How To Prepare For Your Scrapbook
Creating your first scrapbook can seem very overwhelming; however, with these helpful tips it
can become a very rewarding experience. When you decide to start on your scrapbook you will
have to ask yourself a few questions.
• What is the purpose of this album? For who or what am I creating this for?
• How will I choose the size and style of the album that is the easiest for me to create my
scrapbook?
• What are the basic supplies I will need to complete my album?
• How many photos will I need to fill my album? Do I have copies available of the photos I am
going to use?
• What is the easiest and least expensive way to design a theme for my album?
• How much time will I have to spend on my scrapbook? What shortcuts can I take to save time
and money?
Deciding on the album that is right for you is the first step towards preserving your memories.
Albums come in many sizes, themes, and styles. The most common size albums are 12x12
and 9x9. If you feel the larger albums would be time consuming you can chose an 8x10
scrapbook. This would be a good selection if you feel you will not have enough photos to
display in a 12x12 album. Many people prefer the 12x12 album, due to the fact that many
stores carry ready to make pages is this size. There is also a 6x6 album that is perfect for a
brag book. This size is convenient to take with you to display outside of the home.
Once the album size is decided, you can choose the type of album that will best suit your
individual needs. There are many styles to choose from. Popular albums for many first time
scrapbookers are themed albums. They come in several different options. The albums could
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be portrait themed, baby books, ABC albums, or wedding albums. You can choose an album
for any theme you are creating a scrapbook for.
You will also need to decide on the style of album you would like to work with. There are three
main types.
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Organizing Your Photos
The biggest challenge to starting your scrapbook is organizing your photos. This may seem
overwhelming to many, but can be done in a minimal amount of time using these helpful tips.
• First, start in an open area of your home to allow space for several piles of photos. Preferably
a part of your home that is not a common meeting area, such as a spare bedroom or office.
• Next, discard of any photos that are out of focus or damaged. You will also want to place
Polaroid pictures in a separate pile. You do not want these pictures to leak onto your good
photos. Polaroid pictures may contain a certain acid that will permanently damage your photos.
Save any copies of photos you may want to use in your scrapbook. Copies will come in handy if
you make a mistake and need to replace a photo. You may also want to use them in another
scrapbook.
• Start putting photos into piles by chronological order. This task does not have to be exact.
You may start with photos from certain decades, such as, 70’s, 80’s, etc. You can also organize
them through the years, for example, early eighties, mid eighties, and late eighties. If you are
making a scrapbook for your child, it would be best to start from birth to present. If you are
creating a scrapbook with a holiday theme, then start with the holiday closest to the beginning of
the year.
• Now you can organize the piles into different events or special moments. This could include;
birthdays, graduations, sporting events, and vacations. Create a system that works well for you.
• For a wedding album you should organize the photos of each partner from childhood to adult.
Adding pictures of the couple together in a separate pile. If the couple has children from a
previous marriage you would place their photos in a separate pile as well.
• If you are creating a family tree scrapbook start with each side of the family members
relatives. Sometimes it is easier to start with the most current members of the family. This
would could be grandchildren or great-grand children and then work backwards from there.
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Cropping Your Photos
Cropping is simply cutting away the distracting elements in your photos. There are several
techniques to achieve this look. Listed below are some tips to do so.
• Some of your photos you may want to use can have distracting backgrounds. You will need
to crop out the elements that take the attention away from your subject.
• Some pictures may contain backgrounds of personal meaning. Look over your photos
ca