11 Lessons I Wish I Learned When I Started Scrapbooking

If you read my newsletter this week, you read about the evolution of your personal scrapbook style. I found an old list that I thought you would find interesting. You will see you are not that different from the published scrapbookers you idolize.
” Here are some of the things I know now that I wish I knew then”

  1. Decide what is most important to leave for your posterity. You’ll know which subject matter to include, and you’ll put more heart and soul into the journaling.
  2. Good, strong photographs are the start of any great scrapbook page.
  3. A clean and organized layout is a timeless design.
  4. Color is essential. It will make or break the overall feel of your layout.
  5. Being creative and experimental with techniques and products is great if it helps to enhance the pictures or theme.
  6. Be choosy with your photos. Every photo you take does not need to be scrapbooked
  7. Events and themes that carry on to more than one layout flow nicely together if they look similar in design or color.
  8. Include a title- even if it is a small one – on every layout to announce and clarify the theme of the page.
  9. Don’t forget the everyday stuff. Life is made up of more than birthdays holidays and vacations.
  10. Even if it’s small and insignificant, include the date somewhere on every layout.
  11. This lesson is from the genealogist in me… if you don’t name everyone in the photo in your journaling, take a moment and write the names on the back of the page where it doesn’t affect the design. Somebody looking at your scrapbook 50 years from now most likely won’t know who is in the picture. Journaling often just has 1st names, put the last names on the back if your can.