So you have decided to create your own piece of work of art. Here is the step-by-step process you can follow to creating a one of a kind scrapbook

Shopping.

Yes, the best part of everything. It is as exciting as your birthday celebration. And no one can resist it. Shop for the supplies you need. Shop for the essentials such as the album, album refill, adhesives, card stock, embellishments, papers, pens, punches, stamps, embossing, stickers, a pair of scissors and everything you need for your scrapbooking.

Tip: Buy only acid-free adhesive, permanent marking and non-fade pens and inks. Your aim is to preserve memorabilia for years. These things will save you from messing up with your scrapbook.

Gather your memories.

Get as many photos as you can. Depending on your theme and the aim you want to achieve, you can sort them according to their relations to one another. For example, you can make a bibliography through scrapbook, then, you grab pictures from your childhood up to now. Sort them out according to the year they were taken.

Tip: If you are grabbing old photos, make sure that your hands are clean. Old photos can easily be destroyed with oil and dirt from your hands. Old photos are also brittle so you may want to handle them with extra care.

Another tip: If you want to preserve old photos, you can scan them to your computer and make a copy. Doing this would also let you edit the quality of the photo or crop the particular portion you only want to have.

One more tip: If you want to take some recent photos, use digital cameras. In this way, you can take as many photos as you could without wasting film. Upload all the photos you have taken, then, print the ones you have selected.

Gather your supplies

Let your imagination takes you anywhere. From the supplies you have, create a scrapbook that is truly yours. Decorate the front page of the album with your chosen general theme. A delicate combination of colored papers, pens, photos and creativity would let you create a good front page. On the inside, decorate each page with distinct designs.

For additional decorations, you can consider using paper trimmer, punches, circle cutter, decorative rulers, paper rolling ball glue pen, or putting on some templates, stickers, computer clipart, rubber stamps, and colorful decorations you can find on magazines. Use the right adhesives to secure what you have placed on your scrapbook. There are several of these: double-sided adhesive dots, photo tape, glue pens, photo corners, non-permanent glue, squares or strips, glue sticks, and bottled glues.

Putting them all together

The most difficult part of the whole scrapbook making is putting all the stuff together, so here are some of the tricks:

Your options are more flexible if you are using photocopied pictures. You can cut them in to different shapes and sizes or you can decide the pictures size. Placing them to the pages is easier if you keep the space free, then decorate it afterwards.

The best way to cut papers and photos would be using this trick: think twice and cut with no hesitation. Use a sharp pair of scissors. Exploring your creativity in cutting would give better impact to every page of your scrapbook.

Journaling

Adding some handwritten text also involves creativity. Putting some captions, names, dates by your hand would let give some personal touch on each page. The use of templates and paper cut outs would also be great.

When using pens, make sure that they are acid-free to avoid degrading the scrapbooks image. Use different colors for each page.

You can ask your friends and family members to help you write something on the pages.

Finishing touches

Put some additional decorations for final touches. Stickers, handwritten shapes, and paper cut outs are some of the things you can add as your final touches. Compile the pages carefully and share it with friends.

Now that your have your own scrapbook, you can add pages anytime you want to and you can keep your memories alive for as long as you keep your scrapbook alive.

Nationally renowned interior designer, Barbara Schmidt, suggests the gift of professional custom framing. “It offers the opportunity for that special someone to showcase an item that is valuable to them, and that would often be tucked in a closet for nobody else to appreciate.”

The owner of The Designer’s Wall Gallery in Birmingham, Mich., Bonnie Palizzi agrees. She has framed everything from wedding bouquets to a vintage record album to ballerina slippers. “There are so many things a professional custom framer can offer to enhance your piece as well as complement your interior design.”

“Consider framing items that remind you of a memory with an old friend,” Schmidt says. She recommends scavenging old high school yearbooks or sports memorabilia for inspiration. “Even a ticket from a favorite concert can be turned into a delightfully thoughtful gift when framed,” says Schmidt. “Consider making a habit of gifting framed personal mementos that can be used to start a virtual scrapbook on an open wall.”  

Consider these key steps from Schmidt and Palizzi when professionally custom framing gifts:

* Find a professional custom framer near you and visit them with the items you want framed. They can help you choose the matboard and frame. “Crescent’s 100 percent cotton RagMat matboard will ensure that every photo, letter and memento will stay as perfect as the day you frame it,” says Palizzi.

* “Remember to plan ahead. A special gift does take some time to create, so don’t wait until the last minute,” says Schmidt.

