Scrapbook Basics!

Scrappin’ Tips topic:
Scrapbooking Myths

Myth: Scrapbooking is too overwhelming, so I might as well not even start.
Truth: I have one word for you: Simplify. Scrapbooking should be fun, inspiring, and a way to tap into your creative energy everytime you see scrapbooking supplies (doesn’t seeing a new Designer Series paper make you want to just create something stunning?). Start simple and take your scrapbooking one page at a time. Having a few meaningful scrapbook pages completed is a lot better than never scrapbooking because you think you can never be “done” or don’t know where to start. Here are a few simple ideas to get you started.
1. Get creative! Take pictures of (and scrapbook) the mundane, everyday stuff you do. Make a “day in the life” page of your or your kids’ average day so that the page expresses a cross-section of who you are. This would be a perfect introduction to your album!
2. Think of scrapbooking a favorite memory (instead of broadly focusing on all the photos you’ve taken). What would you need to capture that memory? Say you go to the park with your children frequently. Sum up your park visits with one or two well-planned pages that capture your thoughts, feelings, and the delight your children feel. Once those pages are complete, you’ll no longer feel compelled to scrapbook each outing to the park, because the important story and memories are already recorded. Of course, if something really special happened on your latest trip to the park, feel free to scrapbook the event, but you’ll be able to move on to other memories and other stories more easily.
If you take away the pressure and overwhelming size of “scrapbooking your whole life,” it can become creative and pleasurable like it was meant to be.

Scrapbooking isn’t a chore—it really is fun!

Myth: I’m never going to get caught up.
Truth: Let’s get one thing straight: if you think you need to scrapbook every event or every photo in this age of digital images, you’re right – you’ll never get “caught up.” But the good news is that you don’t have to, nor do you need to make multiples of every page you create, make all your pages the same size, scrapbook your life chronologically, or anything else you don’t want to do. Don’t get discouraged by the details of scrapbooking. Some people don’t even start scrapbooking because they feel like they have to do some or all of these things all of the time to have a meaningful scrapbook. Not true. Your scrapbook can be meaningful and inspiring when you are selective in what you scrapbook and let any guilt, pressure, or feeling of obligation you may have about scrapbooking go (like exhaling all your negative thoughts in yoga—cleansing, isn’t it?). Don’t worry about scrapping every event, holiday, and milestone in your children’s lives. All they really need are the highlights.

Myth: Pages are supposed to start with photos that tell a story.
Truth: Photos are just one way of triggering your memory and telling your story. There are other ways to start and finish scrapbook pages. When you think of preserving one memory at a time using your photos as illustrations, you’ll find inspiration in the smallest things, and you’ll find that a single photo or series of photos can trigger powerful memories. Think about these three alternate ways to start your creative juices.
1. Concentrate on describing the people in your life or your feelings about a person or event. Maybe your favorite part of being a mom is the myriad facial expressions your child pulls on a daily basis. Capture your thoughts and a few choice expressions for the page. Photos can come after the idea for the page!
2. Paint a broad picture of the subject by listing some of their favorites. Using a “Top 10” gives you a venue to really share who they are and what they like, but if it doesn’t work for you, find another way to express likes and dislikes. Pages don’t always have to be about a specific photo. Create a Story of Me page.
3. Be willing to change your approach any time you need to. Don’t limit yourself to one type or size of album or page. Why not try an album with a mix of portrait and landscape pages?

What stops you from scrapbooking? Allow yourself the freedom to break some of these unwritten scrapbooking rules and enjoy scrapbooking again (or for the first time)

Information was taken from resources available to Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators. This was taken from an article written by Lisa Mabey in the January 2009 Stampin’ Success Magazine.