Scrapbooking Yourself as an Individual, Homemaker, Worker, and More

From age 25 onwards, our grand adventure has just unfolded as we embrace adulthood.

Here's where you experienced first-hand the lessons of life and be prodded along to grow up in the face of challenges.

By scrapbooking about yourself as an adult, you'll have scrapbook pages reminding you on how far you've come and the important aspects of your life.

Not only will your scrapbooks offer clarifying thoughts on where your goals are, you'll also become more certain of yourself as an individual.

Then as you flip through these scrapbooks about you, you'll fondly recall once again the journey you've traveled. And these scrapbooks could well offer invaluable insights and lessons to be learned by your grandchildren. "Wow, Granny Thelma led such a colorful life and she's one gutsy woman!"

For firm ideas on how to scrapbook about yourself, continue reading on the various themes you can put your fingers on.

Unique Being

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

- Helen Keller

Scrapbooking about your character is a delightful theme to work on as you wrap yourself up in the project. Here's where you don on your thinking cap and investigate into the depths of your own character.

The knowledge that there'll never be anyone exactly like you will give you the added oomph to scrapbook about yourself.

Dwell on the positive traits you see in yourself. These pages could well serve as lessons for your future generations, as important traits they could model after you.

Are courage, enthusiasm, personal growth, fun-loving, determination among your best traits? What other positive qualities you carry within you? List down all your best qualities.
Put down all your outstanding traits on a single or double-spread scrapbook page. Alternatively, you can go in-depth and dedicate a page to each of your best qualities,highlighting occasions or events when you've exhibited the particular quality.
What qualities do you admire most in others? Scrapbook about these traits as well. Pull in a photo or two of the people who consistently show the traits you admire.
What traits do you believe will make a great character? Scrapbook about the values and principles that you've adopted and believe will guide you and your future generations in their lives.
What are your priorities in life and how do your priorities affect you as a person?

Homemaker

"The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the wall of our own homes."

- Harold B. Lee

This theme will open up your eyes to the importance of having a capable homemaker to ensue an orderly and well-run household.

If you are a homemaker, you need to see for yourself the value in what you're doing on scrapbook pages. Remember, you're a marvel for pouring love and efforts into transforming a house into a home that radiates security, warmth and comfort to all those who's living in there.

What do you do to keep your house in such a well-maintained condition? Scrapbook about the ways and methods you poured yourself into making your house a success.
How do you manage to cleverly schedule your daily routine in such a smooth manner, even when it's peppered with hundred and one errands to run?
Describe your daily crazy schedule in fine details, flavored with meal preparations, household chores, family activities, and peppered with occasional hiccups here and there.
What books, websites or perhaps mentors who have given you inspirations and ideas on maintaining a well-run home?
How about scrapbooking about the ideal home you'll like to create? What about your latest home-decorating project?
Remember the home parties you so lovingly and painstakingly put together for your kids on top of being a wonderful homemaker? Put these down too.

Working Woman

"Work is the meat of life, pleasure the dessert."

- Bertie Charles Forbes

A part of your self-confidence as a person stems from how well you're doing in your job. For some of you, your work may well form a very fulfilling part of your life.

When this happens, what do you do? You scrapbook about your work!

What aspects of your job do you find most challenging? What do you appreciate about your current job? Your likes and dislikes of your job duties.
Your choice of a job also speaks of your talents and interests, so go into the fine details of your current job. Empower yourself by scrapbooking about the important projects or long-term goals you have for your work.
Did you hold different jobs through the years? Scrapbook on the job duties you've handled at each job. List down your wages and benefit packages. What do you like best about each job? What have you learned at each job?
Scrapbook about the employers, colleagues or people who influenced the way you worked. Did someone teach you something valuable about work excellence or how to become a more efficient worker?
Any pleasant and memorable memories with your colleagues or the people you've met at work?
What do you hope to accomplish in your job? What's your definition of work success and have you achieved the job success you're seeking for? Scrapbook about these too.

