If you want to get more out of making your own scrapbooks...

"Don't do what everyone else is doing - inspire them to want to do what you are doing."

Learn to make a scrapbook that is unique to you and no other Scrapbooker and enjoy the rewards of impressing others.

Dear Fellow Scrapbooker,

You may be a beginner at scrapbooking or you may be a seasoned expert. You may have only ever made hand made cards. Regardless of who you are your what your background is with Scrapbooking - you can never - ever - get too many ideas.

Yes, you can run out of ideas. But the more ideas you have - the less likely it will be that you will EVER run out of them.

So you are here because you are searching for new Scrapbooking Ideas that can be used with your latest album, layout or page design.

You are here because you want ideas on:

• choosing or making the best, most creative scrapbook albums,

• uses for the best or the latest scrapbooking tools or supplies, so that can add WAY more dimension to your pages

• using your background papers and mats more uniquely.

• how to crop or edge your photo's better (possibly into shapes, or with torn edges, or even distressed edges or sewn edges)

• new accenting techniques - with products like cracked glass or glossy accents, embossing powders etc.

• unique embellishments (newly made, or always around but never thought of)

• catchy titles

• captivating journaling (stories)

• layouts

• etc.

Everyone does. So ask yourself this: "could you ever have too many ideas".

...your answer is most likely "NO"

Having an endless supply of Scrapbooking Ideas - will give you an an endless supply of Scrapbooking Pages to create!

There is so much "emotional value" in making a scrapbook page (or album) that makes other people say "How did they do that"?

When you ask that question, don't you go out of your way to find out how they did it? Don't you ever wonder how some people come up with the ideas in the first place?

Well, you do not need to wonder any longer.

As you read on - you will get a great variety of Scrapbooking Ideas.

I am going to give you a wealth of knowledge that the other books, magazines and websites WILL NOT GIVE YOU

I have received MANY important requests from subscribers, customers and even complete strangers through emails and surveys. Among them - the same concerns keep coming up...

There are two critical things that every scrapbooker wants:

1. Ideas that they don't already have
2. And tips for making those ideas part of the Scrapbook

And they want it all in PLENTY!

Scrapbooking is so incredibly personal that the ideas you want - may not be the same as the ideas your friends want.

You need unique ideas for every project, the freedom to make your layouts your own - and the knowledge on how to get started!

So how do I propose to help you?

Why do I care? Well, it's simple, my aim - is to be the best provider of Scrapbooking Ideas on the market!

And yes - you can get a lot of free ideas all over the net, but will you know:

• How to simplify something the ideas that are too complicated or overwhelming?
• How to make something more complex - out of something too simple?
• How to create something similar with the supplies you already have?
• How to create outrageous variety with the supplies you already have?
• How to take "inspiration" from other Scrapbooking ideas and turn them into NEW IDEAS of your own?
• How to share those new ideas with others - so that they now ask YOU how you did it?

You need ideas to be inspired!
And the more Scrapbooking Ideas you have, the more inpsired you will be! Don't you want to be inspired tody?

So where do you start?

How do you find or create the best Scrapbooking Ideas for your particular taste and desires?

You could spend thousands of dollars and endless hours (like I have) on:

• Card Making or Scrapbooking Books

• Card Making or Scrapbooking Magazines

• Card Making or Scrapbooking Software

• Card Making or Scrapbooking Stores

• Local Card Making or Scrapbooking Classes or Workshops

• Other peoples layouts and designs

• Scrapbooking Conventions

• Friends and Scrapbooking Groups

• The Internet (of course)

But you may end up with less money or time to spend on actually getting your Scrapbooks done. You may be so caught up in all of the amazing and wonderous creative minds that you second guess your ability to do something so grand. (Even though you want to) And you never do it at all.

You could also invest thousands of dollars in Scrapbooking Businesses (you know the do it yourself kind) - that may be incredibly rewarding - but also very demanding on your most prescious resources.

And without much business sense - you could actually find that you do more harm than good with all of the monthly packages you have to purchase to stay a business owner.

Or you may choose to - do what hundreds of others have and read on to learn a much simpler - less resource intensive YET more productive approach to learning, mastering and personalizing your Scrapbooking Layouts!

