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I have never scrapbooked before.. I made one scrapbook page with no picture or anything on it mainly because it was part of a challenge...
I never made a baby book for my daughter because i wanted to "scrapbook" her baby book...
Well here we are 4 and a half years later...and a new 6 month old added to the mix... I have over 100 digital pics that need to be printed of my daughter but where do i get started with the scrapbooking process??
And do i do every single picture on a page or are there like inserts for scrapbooks that can just hold pictures like a regular photo album..
I thought if i could find something like that i could make a 2 page layout for each month of the first year and then for the biggest milestones and for each year since and then just add photos album style in there...
Anyone have any ideas on how to help out this beginner??
great questions.... I too am just now getting into scrapbooking. I have lots of questions and am a little overwhelmed with everything. I would love to see what others have to say.... I'll be checking back on this post.....
I have never scrapbooked before.. I made one scrapbook page with no picture or anything on it mainly because it was part of a challenge...
I never made a baby book for my daughter because i wanted to "scrapbook" her baby book...
Well here we are 4 and a half years later...and a new 6 month old added to the mix... I have over 100 digital pics that need to be printed of my daughter but where do i get started with the scrapbooking process??
And do i do every single picture on a page or are there like inserts for scrapbooks that can just hold pictures like a regular photo album..
I thought if i could find something like that i could make a 2 page layout for each month of the first year and then for the biggest milestones and for each year since and then just add photos album style in there...
Anyone have any ideas on how to help out this beginner??
I agree, great questions. I completely understand how overwhelming scrapbooking can be. I had even done some scrapbooking in the past but when my son was born, I wanted to create a baby book. I pictured in my head that it was going to be this grand, coordinated book but everytime I went to get started I stalled because I wasn't sure about the layout or if that was the right paper or if the color scheme I picked was right for the photos, etc. After my son turned a year old and I realized I had scrapped about 2 pages, I realized that I needed to change things up.
I've found classes and sketches from online challenges and blogs have been very helpful for me. Instead of worrying about starting from the beginning, I started with a picture or a memory that I had a story to tell around and a sketch or paper that inspired me to tell that story. The pages may all be different, but in the last year I've fill a couple albums with fun layouts and memories from my son's first couple of years.
Now, I have a 5 month old daughter and I'm actually thinking of doing what you suggested in terms of a mix of scrapbook and photo album. Stampin' Up! is coming out with new page protectors in June so that you have your choice of the standard full size page protectors or divided page protectors, all that fit in the same album. So, I'm probably going to start with that and do 12x12 layouts of her monthly photos and then fill up some of the divided pages with regular photos and some journalling cards for all the other photos I love but don't have time to scrap. Then, as I have time, I can pull out the photos that I want to write more about and will do full layouts with those.
So, I would say, don't psych yourself out (which I know is easy to do! ) and just start with a photo or a memory that you love and build a page around that. If you are worried about missing a specific milestone or moment, print out the photo and write up the journalling you would want to go with it and put it in some safe photo storage so that you have a stack of photos to start from as you work on your pages.
Welcome to the wonderful world of scrapbooking! My advice to new scrappers is to try not to overwhelm yourself. Don't plan too far ahead. Choose a few photos that really speak to you, or, like Jennifer said, have a story. It doesn't matter when they were taken. They could be from different months or the same day. Think about why you took the photos and why they are special to you.
Not every photo needs to be scrapbooked either. I have photo albums where I keep the photos that don't go into my scrapbooks, and there is nothing wrong with that.
For the journaling, which many scrapbookers find to be an intimidating and daunting task, write from the heart.
And, above all, don't worry about being perfect. This hobby can be very enjoyable and rewarding - if you don't let yourself get overwhelmed. If you have the time and inclination, I have more beginner tips on my blog. Have fun, and see you on the forums!
thank you NWstamper and Scrapjanny! im definitely not worried about uniformity or everything "matching" but now im definitely gonna think about going through and picking 2 or 3 pictures per month/milestone or special memory to put into the scrap book and then just put all the others into a regular photo album... I am super excited to get started (cant for a couple more months...big move coming up)
something I found useful when doing a wedding album for my sister in law was to put the photos I wanted to use into the page protectors of the album I was using. I didn't have to scrap them in order or anything but it gave me an idea of how many photos I was going to put in each layout. I dropped in ephemera, embelishments, papers, journalling, etc as I found things I wanted to go with the photos (My mind tends to find things for one thing while I'm looking for something completely different :lol. When I was ready to do a page often there would be a stack of things ready to go.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I just finished a scrapbook for my high school graduate son. The hardest part for me was having too many pictures. I had sorted my photos into school years and some other categories (special interests, siblings, extended family, etc) and put them into labeled envelopes. For the later half of the book I asked my son to help me choose the pictures and he edited out a LOT of the pictures which left me with a much easier task. So, I would recommend organizing your pictures well. I worked by laying out my 2 pages worth of pictures onto a table then looking at colors and choosing my papers accordingly. I didn't "match" so much as coordinate and would try to incorporate similar elements on the pages such as color, shape, placement of photos. My last step was journaling, which was rather minimal most of the time with either just short captioning or a small journaling box added to the page. My goal has always been to keep up with the books for each of my six kids by doing a 2 page spread each year for each one, but so far that hasn't happened. It has become my tradition to spend the last couple of months of my kids' high school senior year working on their books and each of the 3 that have graduated so far have helped with their books. My DD actually did some of the pages as she is also a stamper/scrapper. My 2nd child, a son, wrote all the captions for his pages, and as I described above my latest graduate helped by editing pictures with me. Good luck and enjoy the experience. It has been a cool family experience for us and my kids and others for whom I've made books over the years really value looking back over lots of great memories captured in a book.