Reinventor

"In the pursuit to better ourselves we are sure to encounter failure. Going on after each failure is how character is built." - Allan L. Barr

This is an interesting theme to explore and scrapbook about. You're unlikely to be stagnant and will undergo the continual motion of change.

Are you a person who believes in personal self-growth? Do you constantly seek out opportunities to reinvent your life and better yourself as a person?

Then have a ball scrapbooking on these ideas!

What steps had you taken or are taking to reinvent yourself?
What aspects of your life do you most wish to change or reinvent? Describe the times in your life where you've experienced the greatest growth.
Describe the toughest thing you've ever done, and would you have done it any differently now?
What failures have you gone through in life? What's the good things you've learned from your failures? Usually, failures offer you opportunities for growth.
How about the missed opportunities in your life. What other options did you take up instead? Would you have grabbed the missed opportunities on hindsight?
What are the best pieces of self-improvement advice you've receive from others?
Describe your ideal self. What are the qualities that your ideal self possesses? How would she behave and act?

Dreamer

"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."

- Langston Hughes

Do you still have dreams? Or are your dreams long-buried somewhere because you don't believe in having dreams anymore?

Or are you too caught up with life to think about your dreams?

I remember someone once mentioned that if we don't know what our dreams are, then how do we know we've reached them when we did? Isn't that an awakening statement?

Like they said, we'll only pass by this life only once, so let's dig out your long forgotten dreams and make a leap for them.

Here's some ideas to help you along in scrapping about your dreams.

Make a list of the top 10 goals you'll like to accomplish this year. How about the top 20 dreams you'll like to see fulfilled in your lifetime? Somehow, seeing these goals on scrapbook pages clarifies them in your mind.
What are the sights that you most desire to see? Countries that you most want to travel to? China? Russia? Exotic Asia?
What hobbies or crafts you've been longing to learn or pick up? Professional photography? Card-making? Playing piano?
Any keep fit or weigh loss goals to work towards your dream figure? Toning up your flabby arms? Finally having a flat tummy?
What's your dream house like? Where will it be located? Who'll be living in the house with you? A white two-storey terrace house facing the beautiful, blue sea?
Any dreams of going back to school? What courses have you been thinking of taking up to upgrade yourself? A master degree? Learning to write effective sales copy?
What acts of generosity will you perform when you're rich with money? $100,000 to your favorite charity? An all-inclusive trip to the Anguilla beaches for your whole family?
If you've failed in making your dreams come true in the past, why do you think you've failed then? What steps could you take to overcome these obstacles?

My Favorites

One ought every day at least to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This theme is inspired by the song, "My Favorites Things" from the classic movie, "The Sound of Music".

You'll have unique and different tastes and styles from the rest of the population. Occasionally, you'll have the good fortune to find someone who shares similar favorite things.

This is an absolutely fun theme to scrapbook about and yet it says so loudly of what you are.

Make a list of your top 25 favorite things in your life.
Favorite colors, movies, music, books, food, desserts, ice-cream, brand of apparel, hair shampoo, body lotion, restaurants, hangouts, quotes, poems, sayings, persons, authors, composers, bands, musicals, shoes, bags, etc. This list is practically endless.
Another method to help you narrow down is probably to think about what things you couldn't live without! ;-)

Alright, hope that these themes have ignited your imagination for more themes to scrapbook about yourself.

Happy scrapping!

Fion Lim is the creator of http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com. She enjoys scrapbooking as a hobby and finds pleasure in sharing scrapbooking ideas, tips and techniques with beginner scrapbookers through her scrapbooking site.

Why QVC Scrapbooking With Lisa Bearnson Sells Out So Fast!

One of the most popular products among scrappers today is the QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson line. She is the founding editor of the very popular Creating Keepsakes magazine. She's a celebrity in the scrapbooking industry, and she is known for staying on the cutting edge of the latest in scrapbooking techniques and products. This spunky woman is creative and colorful when it comes to scrapbooking and really knows her stuff!

