Preserving Your Memories Through Scrapbooks

Good memories are one of life’s treasures. Unlike material things, memories are able to give you constant enjoyment at no cost to you. Simply recall what occurred, how you felt, and who was there, then, “Boom.” It’s as if you’re reliving it! Enter the scrapbook. Keeping a scrapbook is one of the best ways to preserve your memories. What is a scrapbook? A scrapbook is basically a book, similar to a notebook or a journal, wherein personal or family memorabilia, photos, and notes are collected and arranged in some logical or meaningful manner.

Making a Scrapbook

Making a scrapbook is easy. In a nutshell, you just have to choose which memories you want to preserve, gather up some photos and memorabilia of them, prepare scrapbooking materials, and use your creative imagination to put it all together. There are no rules for making a scrapbook. There are even kits available that can speed the process along. Though your imagination and time restraints have the final say, here are a few guidelines you can use in making your very own scrapbook.

1. Organize all the photos and memorabilia that you want to include in your scrapbook by date, theme, people, etc. You can include photographs, movie passes, chocolate wrappers, party favors, or whatever memorabilia you have that you want to remember.

2. Choose what theme you will use for your scrapbook. Oftentimes, scrapbooks are dedicated to special occasions like birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or other holiday. In that case, you can purchase a scrapbook from craft stores like Michael’s that illustrate those themes on their covers. Again there are no rules; you just have to be creative. You can even take a plain cardboard scrapbook and make your own designs to reflect your personal aesthetic.

3. Plan your whole scrapbook, including the size, what to put and what to do on each page. Typing out captions for each picture creates a story for the viewer and can direct them to certain feelings or events you want them to remember. Organizing and writing down your thoughts will also help to prevent mistakes in your scrapbook. Nothing’s worse than getting to the last page of your almost completed work and finding a mistake!

4. Execute your plan. Now is the time to get your creative juices flowing. Gather everything you will use then place it as you wish in each page of the scrapbook. When everything’s put into place, preserve your scrapbook long-term by using an acid-free spray (available at most craft stores) to prevent deterioration of the paper.

The following link gives more detailed instructions on making your scrapbook. http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/beginners.html.

So what do you fill your scrapbooks with? Pictures, of course! Pictures are memories caught on film. For an entertaining scrapbook, you’ll want to capture your precious moments just right. Here are few tips on taking better family pictures.

1.      Positioning is key. Be artistic about it. Think beyond the box. You don’t always have to take people pictures everyone perfectly centered, smiling, and posing. Action shots are fun. Movement gives life to photos and is something out of the ordinary for viewers to enjoy. Off center shots allow the viewer’s eyes to travel and take in other things in the picture that he’d normally miss. In my family, we always do a normal pose, then immediately after, a silly pose. You’ll be very surprised and amused to see the faces people come up with!

2.      Take advantage of color and light. If you’re taking shots of people, do you want them to wear similar colors? Taking pictures at dusk gives a whimsical, romantic feel while the noonday sun gives the impression of vibrant life and activity.

3.      Zoom in, zoom out. Close up pictures have their place; not merely to embarrass your younger sister, but to highlight the smile of a child, or a gaze between couples. See how you can make use of this feature on your camera!

For more comprehensive tips on taking better family pictures, check out this link: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/family-portraits-dos-and-donts.

So where do you buy scrapbooking materials? Scrapbooking materials are available at most craft stores like Michaels. Places like Walmart and Target now carry scrapbooking materials as well. Finally, you can recycle notebooks and picture books around the house to create a more unique look. Again, creativity is the key.

Check out this YouTube video on how to make a calendar scrapbook.