* Keep in mind your loved one’s favorite colors to either complement or contrast the art. “Crescent RagMat matboard is available at professional custom frame stores and comes in more than 400 colors, sizes and patterns that will match almost any theme,” says Palizzi.

Finally, Schmidt recommends further enhancing next year’s holiday décor by framing all of this year’s souvenirs. “Why not create a holiday collage? By framing your holiday photos, cards and even the program from your child’s holiday concert as one piece, you can create a visual recap of the entire season,” says Schmidt.

For more information about professional custom framing, visit www.crescentcardboard.com or contact a professional custom framer in your area.

Courtesy of ARA Content

This holiday season digital cameras, photo printers, photo editing software and digital photo frames are expected to be some of the hottest items to fly off store shelves. Whether it’s for yourself or a holiday gift, there are some things you should know before making that digital purchase.

If you are considering purchasing a new digital camera for yourself or as a gift, here are some tips to remember:

* Find the right camera based on a user’s wants, needs and your budget.

Stores like CompUSA offer a wide variety of digital cameras and accessories for the seasoned professional to first-time users. The average picture-taker who just needs to “point and shoot” can find cameras as low as $79, based on features. Higher-quality cameras with larger zoom ratios and more features generally start at about $249 and higher for single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses and fully manual features.  

* Look to see what features are offered.

Important digital camera features to consider are resolution/megapixels, lenses, multimedia capabilities, storage capacity and flash modes. A qualified representative at an electronics retail store will be able to demonstrate how these features work. If you need more memory you can always purchase extra memory cards, as not all cameras come with enough media to ensure plenty of storage. Memory cards are very affordable, with some available for under $10.

* Don’t forget the accessories to complement a new digital camera.

This year there are some fun things to choose from. Portable photo printers are compact mobile devices that enable picture-takers to print 4-inch by 6-inch and 5-inch by 7-inch photos while on the go and share them with family and friends. At CompUSA, portable photo printers are available for under $100. Another great tool to maximize the digital experience is photo editing software. Consider purchasing photo editing software, such as Photo Explosion, which is available for under $50 and makes it easy to edit, organize and share pictures. Another great option for the avid photographer is Scrapbooking software. Scrapbook Factory Deluxe 3.0, available for under $40 provides all the tools to create sensational scrapbooks and other unique photo projects.

With all the advancements in digital photography and the new accessories available, retailers expect to see high interest in digital imaging products.

“At CompUSA, our goal is to do more than just offer the latest technology, we want to help consumers find the best product to suit their needs and we have knowledgeable staff ready to help answer their questions,” says Paul Ewert, executive vice president and general merchandising manager of CompUSA.  

This year there is also a lot of buzz about digital photo frames that enable you to store your photos on a photo frame and, in some cases, easily import new photos from your computer or mobile phone via a wireless connection. CompUSA carries 7-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch and 15-inch digital photo frames ranging in price from $99 to $379, depending on features.

The basic 7-inch and 8-inch digital photo frames require a memory card to store photos. However, many digital photo frames now have internal memory and additional optional features such as MP3 capability and wireless connectivity. For photo lovers who want to take their precious pictures with them, there is also a Digital Key Chain Photo Frame that allows you to store up to 56 photos and carry them with you on a keychain. These are affordable gifts, available from $29 to $49.

With today’s digital photo technology there is no excuse not to take the best pictures ever and capture the memories for years to come. These products and other gift ideas are available at www.compusa.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Scrapbooking With Office Supplies : A Money-saving Alternative by Christine Perry

You love scrapbooking as a hobby, but staying within your budget can be a challenge if you want to indulge in all the latest paper and embellishments for your page layouts. It’s important to balance your passion for making beautiful scrapbook pages with your need to stay out of debt. Scrapbooking with office supplies can be a cost-effective alternative to high-priced scrapbooking embellishments.

The first thing to consider when using office supplies in your page layouts is the overall topic of your scrapbook. For example, is this the kind of scrapbook that has a very informal theme to it - a way for you to chronicle events shared with family and friends? Or, is this a more formal scrapbook that will be presented to someone as a gift? It’s easier to use readily-available office supplies in an informal album than a formal album, like a wedding scrapbook.

Visit your local office supply store or even a large discount store, and shop for the basics first. Does the store carry archival safe pens and paper? Check for essential tools like scissors, adhesives and paper cutters. You often will get a better price at these types of stores than the local scrapbooking store.

Now get creative with possible embellishments. Look for colorful paper clips, brads, simple stickers, and staples. Don’t limit yourself to the standard sizes either. Large paper clips and brads can become accents for photos or journaling blocks. Staples and brads can be used in much the same way as adhesives. Use them to attach die cuts to a page or add a larger page element like a decorative tag.