I am prepared to give you all of the Scrapbooking Ideas I have, if you just commit to reading this entire page.

But before I get into some of that, I should tell you why. I started out with my high school agenda, then moved onto photo albums and took the big leap into Scrapbooking with Greeting Card Making. Which for me - didn't start off with simple paper trimming, cropping and matting. It started off with Rubber Stamps and Embossing powders, Colored Wire and Accents!

*I was over excited with all the possibilities! And I was hooked!

When I saw those little emboissing crystals turn to raised, shiny outlines of the stamped images I put to paper - I was hooked! Then when I saw how wires, brads and other accents became that finishing touch - I couldn't get enough!

Then I got into all sorts of "extras" that I could not at the time - even forsee as applicable to my new paper craft.

There are so many to choose from and they can compliment your project so incredibly well.

Some of my favorite techniques include:

• Bleaching (with rubber stamps)

• Brayering

• Chalking

• Clay Accenting (w Hand Made Fimo Embellishments)

• Chipboard Embellishing (adding Alphabet Letters, Frames and more)

• Embossing (Heat and Dry Embossing)

• Glittering

• Image Transferring

• Painting (Watercolors and Acrylics)

• Photo Editing & Graphic Arts

• Photography (Film and Digital)

• Ribbons and Wires

• Rubber Stamping

• Sewing

• Stenciling

• Writing / Journaling

Etc.

These techniques will most likely inspire you as much as they inspired me, and eventually you will be able to come up with your own variations and innovations with them.

Even as a brand new card maker or beginner scrapbooker you will catch yourself dreaming of unique ways you can be making a photo scrapbook in your sleep and during the day.

You will also find yourself looking in what some might think as the oddest places for inspiration like:

• Encyclopedias (for inspiration)

• Graphic Arts Or Photography Magazines (for techniques)

• Hardware Or Dollar Stores (for accents, notions)

• Local Fabric Stores (for accents)

• Newspapers (for layout ideas, headlines, titles, journaling and more)

• School Yearbooks (for layout ideas, headlines, titles, journaling and more)

• The Weekly Flyers (for layout ideas, headlines, titles, journaling and more)

• Your Children's Agendas (for layout ideas, headlines, titles, journaling and more)

• and of course The Natural Settings Of The Environments Around You (for layout, colors and themes)

It really does not matter where you get your inspiration from -
it just matters that you are inspired! 

So whatever you do don't let those great ideas slip away from you. In this busy world we have an increasingly shortened attention span; our thoughts escape us quickly and they can be that much harder to remember after a few thousand other thoughts or activities have followed.

So I have created this page...to give you the inspiration you need right here, right now!

The creative possibilities are endless with card making and scrapbooking - you just need to look outside the box.

One layout can be transformed countless ways and produces so many looks; and with a few simple scrapbooking supplies and scrapbooking tools you can create infinite projects. The opportunities are unlimited!

Here are a few of the ways I create variety with my scrapbook pages, designs and templates:

1. Everytime I see a layout I like, I will turn the image both horizontally and vertically to see the one design, 4 different ways.

2. I will also enlarge the designs that I like - and eliminate some of the components that naturally fall off the page as the image gets larger (giving me a new layout each time).

3. And if I turn the design before I enlarge it, different items will fall of the page - and once again, I get a different design.

4. I will also re-sketch the design and vary the sizes of each component in as many ways I can see possible. This process alone is usually endless.

5. And where a large photo exists on someone else's layout, I will change mine to a journal entry, a colored, textured or patterned paper block or even something else entirely different - such as a pocket for flyers or a mini album.

6. Where smaller blocks of journaling, paper or pockets exist - I will replace them with small photos.

7. No matter what I see; I know that there are endless opportunities to see it different. The more creative I can get with this the better.

Naturally then, I begin seeing EVERYTHING as a possibility for a new design theme, page idea, layout or template.

When you take the time to test and prep your photos or scraps in relationship to a specific card or scrapbook page template you will always get a better outcome and avoid making beginner scrapbooking mistakes.

That's right, sometimes having a template or design in mind for your card or scrapbook before assigning the photos or images is better for the outcome.

It is once again a simple time saver. But it also allows you to map out the location for your images before you adhere them to the page.