Lisa Bearnson has come up with some fabulous lines of product, and QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson is one set of products that is always selling out faster than this channel can keep it in stock! Most of her products are mini album sets. She has four different volumes of Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson QVC markets for her. Each volume includes a full color book with scrapbooking tips and techniques and her favorite page layouts from her appearances on QVC. The mini album comes with everything you need to assemble a themed scrapbook album. The paper, brads, embellishments, ribbons, and tags are packaged by page number making it easy to put together an album in a couple of hours or less. All you need to add are your photos and some adhesive. You even receive some bonus materials in each volume, like stamp sets or chipboard letters.

Scrapbooking may have lost some favor with some hobbyists in the past few years, but it's a pursuit that still goes strong with many. Even entire expos and seminars have been conducted around scrapbooking, and some even organize retreats or weekends away just for this craft. anyone experienced in scrapbooking will appreciate the beautiful products offered through QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson. Her products are second to none.

One of the things that makes QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson so unique and useful to many is that she produces, along with scrapbooking products, books and videos that can really demonstrate how to make some amazing scrapbook pages. As of this writing, she actually has four colorful books that will explain to anyone, regardless of their experience with scrapping, the finer details of this hobby and walk you through step-by-step what's necessary to preserve your finest memories in a beautiful scrapbook. Some QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson products even include her own personal family scrapbooks, so that you can see how she actually applies her own methods and techniques to come up with a beautiful product.

You get a lot of support when you purchase QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson products. She maintains her own website and even a regular blog, all dedicated to scrapbooking. You can get a free tip of the month on her site as well.

Anyone dedicated to this hobby would do well to check out the QVC Scrapbooking with Lisa Bearnson set of products. Even if you don't care to shop through QVC, you can purchase many of her products on her own website, including her how-to books and mini albums. Whatever scrapbooking materials and supplies you are looking for, you're sure to find something you love.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and information on scrapbooking lesson plans.

Scrapbooking Your Baby's First Years

The miraculous and magnificent gift of having a baby stands out as possibly the most important occurrence of one's life. As the baby grows up, precious moments should be not only enjoyed but also preserved. From the moment of the baby's birth, every thing that happens to them or that they do is important to the parents. The baby's physical development and milestones such as first steps, first words, first haircut, and first tooth should be recorded, for it is nearly impossible to remember them all. Using a baby scrapbook allows one to preserve and record all of these precious moments. The memories will resurface as they are viewed in the future. Scrapbooks may either be created by hand or through the use of scrapbook software.The following are some scrapbook ideas:

Pregnancy Scrapbooks

Pregnancy scrapbooks allow the child to one day experience the mother's memories from that special time. A pregnancy scrapbook can begin with a photo of the mother on the day she first discovered that she was pregnant. Photos can be regularly updated to show how the mother's body progressively changes. Side photos provide an excellent view of the growing belly. Photos of the doctor who delivered the baby and the hospital at which the birth occurred should be included as well. The end of the pregnancy scrapbook should list an excerpt from the mother about how she felt when she saw her baby for the first time.

Lullaby Scrapbook

A lullaby-themed scrapbook can record photos of the baby sleeping, as it will do frequently, in various positions with differing facial expressions. The innocent baby look can be captured as it slumbers. Mothers tend to sing lullabies they learned from their mothers to lull the baby to sleep. The scrapbook also could include song lyrics of these lullabies and thoughts and feelings experienced by the mother as the child sleeps. This type of scrapbook could be continued as the child gets a bit older, and it could include the songs the child likes to sing.

Baby's Firsts

Another of the many baby scrapbook ideas is to record the baby's first milestones. This type of scrapbook will be unique to each child. Sentimental objects such as first birthday or Christmas cards, pictures recording the first haircut, first steps, and other firsts can be inserted. Funny pronunciations of words spoken by the child can be written in spaces on these pages. Tradition is not a necessity; the person doing the scrapbook can be as creative as they choose to be. Non-traditional scrapbooks make for an interesting book to browse in the future.

