How to Scrapbook

This is probably going to be my favorite blog topic. I love to scrapbook. There is nothing else that I would rather spend my time on then scrapbooking. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of time while I am in school to do so. That is why I have an organized process I go by when I begin scrapbooking so I don't waste any time wondering where I should start. I save every little item, picture, wristband, movie ticket, concert ticket throughout the year so at the end of the year I have those items that add character to the scrapbooks.

I pretty much taught myself how to scrapbook. Although scrapbooking doesn't require a genius, it still needs to have a process for the end result to look good and appeal to over people. So I wanted to share this process with you in case you are new to scrapbooking or just need a more organized way of doing it.

Step 1- Decide what scrapbook you want to do. Is it a scrapbook from a cruise you went on, or beach trip? Is the scrapbook a continuous book of a pet or child? You can do anything! One of my favorite scrapbooks that I have done was for the whole year of 2011. Everything that happened within the year 2011 I put in that particular book. But choose this first so you have an idea of what you are going to do. Also this step would include buying your essential ideas that I have listed below.

Step 2- Is deciding what pictures you are going to use. If you’re like me, I save every picture, even some of the blurry ones, so I start by going through the pictures I want to use for the scrapbook and narrow it down to the best ones. Tip! Pictures that are taken up close and pretty much take up the entire 4x6 aren't always the best ones to choose. Choosing pictures that are taken further away from the object or people work a lot better because then you can cut and crop the picture to make shapes after you print them. So, figure out which pictures you are going to use and print them!

Step 3- Once I have printed the pictures, I decide which pictures will go together on a page. For example, if I have several days at the beach, all of day one at the beach would be on one page or pictures from a dinner would be all on one page. Once you decide which pictures will be together, decide on a theme for that particular page. Will it be a birthday theme? Will it be a holiday or beach theme? Decide on a theme you want to do for that particular page.

Step 4- The next step is to pick out a background page (12x12 card stock paper) that goes along with your theme. You can also cut two different pages in half and use two different colors. Anything you want to use for the background. I also choose at least three more 12x12 pages that match my background color and go along with my theme.

Step 5- This is where the fun starts... Next I place (NOT GLUE) the pictures onto my background page and decide a few things: where I want each picture on the page, if I want the pictures to have a title, turned a certain way or anything else. I figure out the placement of the pictures that flows best. Also, at this time, if you know what stickers and embellishments you are going to use, you can go ahead and set (but don't glue or stick!) the stickers onto the page where you want them to eventually be glued. You're basically figuring out the layout of everything that will be glued onto the page. This is also to make sure everything will fit on the page before you start gluing and it's too late. Tip: for each picture leave room for about 2-3 cm for the background color behind it to be seen.

Step 6- After I decide the layout of the page, I pick what colors I want behind each picture. I hardly ever glue a picture directly onto the background page. By doing this you are adding color and contrast in between the picture and the background page. This is where those 2 or 3 additional pages that match your theme and background page come into play. I decide which color of paper will go behind each picture and then I also decided what shape I will make the picture and the background paper to be. Whether it’s a rectangle, triangle, circle or funky shaped, I decide that now.

Step 7 - is to start cutting the pictures the shape you want them. I would recommend using stencils and tracing along the back of the picture before you cut the picture. Tip: if you use a dark colored pen and trace along the back of the picture, most of the time you can hold the picture up to a light and make sure what you’re cutting out is centered and that you aren't cutting anyone's head off :) I then cut out the paper that will go behind the picture, most of the time it’s the same shape as the picture just a little bigger so you have that 2-3 cm that shows as a ring on the outside of the picture.

Step 8- This is basically a repeat of step 5. I again, lay everything out onto the background page to make sure it fits (this time with each of those background shapes and colors behind the pictures) and looks good. I also recommend at this time to have your stickers and anything else other than your pictures that you want on the page so you can lay them out, without permanently putting them on the page, and see how everything looks.

Step 9- I then start by gluing each picture onto its specific background shape color that you chose and then glue that paper onto the background or main page. For bigger pictures and the corresponding background paper I use scrapbook double sided tape on the outer edges. This just helps keep your pictures from coming unglued. Then you can add stickers or embellishments.
And you are done! You will repeat these steps for each page!

You will eventually learn different tricks and techniques that work best for you!

Below is just a short list of some tools you will need to get started with scrapbooking. Most of these you can buy at Michael's Craft Store

The essentials:

• A scrapbook!
• Pictures
• 12x12 card stock paper. You can get individual or you can buy a whole album that has different pages. Some albums are a specific theme and some albums are just random pages. I love the theme ones!
• Scissors- a normal pair will work, you can also buy the ones that cut the crazy patterns to add some flare to your pictures
• Glue- It has to be ACID FREE AND PHOTO SAFE NON TOXC. I recommend the glue actually made for scrapbooks, you can find it at Michael's
• Double-sided SCRAPBOOK tape
• Stickers and embellishments! My favorite part!
• Stencils
• Ribbon, stamps, sticky letters, anything!

Here is my link to my Pinterest page so anyone can look at my board of Scrapbooking and get some ideas: Megan's Pinterest Page

Thanks for reading! See ya next time!

Organization

One of my greatest talents, I believe, is organization. This is probably because my father was obsessive compulsive and an extreme neat freak and my mom had some amazing organization skills as well. When I was younger, my brother and I had to clean the house and we had to use a six page cleaning checklist that my mother created to go by. It was insane. I guess I got it from both of them, but being organized in every aspect of my life has really helped me throughout my life. Especially in college, you HAVE to be organized to survive college. It has also helped me in each of the jobs that I have worked at. I am currently known as the organization queen at my job. At least once a month I clean out my desk, throw away stuff and organize everything. My co-workers walk by my desk and say, "Is it that time again, Megan?" Or they will say, "Come to my house and organize," which I have highly considered pursuing. I still might, if I ever need the extra cash. But I think I enjoy organizing for myself better than I would for other people. And each time I re-organize something I try out a new method or way or even a different placement. It really refreshes me! Maybe I'm crazy!

One of my favorite blogs that I found through Pinterest is DIY Home Sweet Home and she has this amazing article called, "50 Insanely Clever Organizing Ideas." I love each one! You can click on the link and look at each one. I currently use a couple of these but others I hope to one day do. Another article she has is called, "Ultimate Life Planning System." This one has all sorts of printables that you can use to get every area of your life organized. I really recommend charts and checklist, they really help you stay on task, get the job done, and help you remember what you need to do next time around.

If I were to try and help someone get organized, I would tell them to start with this list: First pull out everything that needs to be organized from that closet or junk drawer, etc. Second, throw away anything that you do not need or is to old to have any use. Third, start categorizing each item and make separate piles for each category. Figure out where and how you are going to store each category. Can these items be put away in an attic because they aren't used a lot? Or do they need to stay close by? Or do they need to be out in the open so you can see them? Next, think about the best way to condense and save as much space as possible. Often times I will look on Pinterest or even Google ways to get organized. If there is something specific you want to organize you can just Google it. For example, I wanted a better way to organize my sock so I searched on Pinterest, "Sock organization" and tons of ideas came up. Most of the time there will be a way to organize anything! Once you figure out what works best for you, do it! In no time you will feel better because you are organized! And then you can stay organized by putting away into the right category each new item that you get or find.

Also here is a link to my Pinterest page where you can look at my board called "Organization" that way you can get some ideas. Also, my For the Home board has several ideas for organizations. Megan's Pinterest

Hope you enjoyed my tips on getting organized!