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A Lot of Scrap - October 2006

Scrapbooking with Kids

October 26th 2006 16:11
Scrapbooking isn’t just for adults. Kids love craft projects and scrapbooks can be a source of fun and memory keeping for your child. It’s a cure for boredom during the fall and winter when the weather isn’t always cooperating for outdoor play.

Making a scrapbook will allow your child to complete a project on his/her own and also gives a unique perspective about events and how your child remembers them. It is a great keepsake to cherish.

Some of the basic items you can use in a child’s scrapbook include crayons, stickers, safety scissors, fun paper, non-toxic glue sticks and fabric swatches. Create a box or basket of supplies for your child to use and have them set aside so that when they are in the creative mood they can continue to work on their own scrapbook.


Photos are the key ingredient to a great scrapbook. Have some additional copies made of photos you have developed from your 35mm camera or print out specific pictures that your child would like to use from your digital camera and photo printer. You could also start the project by giving your child their own disposable camera to take their own pictures and allow them the entire creative process to themselves. If your child is very young though they may want to take 24 pictures of the same flower in the front yard so have a limit to picture taking of 2-3 photos of one object so they will have some variety to work with.

After you have the pictures developed, you can give your child copies of the pictures he or she chooses to use for their special pages. Save all tickets, brochures and receipts from special days at the fair or amusement park so that they can add that memorabilia to their layouts. You can save these items in a shoebox and have them ready for your child to use when they want to work on their scrapbook.


Have your child start by laying out the page and gluing on special items such as that postcard from your last vacation trip or ticket from the amusement rides on the pier at the beach. They can then color or use markers to enhance the pages. If they are old enough to write about their special memories, encourage them to write about some of their favorite parts of their trip or the people they were with. Kids can come up with some pretty humorous anecdotes and you will want to preserve their thoughts for them if they are unable to write them down. You can make a list by having them answer some simple questions such as: Where did you go on vacation? Who did you play with while you were at the beach? What was your favorite part of the trip? Did you discover or learn anything new? What foods or drinks did you have? Did you buy any special souvenirs? Then you can take those answers and write them on paper for your child. This makes a great page to add to your layouts, that you can create for them and have them glue together.

Make sure you allow them to create and layout the pages as they see fit and not perfectly as adults would do. Remember it is their own creation and they will take pride in the fact that they made their own project. You will gain insight on how your child views and values memories they have made. It is a great way to bond with your child and preserve memories while having fun together.

If you are not using a traditional scrapbook album for each page, you can make your own scrapbook by punching holes down the sides of each page and then threading them together. You could also punch three holes and put the pages in a binder so they can add more each time they create a new layout or have a new occasion to commemorate.

Empower kids to create and you will open a new avenue of learning for them!

Article by Lisa Miller, Owner - www.thescrapprincess.com © 2006

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To those who are entirely traditional scrapbookers, digital scrapbooking opens up a brand new world of creativity and tantalizing possibilities to scrap those photos you've been saving. And to those who are brand new to scrapbooking all together, the digital scrapbook album may seem like a tough project to start with but in actuality it is very simple to learn.

Here are a few tips to begin you on your creative journey.

The most basic items you need are photographs and digital imaging software that allows you to work with graphics. The software you use will enable you to layer the graphics and photos so that you create a digital page just as you would layer images and papers and embellishments on traditional album pages.

The photographs need to be either uploaded from your digital camera onto your computer, scanned in with a scanner or taken from a cd of photos that you can purchase when developing your 35mm film. The photos can then be viewed and manipulated with imaging software.

Some programs that allow you to work with digital photos include:
Corel Paint Shop Pro X which is very popular among the digital scrapbooking community. You can download a free trial version here.

Adobe Photoshop is a standard graphic design program and is used by most graphic artists. It is fairly expensive and requires a bit more experience than some of the others. You can download a free trial of it here.

Adobe Photoshop Elements is an easy program to start with and is often used prior to Photoshop or PhotoShop CS. It offers a more basic concept of Photoshop. It often comes with a new computer or scanner for free. You can download a free trial of it here.

There are also quite a few (hundred if not thousand) tutorials online that you can access for free to help you learn all of these programs. You will then be able to not only manipulate your photographs but also create your own layouts and page elements.
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Digital Scrapbooking has taken the online world by storm over the last few years. The fact that clean-up is not required is a huge plus for both moms and grandmas all over the world, looking to preserve their family memories.
Nothing is easier than uploading your digital pictures, inserting them into pre-made layouts and then having them printed out onto 12x12 photo paper to be inserted into your traditional albums.

Many digital scrappers have also begun learning how to create their own layouts and elements. There are hundreds of freebie digital elements available online and many collections that you can purchase and use over and over. The possibilities are endless to create that perfect look for your perfect and not-so-perfect photos. Popular themes include birthdays, weddings, baby, graduation, vacation memories and anniversaries. You can also find digital scrapbooking elements tailored to very specific themes such as little boys and their toy trucks or your teen daughter and her prom night.

The trend has also ignited a new desire to use that digital photo editing software that your computer came with and you never knew what to do with. Graphic designers and amateur digi-scrappers can be found using Photoshop into the wee hours of the morning, creating that perfect layout.
The layouts can also be stored on CD or DVD, which saves storage space and money. Digital versions of a scrapbook are now emailed and snail-mailed to family and friends as Holiday gifts, birthday surprises and wedding presents. Unlike that special scarf your aunt made you in her knitting class or that set of bbq tools your neighbor thought you might like for Christmas, digital scrapbook cds will remain a truly personal gift that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Digital scrapbooking has truly taken the scrapbooking craft to the next level in the 21st century and continues to grow into what may be the fastest growing hobby in the world.
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