Scrapbooking for the Hesitant

I have already converted two self-proclaimed non-crafty people into scrapbooking moms, so I believe any woman (but especially moms) can find something to enjoy out of scrapbooking, if you give it a try. Actually it would be more correct to say my DS and I have each converted someone. When my DS was a toddler he carried a scrapbook over to my friend Cortney and said, “read book of me!” She was so amazed at how much fun and excitement he had showing off the album full of pictures of himself that she wanted to create the same kind of experience for her own child. Honestly I think all sizes of scrapbooks should be called brag books because what mother doesn’t enjoy bragging about her children? So I challenge you to disregard any feelings of craftiness inadequacy and find some way to proudly display your photos!
Post-Pregnancy I realized some manner of scrapbooking was the only way I would ever succeed in getting any of our family photos out of the computer and into any sort of viewable album. (Later I also realized how much I enjoyed sitting down with my DS and our albums and letting him tell our family story.) My favorite part of the scrapbooking format is called journaling. This is where you write a blurb about the significance of the pictures on that page. Journaling allows me to add little snippets about the kids that go along with the photos so I won’t forget all those great details (especially since I already have a horrible memory).
While I fully admit I enjoy scrapbooking, I have to qualify that I go for the simple approach. I like to use the large 12x12 scrapbooks so I can cram as many photos as possible into one page without regard to exact sizing. Or for example, if I have a picture of my baby’s blue eyes, I like them to be HUGE so that I might never forget their exact hue. Plastic sheet covers are also a must for all my scrapbooks. This way toddlers can look through the pages and not ruin the photos with smudgy fingerprints. After these two Must Haves, everything else is all based on personal preference.
For my first scrapbook I bought solid brightly colored paper and a 12x12 scrapbook. Everything else I used was from craft supplies I already had in my home. You can get lost in the embellishment section of hobby stores, but overall I like to keep my books pretty simple. For one, I like to use things over and over to get my money’s worth, so I’m not a huge fan of stickers. Kids, however, love stickers so usually my oldest sets up next to me with his own art supplies and puts stickers on every piece of paper he can find, while we have some “craft time”. (Hint: Be on the lookout for cheap stickers in the Dollar aisle at Target and other merchants like A.C. Moore. With little kids I believe it is quantity over quality when it comes to things like stickers.)
Since my first album I discovered the bevy of fabulous patterned paper, but I prefer the large sets of coordinating papers. (Stampin’ Up! has a beautiful selection if you are looking for some fool-proof supplies.) The papers are great for other crafts like card making as well. As a time-saver, the colors are already coordinated so I don’t have to waste time pondering what kind of paper to buy for a particular occasion. If I hadn’t found these great pre-coordinated sets, I would probably just stick to solid black or dark charcoal. I have yet to see a photo that doesn’t pop off the page on these two colors.
The other reason I’m not a huge fan of many embellishments is that they make the scrapbook LUMPY. Being the tightwad that I am, I don’t like wasting space or limiting how many pages I can pack into one album by having fat pages. The one type of embellishment I have learned to love are my Stampin' Up! stamp sets. I can use them over and over in a multitude of ways without making my pages too lumpy or chunky. Many styles of albums sell additional pages, but there is a limit to how many can be reasonably crammed into the binding without splitting the seams of the cover. I learned this after my DS’s first album developed a split down the seam. His constant use is emphasized by that rip and now I love it all the more. You see, I’m sort of a “warts and all” type of girl at heart.