Office supply stores sell a variety of tags as well. In fact, when tags on scrapbooking pages first became popular, I could only find tags in office stores. They are so versatile on your layouts. Tags come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Look for circle tags, rectangular tags, and square price tags. I especially like to use the tiny price tags that come attached to a piece of string. Tags from office supply stores usually only come in white or beige, but you can overlay cardstock on them to give them more color, or you can paint, ink or chalk them. I use tags in my page titles, journaling blocks, and as a unique page element all its own.

You can find a lot different envelope options when scrapbooking with office supplies. Check the aisles for mailing and shipping materials, as well as the stationary section. A few years ago I learned about bank envelopes. These are small little envelopes that make fun pockets for a short note or photo on your page. They can be a little difficult to find, but I usually found them in the section where cash register tape is sold.

A little imagination can go a long way toward stretching your scrapbooking supply budget. Adding office supplies is just one option. Look around you for more everyday items that can be used in your scrapbooks.

About the Author
Christine Perry invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and scrapbooking seaworld tips.

Simple scrapbook is not your usual album that relies on the chronological events. It does not focus on the usual things such as family traditions, daily routines, hopes, and dream. It sits itself outside the traditional album. It is small, short and more manageable. It is simple and focuses on the sidelights of your life or the small details that is overcastted by the usual things that matter to you. In other words, the traditional scrapbook is like moments taken on pictures while simple scrapbook are the things that happen before and after the pictures were taken.

There are 5 terms that describe what simple scrapbook is: Freedom, Format, Framework, Finished, and Fast. These five are further discussed below.

Freedom as referred to making a simple scrapbook means that the one creating it has the liberty to simplify all the events that would be included on the scrapbook. The freedom to explore other aspects of life, use of non-traditional elements, and capture things that may not be seen on regular scrapbook. And most of all; the freedom to make the scrapbook as the exact interpretation of the creator’s idea.

Format shows the uniqueness of one scrapbook from the rest; and somehow, each scrapbook follows certain format. This means, a simple scrapbook has a size, content, and characteristics that is relatively the same with the rest of the scrapbooks but entirely uses different in approach. This makes one simple scrapbook stand out from any other scrapbooks.

Format also sets a particular theme or color scheme of one scrapbook. The colors used and the designs made are some of the usual components that bring out a simple scrapbook into a work of art. The placement of various elements also brings a lot of impact on the overall image of the scrapbook.

Framework is one characteristic of the simple scrapbook that is entirely unique from the rest of the scrapbooks. The framework is often defined as the group of pages including the table of contents and the title, dedication or the introduction page, section pages, filler pages, closing page, and materials file that show that overall structure of the scrapbook. Oftentimes, it is the first thing made since it defines what is the flow of the album. In simple terms, the framework is like the blueprint and the foundation of the album.

Another distinct characteristic of the simple scrapbook is the idea that once it is started, it can be finished. It is unlike the chronological album that is continuously filled up and may not be finished as started. Factor such as unavailability to add pages on the chronological album hampers the excitement once have. In simple scrapbook, you can assure yourself that once you start it, you can finish it. This is because you are working on a specific framework that is specifically made to finish. And since you are working on this framework, you will exactly know how far can you go and how many pages you will use. Once you have met this, your album is done.

A chronological scrapbook takes a lot of time to create. And as was mentioned, you may not still finish it. Simple scrapbook is different. You can finish it as soon as you start it. Again, this is the result of the framework that you follow. In fact, after you have finished the framework, you are that close to finishing it.

If you have decided to create your simple scrapbook, you have to know 3 things.

First, you should identify your purpose. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” “What kind of emotion or celebration would I want to put in the album?”

Second, you have to create the format. Identify the size of the album and the theme to use. Know how to organize the ideas and put them to paper. Create the framework.

And third, you have to prepare the materials used.

Once you have all these, you will easily create your own simple scrapbook.

Just like photos, scrapbooks are keepers of precious moments that you would always want to return back to. The moments that you have captured in photos and the moments of your creativity, deeply embedded in every page, note, captions and journals in your scrapbook.

One day, you’ll take a look at the scrapbooks you have created and they will deliver you back in time.

Not all of us are avid scrapbookers. Many may not even have tried starting one. However, we all have an idea of how to preserve our past. Well, scrapbooking is like that, only you would have to add up some creativity and art concepts into it.

The hardest junction might be to start from scratch. Scrapbooking may look simple for some yet the hours and the ideas you have to invest on them are so enormous that many find themselves initially frustrated. Or possibly, on wits end before an idea crops up.

