by Shelly Barclay

Created on: April 07, 2009   Last Updated: June 12, 2009

If you are the kind of person who comes home from vacation with a camera full of pictures and a bag full of odds and ends such as ticket stubs brochures and random keepsakes you just couldn't throw away then scrapbooking is the thing for you. Scrapbooking is not only a great way to display all of those memories you have been collecting, it's also a great way to clear out some of that clutter and get yourself organized.

You are going to need a few things before you can get started on your first scrapbook. First you will need a scrapbook and some paper refills. You could use construction paper, but the paper made for scrapbooks have nice prints and are less prone to fading. The dimensions of scrapbook paper are also far more suited for scrapbooks. Next your going to need a pair of scissors, try to find a nice sharp pair. You are going to be cutting up some of your photos and dull scissors may not be very kind to them. Then your going to need something to paste your photos and memorabilia with, Glue sticks or double sided tape work best. Liquid glue will harden your photos and make it impossible to remove them if you need to. You're going to want to put some descriptions of photos or memorabilia in your scrapbook. You have a few choices for lettering. Markers or gel pens work well. If you are not that confident about your penmanship try using stickers or stamps for the text in your scrapbook. You can usually find the alphabet in a variety of fonts in stickers and they are positively hassle free. If you prefer the look of ink then stamps are the way to go. Stamps can be messy if you're not careful, but the result looks great.

After you have the essentials, it's all about creativity. Craft stores sell cutout frames of all shapes and sizes. These will give dimension to your photographs. You can cut your own frames with whatever paper you like, just be sure to use a ruler. You should be able to find scissors with zigzagged or scalloped edges, these are great for cutting photos if you want to skip the frames. Stickers are a great way to dress up your scrapbook if you're not into drawing. If the scrapbook your making has a theme you can buy individual sticker sheets, you can find these for just about any theme you can think of. If you really want a lot of variety and feel like you will be doing a lot of scrapbooks in the future then you should think about buying a scrapbooking kit. Most kits include most if not all of the items mentioned above. Some kits even come with plastic cases for you to keep your scrapbooking stuff neat and organized. If you can't find a kit with a case then a Tupperware container or some photo boxes will do the job well. Once you've collected all the decorative stuff you are going to want for your project you are ready to get started.

You should clear off a large area for you to work on your book. Scrapbooking can cause a lot of clutter so you will need some space. First, use the glue sticks or tape to stick some of the photos and memorabilia to the paper. Remember that it doesn't have to be neat and straight unless you want it too. Photos can be tilted to make room for other things. Second, place frames around the photos and then use some of the stuff you found to fill in the leftover space. Write a few words, throw in some stickers or just slap a few decorative stamps on there. Next you can create a border with some of your stamps and stickers. Borders give a really finished look to your pages. Do as many pages as you can like this. You may not have enough memories to fill up your scrapbook in one sitting, especially if your book has a theme. Not to worry, you will be sure to collect more photos and memories to fill it up with later.

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