Journal Scrapbook

Parents can create and maintain a diary for their baby. They can record the first few years for the baby, and let the child continue keeping the diary when he or she is able to write. Memories parents wish to later share with the child when he or she is able to comprehend them can be preserved in this journal scrapbook. A good journal scrapbook idea is to write down the story behind certain photos included in the book. If the photos are used to tell the story, then the amount of writing can be kept to a minimum. The story may either be summarized or described in detail as needed for maximum impact.

Using either physical materials and scrapbook ideas or scrapbook software, parents can have a hand in shaping and creating a child's concept of his or her life before memory began, while simultaneously preserving their own memories of this precious time in their lives. Scrapbooks provide parents with memories accessible through vision.

I'm interested in scrapbook software And I'd like to share with you the scrapbook ideas, you can talk Internet, photography or something related to them with me.

Your Scrapbook Pages - How To Enhance Their Looks

A scrapbook is no different from a paperback novel. Words usually tell you what is happening and can be seen in every image. Though this never reaches anything more than 100 pages, it gets enough for an entertaining story having a beginning and reaching an end.

Every page in the scrapbook is apparently made up of paper. You could always buy these in bookstores. The ones which are lignin and acid free and those safe for photos are often preferred. This would ensure endurance to your pages as long as proper storage is ascertained.

You can also start with pieces of specialized papers, recycled ones, colored papers, art papers or construction papers that you can compile after. Some scrap bookers do this because they don't want to make all the pages uniform. Not all cuttings can be done with a scissors. Sometimes, you need a cutter to make your work a little easier. When using a cutter, make sure that you have a cutting board underneath to avoid cutting papers underneath or worse putting cut lines on the surface of the table.

Undoing changes is not very easy and hence you need to keep everything in order initially before starting to cut. Dual tapes could be used until the hobbyist is satisfied with the look. Only then it would be wise to move onto the next page.

At times, more than one day is required to complete a page. To know how the succeeding pages would look when placed besides each other, the hobbyist should flip the pages back at occasional instance to ensure continuity from every cover.

Getting a durable cover for your photo album would be the best way to take care of your scrapbook. It would make sure that the contents are safe when stored in a cool hidden place.

Sometimes, regardless of however careful you are, the elements might cause scrapbook decay. Hence the option of putting it up on some website or saving in a compact disc would be a wise idea in these cases.

Initially, scrapbooks were made conventionally using mere papers and imagination. In the present day, the same could be done online, by enabling the hobbyist to download various templates for imaginative designing. The scrapbook could be completed and one could also have it posted in some website.

One would simply have to run the search engine through to browse for appropriate sites and that would seldom cost a thing. The user could also save the templates and other findings on his local system. Working in this manner would be helpful in starting off with where the project was left incomplete.

Several methods would tell you about excelling in this area of interest. One significant approach is by looking at other similar projects so that you get some idea on the subject and the corresponding theme.

Scrapbooking has been done since ages and there is now an expansion in this area of interest. People prefer the idea as many are not content with having everything in a photo album. You must know that every scrapbook is composed of memorable pages and the effort in them is more than worth its mere size.

Abhishek is a Scrapbooking expert and he has got some great Scrapbooking Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 73 Pages Ebook, "Scrapbooking Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Fun-Galore.com/821/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Scrapbooks That Work: Some Cool Ideas

If you think scrapbooks are old, outdated or out of style - think again. Scrapbooking is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has progressed just as the computer has. There's a good reason why it's so huge and why it's been around so long. Scrapbooks keep your memories and allow you to be creative with it at the same time. If you've run out of ideas, fret not. We're going to run through some great things you can put in your scrapbook as well as some ideas of when you might want to start putting together your next one.

Let's go.

The Recipe.