We have prepared some guidelines in here that you may modify and apply in your own experiences. Basically, this is just a collection of ideas that will help shed light on the thoughts bugging in your mind.

Somehow you have to know your own style.

Shine up with your personality. After all, it will show in your craft. If you are not as sure with what truly is your preference when making the design or the layout of your scrapbook, it is best that you analyze your self first. Know your personal tastes and refrain from following the hypes and fads as presented in the scrapbooking industry. This way, you will more likely to produced original and personal ideas that will work best in your own ways.

Sometimes, we have to find outlets for our personalities to show. Some people do writing stuffs, some delve into less serious practices. Scrapbooking though may fill the gaps between the two.

If it is really that difficult to produce an original idea, you can forgive yourself by mimicking other scrapper’s works.

Many find great uses in other people’ s designs. Sometimes, they even bring out the best from adopting a concept into their own. This technique is called scraplifting.

Other people choose not to follow this concept. However for beginners it is always easier to follow those that worked for many. Somehow, along the way they will find their own methods of doing things.

As a beginner, it won’t harm if you check some great works. Then modify these using your own materials, photos and touches. And once a good inspiration breaks out, the scrapbooker may find herself immersed in the confidence of doing things in her own way.

Create your own mood board.

Mood boards are commonly used in the fashion industry as testing grounds for new ideas. These are like boards wherein cutouts, drafts of designs and fabric swatches are portrayed to provide initial impressions of the new trend. In fact, anything that will help the viewer’s see the direction and concepts of the designers are placed on the mood board.

By making use of mood boards, a scrapper may easily find her style. Placing concepts into more tangible mediums will construct foundations for your layouts and intentions.

Don’t be too critical in this process. While flipping through magazines, you need not know why a picture or an image attracts you. If it produces positive reaction then go and tear it out. This is one good test to determine your style.

Second, you would want to check on color combinations. For some of us, we have already set definite grounds on what our favorite color is what we may most likely not use. Using a single group of shades is good if you can manipulate and mix them into varying combinations.

However, most people find it hard to detract themselves from a single concept. It won’t be bad if you will experiment on some other hues. When inspiration turns bad and there seem to be no color available for you, look at the butterflies for inspiration.

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Epson America Inc. today announced the start of the Epson CreativeZone Holiday Craft Contest, inviting the paper craft and scrapbook community to submit their winter holiday greeting cards, scrapbook pages or holiday paper craft creations inspired by the free downloadable content on the Epson CreativeZone.
Finalists will have their projects evaluated by Epson and several well-known celebrities from the craft and scrapbook community, including Rhonna Farrer, Renee Pearson and Jessica Sprague. Winning projects in each category will be featured on the Epson CreativeZone Web site (http://www.EpsonCreativeZone.com) during the holiday season. In addition, first prize winners in each category will receive an Epson Stylus(R) Photo R1800 printer, and second prize winners will receive a PictureMate Dash(TM).

Epson CreativeZone Holiday Craft Contest submissions will be reviewed individually by category, and contestants are welcome to submit projects in multiple categories. Submissions will be evaluated using the following criteria:

* Epson CreativeZone Patterned Page — All projects must include creative
use of at least one patterned page from the Epson CreativeZone Web
site, which are available to download for free. The patterned page does
not need to be from a CreativeZone winter holiday project specifically.

* Winter Holiday Theme — Project submissions must display a winter
holiday theme, including color scheme, design and embellishments.

* Creativity — Consideration will be given to projects that are
original, innovative and inspiring.

* Functionality — Project submissions should be appealing, practical and
easily re-created; projects should be designed for the beginner to
intermediate levels and not require complex instructions or techniques.

* Quality — Project submissions should be completed, neat, and display
good color, balance, design, and high quality photos; computer fonts
will be preferred over handwriting.

To enter the Epson CreativeZone Holiday Craft Contest, contestants should submit an e-mail to EpsonHolidayContest@walt.com and include the following: at least one photograph or scan of the completed winter holiday-themed greeting card, scrapbook page or paper craft; a detailed list of supplies; step-by-step instructions explaining how the project was
created (including any specific techniques used); and project dimensions. E-mail attachment files must be in JPEG or TIFF format and 300-500KB in size. Entries must also include the contestant’s full name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. All submissions must be received by October 31, 2007.

Contest submissions must not have been previously published or submitted for other contests or publications. Selected finalists will be required to mail Epson their original projects for final judging; submitted projects will become property of Epson and will not be returned to their owners. Contestants may want to consider creating two of each entry: one to
keep, and one to send.