Scrapbooking can feel overwhelming! One of the reasons I love card making is that I can complete a card in a short period of time, whereas scrapbook layouts often tak me a couple of days. I am a spur of the moment kind of scrapbooker, something inspires me and I get on it, so my scrapbooks are not chronological. But I have made a dozens of scrapbooks for and with other people and I find it so much easier to choose a theme and color palette, with accessories and accents that coordinate. This is where a well coordinated paper stack can really help!
Another thing I find really helpful when working with beginners is to do a smaller 8 x 8 album. This size seems much less intimidating to people for some reason. I also use a mix of layouts, some with just one larger photo, some with two or three photos. As someone above mentioned, I also put the photos, mats, embellishments in the sleeves until I am ready to do that page, it really helps to have everything there to see.
The one thing that most beginners, and seasoned scrapbookers too, find intimidating is journaling. I am not a big journaler on my pages, I am short and sweet, and to the point. When I first started scrapbooking, I felt like I had to come up with all this fantastic prose for my pages, so I often did nothing! Then I did a sport specific album for my daughter and that helped me define my own personal style as far as journaling. Now I often only have titles on my pages, sometimes the photos really can tell the story! Also, for more personal journaling, I often tuck it away, under a flap or in a pocket.
The most important thing to remember is this is about you and your family, there is no right or wrong. And sometimes it is better to have it done then to have it perfect. That was a hard one or me to wrap my brain around, but once I did, I had a lot more fun!
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Thank you all for your replies...I just went through all my pictures today from my daughters 1st year....175+ photos..... and was able to narrow it down to 54 photos from birth to her first birthday..that will be my first project...my first scrapbook... I am SOOO excited to get started on it..just gotta get the prints made
Thank you all for your replies...I just went through all my pictures today from my daughters 1st year....175+ photos..... and was able to narrow it down to 54 photos from birth to her first birthday..that will be my first project...my first scrapbook... I am SOOO excited to get started on it..just gotta get the prints made
Yay! Awesome job narrowing them down. Have lots of fun going through the memories as your scrapbook them in the coming weeks.
Thanks! I was window shopping for a good portion of the night on scrapbook.com... anyone got any suggestions for good places to shop online??
aside from that ive decided that im not worrying too much with the journaling for now..my main goal will be to get the pages made and the pictures in them.. Going through the pictures was hard! for the first like 7 months i had TONS of pictures of everything!! then for the last few months i only had a few good pictures each so that was easy..but then im sitting there going "should i make a 12th month layout or just a 1st birthday layout?" but i eventually decided since i have so many pictures i will do a "cover" page and then birth through 12 months and then her 1st birthday as the last layout in her first book... wow this is gonna be so much fun! im gonna put in the order to have my pictures printed on friday and i may just start begging my husband to let me go pick up some "kits" to get started on the pages... i feel like a kid in a candy store im so excited to get working!
Thanks! I was window shopping for a good portion of the night on scrapbook.com... anyone got any suggestions for good places to shop online??
aside from that ive decided that im not worrying too much with the journaling for now..my main goal will be to get the pages made and the pictures in them.. Going through the pictures was hard! for the first like 7 months i had TONS of pictures of everything!! then for the last few months i only had a few good pictures each so that was easy..but then im sitting there going "should i make a 12th month layout or just a 1st birthday layout?" but i eventually decided since i have so many pictures i will do a "cover" page and then birth through 12 months and then her 1st birthday as the last layout in her first book... wow this is gonna be so much fun! im gonna put in the order to have my pictures printed on friday and i may just start begging my husband to let me go pick up some "kits" to get started on the pages... i feel like a kid in a candy store im so excited to get working!
I wouldn't totally skip the journaling, though. To me, it's just as important as the photos. Even if you do the journaling after the photos are all in the album. JMHO. It's your album, so of course, your decision. Just going through all those photos and choosing the ones you want to scrapbook is a huge step. Have fun, and do what you enjoy. Keep us posted!
I am so excited to get started with this that ive decided im not going to wait until we move im gonna get started hopefully next week once i can get my photos printed. Plus it will give me a chance to go through all my stuff and "downsize" for the move...
Since ya'll have been so supportive i just wanted to share this here with yall... when the idea of making a scrapbook was completely overwhelming me (about 2 years ago) i decided to make this and it hangs on the wall in my daughters room.. i cut out all the flowers with an exacto knife and the letters were some pink glittery chipboard letters i got at a store..
sorry the picture isnt too clear it was taken with my phone.
she was such a tiny baby - 6lbs 11 oz and 18 2/4 inches long her feet were so little she didnt even get her first pair of shoes until she was 9 months old and they were a size 0!
ok enough of the sentimentals thanks ladies!!! lexie-1.jpg
where to start.....