What's a recipe? It's a list of ingredients. So let's get your recipe for a fun scrapbook that will have the ability to transport you back to the memories it depicts instantaneously.

The first ingredients you'll want to include are, of course, pictures! "Scraps" are what they used to call unmounted pictures, so you really can't have a scrapbook without pictures in it. Include the ones that evoke the most emotion from you. Maybe it's a still picture of a flower taken on the top of a mountain you hiked. On the other hand, it might be an action picture of your son or daughter's baseball game or volleyball shot. Colorful, part the moment, representing something you love. That's how to choose the ideal picture from the possible thousands you may have on hand. Also, if you're making a themed scrapbook - it should obviously fit that too.

Another great, but slightly lesser known ingredient to is include tickets. It doesn't matter what kind of tickets because they all have a few things in common: It means you went to some special event and that there's probably a story that goes along with it. So whether we're talking about airplane tickets, sports tickets, movie tickets, theatre tickets or museum tickets - you might consider including them.

Some other ideas to put into your scrapbook are: personal writings by you or to you, magazine articles or titles, drawings, stamps, glitter, any collectable cards that you don't expect to sell for millions in later years and possibly parts of maps you might have used during some getaway. They're great ways to bring your scrapbook to life.

The Right Time.

Scrapbooking is a personal affair, so only you will know when the best time to start putting one together is. But just in case you think you should start a scrapbook based on your favorite bathroom reading...we'll offer a few suggestions.

One great idea is to have a scrapbook in addition to or in place of, the traditional photo album. Just as the whole family is in the photo album, you can try to get the whole family involved in adding something to the family scrapbook. Everyone can take turns with full pages or two people to a page, 3 or everyone. It doesn't have to be all in one night, but it's a great ongoing family activity you can start tonight.

An obvious one is to make a scrapbook based on the family vacation, but here's something to keep in mind: If you really want to be able to recall the memories of a vacation, make the scrapbook while you're still ON the vacation. Why? Because it's the little things that you include in your book that will bring back those memories. For example, maybe a conversation about a seashell had everyone laughing silly - well you might forget that seashell incident and only remember the main events: the ocean, the water park, the golfing, etc....

Remember - it's the little things that really give a scrapbook the most character. Those little details give them life. Get creative with yours and think about having the whole family or your loved one get in on it as well. Scrapbooks are a great way to preserve some of the best memories you'll have.

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Scrapbooking Paper: Five Ideas for Your Leftovers

If there's one thing I have a ton of around my scrapbooking room, it's leftover pieces of scrapbooking paper. From brightly colored patterned paper to basic cardstock, each and every scrapbook layout I create generates at least a few little leftovers.

Most scrapbookers are thrifty types, and the thought of tossing, or even recycling, all those little jewels is enough to make us break out in a sweat. Never fear! Here are five creative ideas for using leftover scrapbooking paper of all sizes:

1. Decoupage. When I was in grade school, we were treated to a mix of tissue paper and Elmer's glue and told to cover everything from old wine bottles to votive candle holders. I can't say the results were particularly appealing, but it did keep us busy! Now, you can take the same approach with your leftover patterned paper and cardstock, combining them with a craft glue like Aleene's or ModPodge. I've had great success with covering wooden items, like frames, as well as notebook covers, pencils, and more.

2. Paper Dolls. I have yet to meet the little girl who doesn't love paper dolls! My tiny paper stash is heaven for my six-year-old, who loves to create outfits for her paper families. You can cut a doll shape from a neutral color, and provide her stacks of scraps to cut hats, dresses, scarves, shoes, and anything her little fashionista heart desires. You can even create paper dolls to add to your scrapbook pages, too.

3. Small Notebooks. I love cutting up equal-sized sheets of a variety of papers and binding them with my Bind-It-All or with binder rings into small notebooks, journals, or scrapbooks. These make terrific gifts, or you can just position one next to the telephone to catch all those names and numbers that tend to drift off into oblivion.