Besides, most professional graphic artists will create 2 or more composites of each layout (with photos / images inserted) before they go to print so why shouldn't you?

Here's how you can best prepare for your scrapbooking layouts:

1. Start with photo's you currently have.

2. Move into thinking of the theme and then doing the photo shoot.

3. Take a lesson in photography - through a book, website or even through your local college.

4. Take a lesson in page layout and design with the help of a Creative Expert, over the Internet or through a local college.

   • Learn some of the tricks of the trade about what to do and what not to do when putting together your scrapbook photo ideas.

   • Learn how to use the surrounding space around your photo's to ensure that your photo's are the primary focal point.

5. Start sketching or collecting sketches that you can see yourself using as your scrapbook page templates. Try different page templates and change the location of the photo(s) on each to see which one would compliment your photo best.

6. Start compiling a scrapbook photo theme book (it will be the home for all of your greatest and most favorite scrapbook photo templates and designs).

   • Put your "most common" scrapbook photo layouts and designs into the book - and leave room for variations that you create from them later.

   • Put some of the "yet to be done" scrapbook page layouts and designs into the book.

7. Keep EVERY single photo you have! No matter how horrible you believe it is...there are plenty of spaces in a scrapbook where a small image (even an eye, a nose, or a foot) can be the perfect compliment to the page!

At this rate, you will never run out of things to do with your scrapbook! Could it get any more exciting?

Absolutely...with digital scrapbooking or digital enhancements - your creativity for page layouts and designs can be easier or much more complex if you so choose. And there is very little difference (in layout) between Digital Scrapbooking and traditional design (for print or web). But way more flexibility!

Here are some examples of howa basic knowledge of digital photo editing software can further enhance your projects:

Digital Scrapbook Example # 1

This photo was definitely in need of a feature page in my album. I decided to span it 12" across of course. But I layed it over 3 different background papers supplied by Designer Digitals and I accented it with Photo Cord, Paper Flowers and Fabric Flowers from Designer Digitals as well. This was one of the most simple layouts I have have ever done but it's also one of the most powerful.

You can do it too! When you sign up for my newsletter - you will get free Scrapbooking Tips and Tricks for years to come! *Plus, if you sign up today - you will also get a free Scrapbooking Mini Course to get you started. Click below to get yours now!

FREE SCRAPBOOKING COURSE! We hate spam and respect your privacy. We will never sell or share your contac information with anyone!

Your Mini Course includes 9 SIMPLE, Step by Step Scrapbooking Lessons! It is free with subscription to our newsletter and covers How and Why We Scrapbook, How to Choose The Perfect Photos, Essential Scrapbooking Tools You Will Need to Get Started, How to Select a Format, How to Select the Perfect Layout, How Compose Your First Scrapbook Page, How to Title Your Page, How to Journal Your Page, and How to Compliment Your Scrapbook with a Corresponding Card!

Then when you take your graphic editing knowledge to the next level you can start manipulating photo's and their backgrounds to make a completely new and outstanding image out of something that would otherwise be quite bland.

Digital Scrapbook Example # 2

Inspired by the "go sell crazy someplace else..." quote provided by Designer Digitals, I went to town a bit more agressively with this page. To make this Scrapbook Layout, I cropped my daughter out of the original photo and layered her over a firey background. Then - using the flower frame, fabric flowers and swirls from Designer Digitals - I finished the job.

Here are some quick tips to get you started your Digital Scrapbook today...

• You can use proprietary digital scrapbooking software for quick and easy throw together albums - like the "Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Designer", or you can use online photo album creators like "Picaboo" or "Shutterfly". Each one has unique features and will walk you through the process that is unique to creating digital scrapbooks through them.

I personally prefer to have complete control over my scrapbooks however.

• With Adobe Photoshop - I get the scrapbook layout I want down to the fonts, colors, photo sizes, embellishments, shadows, gradients, textures and so on.

Sure, I have had the luxury of learning a few tricks from the pro's I contract to do design for my agency, but I have also relied very heavily on the traditional methods of "self teaching". I use the Internet.

There is a great tutorial website for all sorts of software (including Photoshop). It is www.vtc.com. But I will gladly share the knowledge I have as well - so that you don't have to become a professional graphic artist just to get a head start on Digital Scrapbooking.

