by Tina Smith

Created on: May 01, 2008   Last Updated: October 04, 2011

Perfect for capturing any event is a mini scrapbook. Since normal sized scrapbooks entail much work, and perhaps a lifetime of treasures, a mini-scrapbook can hold all of your memories for smaller times. Perhaps your children's' first trip to the zoo, or even a newlywed's honeymoon. Since the mini's are far less time consuming than the standard's are, they can be given easily as gifts for nearly anyone that you are close with. They are much different than regular scrapbooks in lieu of space. You will want to take many things into consideration when beginning a mini scrapbook.

• Size

Most papers come in the same standard size (12x12), which means that if your scrapbook is smaller, you will have to be on the lookout for a different size paper than with your regular book. Though this isn't a problem, it can be a nagging experience. With scrapbooking being so hugely popular, there are a wealth of different colors and styles to choose from. Within these styles, you will find pages that you simply must have, and that is not always possible for a mini scrapbook. You can buy these pages anyhow, but then you would have to cut them down. That is not a problem either, but it is time consuming and it takes some measuring. This you must take into account. The mini scrapbooks can be many sizes, also, which makes it a bit tougher.

• Style

If you are making a scrapbook for a grandchild or a child, then you will be pleased to find that many of the mini scrapbooks are Disney inspired. You can find in these sizes with Mickey Mouse on the cover (perfect for that spectacular trip to Disney World), Tinkerbell, Princesses, and several other characters. Many of these books have available for them coordinating pages and kits that you may utilize to adorn your pages. There are smaller sized mini scrapbooks than even these, which would be perfect for using to send from one relative to another in several states, allowing each person to fill in their own few pages.

• Adornments

With smaller pages, less will fit, obviously. Instead of putting full sized pictures into the pages, scan them from your computer and use one of the photo programs to crop them and make them different sizes. My granddaughter uses her photo program's album pages and simply copies pictures into the slots. Then we just cut them out, as they are already different shapes and sizes, and smaller, yet still maintain the bulk of the photo. Still, you may use your fancy scissors that create wavy cuts and still use ribbons and lace to outline the photo's, only you use less of your stock.

• Personal Uses

If you have another hobby, like drawing or poetry, devote a mini scrapbook to that. Poems can be lovingly copied onto fancy vellum, in calligraphy and posted onto the pages. This is ideal, because though it does not take up the entire page, it utilizes enough space that all you may need to add may be a corresponding photo or a fancy beautiful border or trim.

There are many different, wonderful things that can be done with mini scrapbooks, despite their size. In fact, that is the best thing about the mini's; they are small and quaint and can be carried, stored or taken along anywhere with an ease that bulkier scrapbooks just do not allow. Plus they are just to cute. Using one for a birth of a child, or the first year of their life is ideal for the mini scrapbooks. There are hundreds of things that one can do with a mini scrapbook!

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