Scrapbooking – Getting started, a beginner’s guide

Scrapbooking is essentially a creative way of keeping all your memories in one place. Many of us are good at putting photo albums together, but there are plenty of other momentoes that end up in a ‘rainy day project’ drawer, never to be seen again.

It is not hard to start a scrapbook and the good news is that there really are no rules. Scrapbooking is creative and no matter where you start out, the end result is always the way it was always supposed to be!

Just make a start

Any great scrapbook starts with a collection of precious memories. Find a folder or file box that you can start putting letters, poems, art work or ‘I love you’ notes into. Make notes, so that any funny anecdote that goes along with each piece is easily remembered.

Your creativity brings the unique pieces in your scrapbook to life. Find a beautiful book or folder for your scrapbook. Stationery stores are a good place to begin. Choose colours that appeal to you for borders or notes, but allow it to evolve naturally – a scrapbook by definition is a collection of many small scraps – each significant in their own way.

Put your heart on the pages

Most importantly, make excellent journal notes along with each piece. In years to come, many people will smile, laugh, cry and reminisce as they flip through the pages, so don’t be afraid to leave pieces of your heart for them to share.

If you find you have too much material and can’t find a logical start point, then maybe you need more than one scrapbook. Perhaps it will eventually be a good idea to have one for each family member or holiday. Keep momentoes if in doubt. You can always decide later if there is too much and you need to rationalise.

Set aside portions of time to scrapbook. You may find you let rather lost in time as you choose how to display your memories. Allow yourself the luxury of going off on a tangent. If you find a letter and it inspires you to call its author for a chat, then do it. The scrapbook will be doing its job – preserving the things you hold dearest in a beautiful layout.