Scrapbooking 101

My obsession with scrapbooking started back in middle school. In 8th grade, my mom got into the Creative Memories/scrapbooking thing and I got hooked. My style has changed a lot since then. I look back at my first couple of scrapbooks and think oh my goodness...these are awful! But at the time I was very proud of them. I scrapbook just about everything I have pictures for. It's like a journal or record of my life. I include calendars in my books to help me organize my books in a logical way and to be able to see what I did throughout the month, especially since I don't have pictures of absolutely everything I did.

I thought I would give a little scrapbooking basics for any of you that are thinking about starting.

Materials you'll need:
- Scrapbook. I love to use the 12x12 post hinge scrapbooks. There is plenty of room for pictures and I like the post hinge design for flexibility. If I forget to add in a page, I just slip pages out of the plastic sheets and move them around as needed. There are so many options for scrapbooks that you can't really go wrong. Just make sure it's acid and lignin free.

- Pictures. I use the website Winkflash for all my printing. They have great prices on prints. If you're their fan on Facebook, you'll see they post a different deal every day. Last time I ordered prints, they had a free shipping offer that day.

- Paper. I am obsessed with scrapbook paper. It's very dangerous for my wallet to walk down the aisle with scrapbook paper at any craft store.

- Adhesive. Make sure you get scrapbooking adhesive (acid and lignin free). I use Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, the E-Z Runner white permanent kind. I've been using this kind for years now and I love it. It comes out in little strips so you can use as much or as little as you need. And if you need to move something after you've placed it on the page, it comes off pretty easily.

- Scissors or paper cutter. This comes in handy when you need to trim some paper or pictures.

- Decorative accessories. I use paper, stickers, pens, pictures and things like ticket stubs only. I'm not a fan of using buttons, ribbons, brads, etc. Too much to deal with. But again, that's just my personal preference. If you want quick and easy, do what I do.

Once you have all those pieces, create away. Don't get intimidated by scrapbooking magazines. They always show such elaborate pages. Just stick the pictures on the pages however you like. It's not about being in a magazine. It's about putting your memories down before they are forgotten.