Titles, Quotes, Storytelling and Beyond.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but your title and journaling message is just as important with WORDS as your scrapbook page is with images.

Never underestimate the value of a catchy title, quote or journal message.

Your memories may not always serve you as well as you would like. Having a story attached to all scrapbook pages will allow you to preserve those memories and come back to them if forgotten and it will also allow you to share those memories (as you had them) with others.

It is incredible how long a "shelf life" your scrapbooks will have. Just imagine your books being passed down from generation to generation. Wouldn't it be nice for others in your family to learn more about you, your loved ones, the places you loved, the things you loved to do and everything else about you?

Time is precious - and we have so little of it; why not make every great moment - a great journey through time!?

Below is a list of references you can consult for inspiration if the words do not come to you when you need them too:

• Magazines - (including the gossip mags and the tabloids); there is nothing better than a good headline from your favorite magazine! *If you don't have any saved, why not visit your local library - there are usually large stacks of oldy but goodys.

• Newspapers - it takes a true PRO to be a journalist for any newspaper or magazine. You must know how to tell a story with as little words as possible.

• Famous Quotes Books

• Joke books

• Poetry

• And my personal favorite: What About the Words? Creative Journaling for Scrapbookers (Memory Makers)

 

You gain great creative control over your scrapbook pages if you control the embellishments.

Different embellishments can make for different looks all together. Anything you can think of can be an embellishment as well. This can include borders, corners, stickers, tiles, game pieces, coins, wires, strings, trinkets, jewels and so much more!

HINT: Just because someone lists a technique on "how" or "what to use" to embellish your project it does not mean you have to follow their direction to the absolute last glue dot.

If you are (or become) as addicted to scrapbooking as myself and other scrapbookers are you will be surprised at the many things you believe you must KEEP just in case you might have a use for them on a card making or scrapbooking project some day. And you will.

Over the years of collecting, you will have eventually have a random supply of:

• Acetate
• Baking Clays
• Beads
• Buttons
• Charms
• Corks
• Die Cuts
• Eyelets
• Fabrics From Worn Clothes
• Fasteners
• Foamies
• Linens
• Magazine Cutouts
• Miniature Replicas (File Folders, Bottles, Envelopes etc).
• Multi Colored Ribbons
• Multi Colored Wraphia
• Old Wrapping Paper
• Paper Clips (Regular and Specialty)
• Patterned Paper
• Rub On Letters
• Silk Flowers
• Sparkles
• Stickers (Metalic, Transparent, Epoxy, Brother Labels)
• Strings Or Threads
• Tassels
• Tiles
• Tissue Papers
• Transparencies
• Vellum
• Wires

Or better yet some of the odder items like:

• Bottle Caps
• Broken / Sea Glass
• Buckles
• Carpet Bits
• Chains
• Dried Flowers
• Fibers
• Flatwoods
• Fringes
• Grommets
• Hinges
• Jewelry Findings
• Jute
• Labels
• Leathers
• Metals
• Mica
• Microscope Slides
• Old Game Pieces
• Old Leaves
• Paint Chips
• Photo Negative Sleeves
• Plastics
• S Hooks
• Screen Doors
• Shells
• Twill Tape
• Underlays
• Wallpaper Scraps
• Washers
• Watch Parts
• Wax Seals

Etc. And they will all come in handy! Trust me.

*Therefore a good rule of thumb is to KEEP EVERYTHING! There is no limit to what you can embellish your Scrapbooking Pages with!

This "collectors" mentality is indicative of scrapbooking experts.

And that's exactly what makes our scrapbooking pages so incredibly unique and genius - and FUN to do! We literally do "put so much into" our scrapbooks.

You are not or will not be the only "collecting" crazed scrapbooker!

I am right beside you - collecting EVERYTHING!

As Scrapbookers, we are proud to call ourselves collectors and artists. How else would we have such an endless supply of photo's and colorful pieces to strategically combine together in our scrapbooking pages?

But we need the best of the best "tools" to place these embellishments on our cards and scrapbooks so that they stay put and never fall apart.

