Many years ago I became interested in scrapbooking but like many I didn’t know where to start. I visited a local scrapbook supply store hoping to find my answers. I walked in and instead of finding solutions I became completely overwhelmed with all the different choices of papers, stickers, embellishments and more! I only lasted a few minutes in the store before I had to leave and catch my breath. I still felt helpless in knowing how to start my own album, but after some time (and a few mistakes along the way) I finally figured it out.
First you need to gather your photos and other memorabilia that you would like to preserve in an album. So go and gather them up from the boxes under your bed or in the closet, to the memorabilia tucked away in your desk and cupboard drawers. Once you’ve gathered your items up you may find you have a big pile of things on your table. Now don’t despair or give up. The next step you need to do is organize your photos and memorabilia. I personally feel this is the most important step in any project, by taking the time to organize your photos you will save time later in your creative process. You can organize your photos by date (year), person (Grandma G.), event (Family BBQ), and so on. Now do take care as to where you store your photos and memorabilia. Use products that are photo safe and won’t damage your photos.
I strongly discourage using photos in your scapbook albums that you do not have additional copies of. This can either be another copy of the photo or the negatives. If you have photos where there are no negatives or copies (such as heritage photos) I encourage you to scan or reprint them. If you scan your heritage photos not only do you now have the means to make additional copies but you also have the ability to touch up these photos using photo software and archiving them by burning the images onto an archival cd. By creating a cd you now have the means of sharing these rare and one of a kind photos with family and you are ensuring that these images will be preserved.
