Good morning friends!  I started this blog with a very generalized idea of community.  People getting together to talk about scrapbooking, memory keeping and crafting.

I know that sometimes I cover a wide variety of topics so I thought maybe it was time to go back to the basics for a little while.

I am going to try to alternate my Sketch Saturday Card posts with some very specific posts aimed at those who want to start scrapbooking in some fashion but don’t know where to start.

So to that end, welcome to – Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1.

Introduction:

Scrapbooking, memory keeping, telling your story – no matter how you phrase it, the thought of getting started can be a little overwhelming.

Let’s start with a few questions:

1.  Do you love pictures?
2. Does looking at a photo immediately take you back to that time or place?
3. Do you have family stories that everyone brings up when you are all together?
4. Would you like to have an album of printed pictures on hand for you and your family to look through & enjoy?
5. Do you want to make sure you and/or your children have basic information about who the people in those pictures are?

If you answered yes to any of the above, maybe you would enjoy some type of Scrapbooking or Memory Keeping.

Scrapbooking Your Way:

For some people, the term scrapbooking sounds old fashioned.  It brings to mind cutting your pictures into odd shapes & gluing them onto cardstock with a few stickers thrown around the page.

Possibly you have been to a crop where you were told to only use a certain type or brand of product.  

Maybe you have looked at Pinterest and seen pages with 1 tiny photo surrounded by a ton of stuff, but you have so many pictures you want to use.

Well, let me tell you – there is no wrong way to keep your memories.

Memory keeping is about getting your photos off your phone or camera and being able to share them with your friends & family.  How you share & enjoy them is entirely up to you.

Starting with Supplies:

As with any hobby, there are some basic supplies that you will need to start with.  However, I need to caution you to ONLY think about the bare minimum at this point.

Sometimes it is better to have fewer choices to make, especially in the beginning.

Stay with me over the next few weeks and let’s take this one step at a time.  

At the most basic level you will need some photos, patterned paper and/or cardstock, adhesive and a pen.

Scissors and/or a paper trimmer would be helpful and you will want some type of stickers or embellishments to dress everything up.

At this point you don’t necessarily need an album but it would help if you had an idea of the size and style you want to work with when making your first layout.

Below are two handouts to help you with this step. 

The first is called The Bare Necessities & it lists some of your options for each basic supply category.

Keep this handy when you are either in a store or looking online as there are multiple brands, types & styles of supplies.  Keep it simple & basic for the first time around.

(Shameless plug inserted here:  I do believe that Creative Memories has some of the best tools & albums in the scrapbooking industry.  I have been using them for over 20+ years.

I am currently a CM Advisor if you would like to use my affiliate link.  Please note that using this link is no extra charge for you but I will make a small commission on any products purchased.)

The second handout is about the albums.  Again, there are many brands, types & styles.  This will give you some information about the available options.

A lot of it is personal preference & remember – you can always change your mind later if you begin with one size or style & decide you don’t like it or it isn’t working for your current project.

A lot of people use different sizes/styles for different types of projects or sets of pictures. 

Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1 Handouts

Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1 – Action Plan:

What I would like for you to do this week is to start with your photos.

We take SO many photos today, of really anything & everything.  BUT, there are still going to be those special pictures of little moments, big events & loved ones that stand out above the rest.

These are the photos you want to save & cherish for years to come.

So the first step is to identify a few pictures (maybe 4 – 8) that are special to you & related in some way.  It could be of the same time frame or the same person (or group of people) spread over the years.  It could be a weekend trip or event like a graduation.

Choose pictures you are excited to work with right now and print them.

Again, we are starting simple, so don’t worry about photo sizes just print them all in a 4 x 6 format.

The second step is to pick an album size.  If you want to buy an album or if you already have one that is great but not necessary as long as you know that size you want to use.

Refer to the handout above to see some of the options.  You can also read my previous blog post about album sizes for additional information.

You may want to also give some thought to single or double page layouts.  This just means, do you prefer to make one page at a time or two?

I personally always make a double page spread so that my pages facing each other in the album match & are of the same subject.  The only exceptions are my title pages & end pages of my book.

If it does not bother you if the pages are different, then use whichever you prefer the look of.

The last step is to gather your basic supplies. Refer to the supply handout above for some additional information about options and my recommendations.

If you have already started a stash of goodies, use what you have on hand.

One tip for choosing paper is to coordinate either the theme of the pictures or some of the colors in the photos.

So if you have birthday pictures, choose bright happy colors or go all out & pick paper with confetti or balloons.  It can be as simple & subtle or as themed as you prefer.

I go for a variety in my scrapbooking but I always start with the photos for the inspiration of my pages.

Conclusion:

We have reached the end of Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1.

Although this probably seems like a LOT of information, I hope I have broken it down into manageable steps to consider and get you started.

In Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 2 we will be making our first layout, so make sure to check back in soon.  

In addition to the handouts above, you can also download these resources about photo management:

If you would like to read the blog post on Organizing your Photos you can find that here.

If you have any questions or would like some additional help/information, please leave me a comment below or a message on the Contact page.

You can subscribe to the blog & receive my Story Starter handout.  The form is in the sidebar on the right.

You can also join my VIP Facebook Group or follow me on my social media channels.

I appreciate everyone who stops by & I hope I inspire & encourage you to save, organize & enjoy your photos & family stories.  

Check back in soon!

Machelle