Additional information and the official rules for the Epson CreativeZone Holiday Craft Contest are available at http://www.EpsonCreativeZone.com under Articles.

About Epson America Inc.
Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and
image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic
arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added
point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail
market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of
Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of
high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased
functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency.
Epson America, Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.
Note: Specifications are subject to change. Epson, Epson Stylus, and
PictureMate are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corp. PictureMate Dash
is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Epson CreativeZone is a service
mark of Epson America Inc.

SOURCE Epson America Inc.

There are many elements to scrapbooking furniture. First, are the actual desk tops. A large working surface is required, especially if you do a lot of the 12 x 12 albums or pages. I found a great solution at my local Target store. In the scrapbooking department, they have craft desks that come with modular components. You can mix and match them until you have the perfect solution for your needs. They can be added on to as well, which makes them very versatile. I chose a plain desk top, along with two of the 12 x 12 paper stackers. Then I added a large file cabinet drawer and some of the small drawers to hold embellishments, tags, ribbons, etc.

Other solutions include the portable scrapbooking totes, which enable you to take your scrapbooking projects with you. These are great if you go to a lot of crops. Table top paper trays and other small plastic organizers can hold pens, pencils, chalks, etc.

Check out your local JoAnn Craft Store or Michaels for some of the latest scrapbooking furniture items. New items come out regularly.

If you don’t buy this for yourself, you might consider it as a gift for a scrapbooking relative or friend. These come out on an annual basis so you may wish to consider purchasing the 2008 Calendar for “Crop A Day” for next year. Get a head start on your scrapbooking projects.

Scrapbooking kits are great ways to begin the craft with. They offer the basics for new crafters without having to spend much on them. Often, newbies have no idea of what would complete a page of an album or what theme to use for the entire album itself. With all the options set in their horizon, it is easy for them to get confused and be misled with choosing the “cool” and “pretty” stuffs.

By using scrapbooking kits, you are less susceptible to low confidence when making decisions. This often comes when the new scrapper hasn’t honed his artistic capabilities yet. With the use of these materials, it is easier for the crafter to find his ways through training. These would let him see the possibilities of designs, themes and concepts to draw encouragement in setting their personal and innovative designs.

A scrapbooking kit works well too with people who have always loved the activity yet they are much too preoccupied with things of greater and immediate importance. Having a good combination of everything that you are expected to use can make it a lot easy to mount pictures and memorabilias into layouts without having to think much on the designs. Thus, you enjoy the fun of scrapbooking without having to take long hours typical for the obsession.

Obviously, since the materials in a kit are limited to those of the basics, your creativity too is very much limited. After all, if you would follow the lines that started from scrapbooking kits, you will see that it is linear. Experimentation are not as much welcomed therefore, limiting your creativity.

It is not to say that you have to make use of all the items found in the kit or that it you are strictly limited to those that you see. However, the normal reaction we have when we see the items designed t fit together, we tend not to use our imaginations anymore and be settled on what’s within our sights.

There usually are specific uses for scrapbooking its. They normally work well for typical themes like birthdays, weddings, baby concepts and family themes. If you wish to create more diverse themes, kits won’t get you through there. After all, they’re only there to act as your training wheels. Once you’ve learned the curves, it would be more manageable for you to explore newer dimensions.

If you have plans of taking scrapbooking kits to newer heights, you can tray adding your own touches to them and use them for later projects. Atleast, now you already have fixed choices that you can work on to in case you find the hunch to start with an album. Keep in mind though that the package would coordinate well and will look good together when used.

Few of the basic things that should be found in your scrapbooking kit are as follows:

§ A scrapbook or an album
§ Papers (plain or patterned that has a common theme)
§ Die cuts
§ Stickers
§ Ink and rubber stamp
§ Any type of scissors
§ Punchers
§ Cardstocks
§ Ruler
§ Markers, pens and pencils
§ Envelopes
§ Adhesives
§ Stencils
§ Photos
§ Any sort of embellishments

You may add many other things to these and be creative as to what to add. However, the only problem that you would have to deal with is the limit of your budget. Though scrapbooking may seem handy, the stuffs that you will be using would actually cause you to spend much. Especially when you have the strong urge of buying even those that you actually can’t use.

As you walk your way through the scrapbooking shop, you should keep in mind the mental lists of everything that must be thrown into the basket. It is not a good practice to buy all things that you see nice. You need some planning or else, you’ll find yourself dealing with problems on storage.

And please keep in mind that the common denominator among scrappers is their weakness on papers. Since this component takes the largest portion of use, we all fall in the trap of taking more than what we need.