Getting Started

Scrapbooking is the activity of documenting memories in a creative way. It can be done digitally or through paper-based methods.

Scrapbooking is a fun hobby but it's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're not sure where to start. Let me be your guide!

Topic: To start scrapbooking, you'll need to decide what it is you want to scrapbook. It could be an event in your life, a special trip, or even a special person. Stacy Julian has an amazing book called Big Picture Scrapbooking. She really helped me think of topics that will help me capture the important things in my life so I can preserve those memories.

Photos: You will need a way of representing your selected topic. In this age of digital camera, it's easy to have hundreds of photos of your topic. This is often a stumbling block for many people. Remember that you don't have to include every photo in your scrapbook. Just pick the most important ones to you or the ones that best represent your topic.

Once you've selected how many photos you are going to use, you'll have a better sense of how big your project is. Are you doing a full album on your topic? This would probably be for something like a trip or major event such as a wedding. Are you doing a two 12" by 12" page layout? This could be for a birthday, the first day of school or other family event. Are you doing a 6" by 6" layout? This would often be for a smaller project where one 4" by 6" picture is all you need to represent your topic. I have done this size for new babies and given them as gifts to the new parents.

Background: You can pick either a solid background or a patterned background. You might want to pick something that matches the feel of your topic. If you are scrapbooking a serene vacation, you might like to use more solid colours as the patterned paper could create a "busy" feel to your layout. In the end, it's all about what you like. There are no rules of what's right or wrong.

Everyone has their own style. I love the work of Becky Higgins, I think she does layouts that are beautiful and yet seem simple. She has published her "sketches" which are a great way to take your photos and figure out what you want your layout to be.

Journalling: This is optional, but having a space to write a few notes about the topic, helps preserve the memories. It's amazing how quickly we forget some details. Having a journalling block on your page will help tell the story. I always think "if I were sharing my scrapbook with someone who doesn't know about the topic, what would I want to tell them?" This is what should be included in your journalling. There are different way to journal too. You can type it out on the computer, or handwrite it. You can write a story, you can use bullet points, you have full creative control.

Embellishments: Also optional, but this can be a lot of fun. You can find so many embellishments these days such as mini baby rattles or Las Vegas dice and playing cards, buttons, ribbons, flowers, the list goes on. Add anything that you like to your layout to help tell the story of your topic. A few embellishments can really help show your style and make your scrapbook unique.

Now you're ready to scrapbook!