the flyers you give out, with detailed directions on how to get to your place from every direction? If not, put it on your "to-do" list today.

4. All business owners can benefit from this one: magnetic car signs. Cruise around town in a vehicle branding your business to the world. But don't just stop with your car! Buy a bunch, and slap them on your friends' and family members' cars as well. You might even have some customers and clients that wouldn't mind advertising your business for an incentive (a percentage off every purchase, for example).

5. Custom scrapbook artists, try using the "Step It Up" method featured in Simple Scrapbooks magazine in your demo albums. Take a few photos and make several copies of each. Then, design layouts using the same photos but with additional embellishments. Layout one can be your "basic" page, layout two more advanced (more embellishments), layout three extreme advanced (even more custom work and embellishments).

I hope these tips work for you! I wish you all the best of success, however you define it!

Copyright © 2003 by Sue DiFranco

Sue DiFranco is the author of more than a dozen books on building and marketing a scrapbooking business. Learn how to turn your scrapbooking passion into profit! Visit http://www.funfactspublishing.com to read a library of FREE information and get started today!