So naturally we arm ourselves with tools of the trade, such as:

• Archival Mist
• Awls
• Bone Folders
• Brayers
• Card Stocks
• Chalk Erasers
• Chalks
• Crackle Mediums
• Cutters (Shapes, Exactos, Punches, Scissors, Pinking Shears, Scoring Blades)
• Decoupage Glazes (Matte or Glossy)
• Dry Embossers
• Embossing Guns
• Enamels
• Eyelet setters
• Gesso
• Glue Dots
• Glue Guns
• Glues and Tapes
• Gum Arabic
• Hole Punches
• Inks (Water Based, Pigments, Walnuts, Chalk, Solvents etc)
• Lacquers
• Light Boxes
• Melting Pots
• Paint (Acrylics, Sprays, Watercolors, Rub Ons etc)
• Paint Brushes
• Paper Crimpers
• Paper Piercers
• Paper Slabs
• Permanent and Removable Adhesives
• Photo mats
• Powders (Pigments, Embossing etc)
• Red Eye Pens
• Rubber Stamps
• Self Healing Mats
• Sewing Machines
• Slide mounts
• Sponges
• Stains and Dyes
• Stencils
• T Squares
• Textured Pastes
• Trimmers

And pretty much anything else you can think of. But the great thing is, you don't need all of this stuff...nor do you need any of it (really) - it all depends on the story you wish to tell and how you wish to tell it! So if you are a scrapbooking beginner - don't be afraid of these extensive lists of supplies, they will find their way into your life when they need to - no sooner.

If you are already a seasoned scrapbooker however, with this kind of behavior, it is clear...

We are addicted to scrapbooking and finding rare project ideas or supplies for our personal masterpieces.
This same "collectors" mentality is also what fuels us to get our hands on every scrapbooking magazine and resource out there. There just never seems to be enough techniques for us to be aware of and there are so many out there.

Even if we get ONE new technique from every additional resource we collect our investment is well spent.

So how do we organize our crafts, scrapbook rooms or our supplies and tools so we can "do" more of what we love to do? How do we keep it all in line so that we can access what we want when we want and NOT forget about it?

Getting organized and staying organized are not the same. Especially when immersed in a project.

Because every project is unique and some can take days if not weeks to complete, it is very important that we gain control from the very beginning over our tools and supplies.

Below is a quick "chronological" list aiding you in organizing your scrapbooking projects.

If possible, dedicate a room in your house to your craft.

*Your scrapbooking room should be the most functional and organized room in your house if you organize it correctly. It may also be the most inspiring.

1. Dedicate a shelf, space or cabinet to your "idea" books and "swipe" files. You will use and add to the frequently, and they should be properly organized for easy access.

2. Dedicate a space (or storage bin) to your most commonly used scrapbooking supplies. *You will use and reuse these items on almost every project, so keeping them together will make your prep time shorter.

3. Segment all "other" supplies else by thier specific purpose. *Papers, mats, frames, slide mounts and scraps, double sided tapes, glues etc. should be in close proximity to one another; embossing enamels, pens, pigment ink pads, powders and embossing guns should be in close proximity; letters and rub ons, die cutters, punches...etc. should be all together. And so on.

4. And / or ...segment those items by color or theme.

5. If you choose to sort or file items by this method - you may want to get ahold of your own copy of "Conquer Your Chaos" and "Paper Tiger" (reference widely in Conquer Your Chaos) to help you find it all in 5 seconds or less! *Right down to the "cowboy" print papers or the "cheetah" patterned letter stickers".
   

Then...over time, you should adopt your own method for organizing.

My scrapbooking room is quite effective. It is a multipurpose room, but my supplies are stored exactly where I can access them - whenever I need to and the table to create my project is right there too!

You should do the same! You should have a systematic library of card making and scrapbooking directions for the beginning of your projects to the end of your projects.

And as for organizing a record of my own ideas, techniques and so on, I created a series of Guides to Scrapbooking and a few checklists keep things together.

In fact, a few of these ideas and techniques I have shared with you today make up my "Scrapbooking for Beginners and Beyond" book so that I could always remember the important things before I got caught in the trap of the advanced stuff. *The book is still a work in progress - but should be available for sale this year.

Anyhow...whatever works best for you