4. Punches. Stars, arrows, hearts, and flowers are great additions to almost any theme scrapbook layout. I often pre-punch shapes in a variety of sizes to have on hand, and then store them in an envelope for future use. Note: This is a great task for little hands that want to "help" you scrapbook! They can feel useful and do something productive for you at the same time.

5. Reverse Applique. In sewing, an applique is a patch of fabric that is attached to the surface of the main item being embellished. A reverse applique is where the surface of the main item is cut, and the embellishing material is sewn underneath, as a backing. The same technique can be used in scrapbooking; you can punch or cut out an area of your main page, and back the negative shape with patterned paper or a contrasting color of cardstock. This simple process can give a lot of depth and dimension to your page, without adding a lot of bulk.

For more creative ideas for cheap scrapbooking supplies, visit Lain Ehmann's blog at http://www.layoutaday.com. Through scrapbooking videos, tutorials, projects and inspiration, Lain helps her readers make their scrapbooking fun, fast and fabulous!

Scrapbooking Paper

Manual scrapbooking is dependent of a variety of papers. Patterned paper, vellum color paper or specialty paper are amongst the favorites of scrapbooking pundits. There different forms of paper will help you make your scrapbook beautiful and easy.

Sharon Ann has literally hundreds of types of scrapbooking paper. For instance they have scrapbook paper for each gender of babies. Baby boys and baby girls each get their own scrapbook paper. They also have several piece cuts to enter the first twelve months of their lives. They also carry numerous borders and designs that will make your memories exciting.

Basic prints in paper include double sided patriotic papers, one color, dot, stripes, plaid, gingham etc. They come in many excellent colors. Babyline papers help you design your scrapbook layout. Their lines of printed vellums and textured card stock will make your project more eye-catching.

Images can also be enhanced with patriotic patterns. The choices include stars, alphabetic cord stocks and red and blue stars. These patterns are place on vellum and are an ideal background for pictures and clippings. Using navy gangham and stars on vellum provides an effective background for all your outdoor photographs.

His story, a rugged texture design paper consists of various patterns such as giant gingham, brushed, turtle shell, blue marbled etc. Two colors that can lend a striking background that will suit all your outdoor photos are sand stone and water color sand stone.

Another online location for scrapbooking paper is one of the best sites on the internet. Paper Addict has more than five thousand varieties of paper. The variety grows with each passing day. One of the papers they feature is the Ancestry collection. This collection includes a wide range of papers. They are excellent to store family photos and pictures. They also have an Ancestry family history book that contains 38 pages of different types of soft papers for use with the family history scrapbook. The book also contains excellent scrapbook layout ideas.

Another of the paper collection at Paper Addict is Bo bunny. It has lots of colorful paper models, including flowers, dots, hearts, stripes and much more. With the wide selection, you are sure to find one that will meet your scrapbooking requirements. Basic grey model has a relatively neutral background with colorful stripes, dots, monograms, both mini and regular, and much more. This model is perfect for sending messages and conveying regards.

To offer a powerful eye-catching background, consider Scrap bour Italian papers. With the multitude of designs such as velvet collections, grace collection, Elizabeth collection, Paul collections, St. Danis collections and sublime collections, the different depictions of rose pictures will make powerful backgrounds for your project.

Scrap bour Italian fashion collection is very suitable to express your love. This background has a beautiful image of a young lady with a flower background. If available, the Scrap bour soiree collection is very nice paper much like the Italian fashion collection. They both have beautiful young ladies as the central theme.

Scrapbooking papers must have two qualities. They must be strong to make albums and of course they must be attractive. There are many designs of scrapbooking paper to use in your scrapbook albums. Many are humorous which and also remain for a longer period of time as a token of your memories. There are separate scrapbooking papers for all the events in a year, such as valentines, Christmas, Mothers day, Fathers day, birthday and lots more.

Been there, done that, scrapped a page about it

Ken