You have boxes upon boxes of pictures that go back to your childhood. You have photo albums with the peel back sticky film and half of the pictures in them have slid out of place or are starting to turn a yellowish tint. You have wanted to start scrapbooking. All your friends scrapbook, but how do you get started?

The first part to scrapbooking is the easiest. It is the pictures, which you have mountains of and that you have been storing in boxes for years not knowing what to do with. By the time you are done scrapbooking, you will have a fabulous way of displaying your photographs that you will never hide them away in a box again.

Scrapbooking can get very expensive if you allow yourself to get carried away with this hobby. However, you can start out simple, work your way up and gather your tools as you go. I began by going to my local craft store and purchasing a beginner scrapbooking kit. In the kit, it came complete with an 8X10 scrapbook, replacement sheets, fillers, cutouts, stickers, decorative scissors, colored pens, glue sticks and some craft ideas. It was a great way to get started.

The next thing I did which was loads of fun, was that I was invited to a scrapbooking party. I guess, you could say I was a scrapbooking virgin. I had no idea that you needed to use acid free anything, such as stickers and glue sticks to prevent your pictures from turning yellow. At the party, they taught me how to crop my pictures to get rid of the unwanted part of my photo to save space and how to decorate my page to make it attractive. I came away from the party addicted and wanting to go home and tear into my old photos.

I would suggest going on line to see if your local craft store has a web page. I am able to get the monthly flyer with the sale ads sent to me along with a 40% off coupon. I always stock up on my scrapbooking supplies when they go on sale at 50% off. Scrapbooking has become such a popular hobby that scrapbooks can be found at not just the hobby stores.

Another great tool for aiding you with your scrapbooking is your computer. Of course you will need it to print off your photos if you have a digital camera but you can purchase programs for you scrapbooking also. The software can give you templates to customize your projects and thousands of graphics to complete any scrapbook at your fingertips. Just make sure you use acid free computer paper when printing.

Scrapbooking can start out simple, just you, a book, some scissors, a glue stick and some old memories. Remember, scrapbooking is funnier if you share it with family and friends. Before you know it, that mountain of photographs will be albums that will be cherished for generations.

Learn more about this author, Dawn Clear.
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