Ideas for Setting Up a Desk for Scrapbooking

If you really love scrapbooking and spend a lot of time making pages, a separate desk for scrapbooking can be an excellent idea and a sound investment in your hobby.Since scrapbooking involves many tiny elements and because you need to keep your paper free from tears and damage, be sure to have a separate area for your supplies. To really make the most of your desk for scrapbooking there are some things you should consider.

You should always keep the things on your scrapbooking desk neat and organized. It's easy to let the small page elements and scrapbooking supplies get mixed up with one another but this can cause frustration when you're ready to actually make up some new page layouts. There are many containers and organizers you can buy that are specially made for scrapbooking organization, but remember that you can use just about anything to keep your items separate and organized. Egg cartons, paper cups, and even the plastic lids to things like hairspray can all keep those tiny embellishments organized (wash them out first of course!).

You should also consider keeping a trash bin near your desk for scrapbooking so that you can easily get rid of scrap paper, tape, and other discarded items so they don't get mixed in with necessary supplies.Keep things organized and neat by having a basket or drawer for your scrapbooking tools, like scissors and eyelet setters; it's very frustrating to have to hunt for your scissors or another essential tool when your desk is covered with paper and page elements.

Scrapbook paper storage is very inexpensive and can really help keep your desk for scrapbooking organized as well. These paper sorters are like stacked slots for different colored paper and will keep them from being bent or marked up. They will also help you sort your cardstock by pattern, color or theme.

Remember that when you have a desk for scrapbooking you don't need to keep everything right on the surface of the desk. Put a corkboard up on the wall in front of the desk; you can pin binder clips to it and use the clips to hold papers so that you don't need to use a pushpin with them. You can also pin envelopes to the corkboard and use these envelopes to keep small embellishments and stickers neat and organized. Clear plastic Ziploc bags work well and allow you to see exactly what's inside. The space under your desk for scrapbooking is another place to use for storage; a small rolling cart with drawers is inexpensive and is easily accessible under your scrapbooking desk.

Having a desk for scrapbooking that is organized and neat makes creating page layouts easier and quicker.You won't waste your time cleaning a space to work on your scrapbooking project, and it allows you to get started right away. The time to maintain your scrapbooking organization will be well worth it when you are able to get more pages done.

How to Chase Away Your Scrapbooking Burnout

Are you suffering from scrapbooking burnout? Are your photos and scrapbooking supplies piling up and you don't have the motivation to create a single page layout? Here are a few ideas to help you cure your scrapbooking burnout.

1. A new scrapbooking technique may be just what you need to spark your imagination. Grab some photos and try one out today.

2. Don't think you have to get through your entire photograph backlog. Just pick one photo today, and showcase it on a page. Just getting started may be just what you need.

3. Give yourself permission to throw out poor quality photographs. Your backlog will start to shrink and just looking through your photos may inspire you.

4. Your supply stash can bring inspiration. Organize your supplies, and see if you are inspired to mix embellishments or papers in a new way.

5. Flip through scrapbooking magazines for inspiration. They are filled with great page ideas, techniques to try and information on the latest products.

6. Sign up for a scrapbooking class. The excitement of a class is a terrific boost to motivate you to get more pages done.

7. Gather your friends together for a scrapbooking crop. There's inspiration and motivation in numbers. If you prefer not to set up a party of your own, check out your local scrapbooking store for a group crop.

8. A trip to your local scrapbooking store to see all the new products can also inspire you to start creating scrapbooking pages.

9. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Trying to be perfect is a sure way to get scrapbooking burnout.

10. Have a scrapbooking supply sale of your own. Give away or sell some of your supplies. Sometimes have less is more. You may have so many choices you don't know where to start.

11. Don't try to make an album tonight. Just make one single page layout. One page a night leads to many completed pages over time.

12. Take a scrapbooking challenge. Many online scrapbooking communities organize challenges. The participants all follow the same basic guidelines for a page, and then show off their creations in the community gallery.

13. Have you tried digital scrapbooking? Digital scrapbooking is becoming more and more popular among scrapbookers. It's certainly less messy than traditional scrapbooking.

14. Check out the message boards and galleries at online scrapbooking communities. The excitement of the members and seeing their ideas and pages provides plenty of inspiration.

15. Let others see your scrapbooks. Show your pages to your friends and family. Seeing how others react to your albums can motivate you to create more albums.

Try just a few of these ideas, and chase away your scrapbooking burnout today.

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 tips and how to find a scrapbooking crop online.

Mickey Mouse and Disney Scrapbooking Ideas: Keeping It Simple

If you've recently been to Disneyland or just love Mickey, you may be searching for some great Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking ideas. How do you add these elements to your page for a child or a family vacation without having them look as if you just slapped some stickers on a page? What are some ways to make these scrapbooking pages unique and original to you?

When thinking about Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking ideas, start by choosing your focal point for your scrapbooking layout. If you start with your embellishments first, your main subject may be overshadowed by them.

Only use the Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking page elements that will really highlight your main focal point. Too many embellishments make a page look disorganized and unfocused.

Keep this in mind when sorting through the various Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking ideas you have as well. It's tempting to try to add everything you have to the page but this won't look organized and thought out.

If you have too many Disney scrapbooking supplies, consider doing additional page layouts. You can even make a gift album for a grandparent. If you're short on supplies, make your own Mickey ears with two half circles in one corner of the page. You can make a roller coaster by using curving lines in the middle of your page.

These types of Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking ideas are simple things that you can do on your own rather than simply buying embellishments and accessories and adhering them to your page.

You also can get more creative with your Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking ideas. Try drawing Mickey ears onto the photo of your child.

You can incorporate a sticker of Mickey as if he's right in a photo with you. Or use the state of California or Florida as your background, depending on which Disney you've visited.

Use your creativity and imagination and you're sure to come up with some fun Mickey Mouse and Disney scrapbooking pages.

Be the envy of your friends at your next scrapbooking crop! Visit http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and creative ways to use a scrapbooking tag.

Why Choose Frances Meyer Scrapbooking Supplies?

Most experienced scrapbookers are familiar with Frances Meyer scrapbooking supplies. This line of products offers stickers, paper, embellishments, everything you need to create beautiful scrapbooking pages. Their scrapbooking supplies come in fun, creative designs and they all coordinate, making it easy for anyone to put together amazing page layouts.

One thing that really appeals to most serious scrappers about the Frances Meyer line of products is that she offers a wide range of stickers that can be used for so many different types of pages, something that many scrapbook suppliers leave out. For instance, a quick internet search of her supplies will yield stickers for working out, fishing, barnyards, kids at weddings, and even some for a child's visit to the doctor's office.

Now you can scrapbook every day events in your live, as well as your hobbies and interests. You aren't limited to the typical scrapbooking themes like baby albums, weddings and vacations.

If you're looking for a wide range of papers to use for your scrapbook albums so that you can create your own pages, Frances Meyer scrapbooking supplies product line is also a safe bet that you'll find just what you're looking for. This line offers paper for each season, holiday, sport, vacation spot, and virtually any other theme you might want to scrapbook.

Many items in this product line are designed to coordinate with each other. You can mix and match your paper and stickers and stick make beautiful scrapbook pages. Frances Meyer supplies also include templates. These templates might be just the guidance you need to create more imaginative page layouts.

Templates give you suggested ideas for where to place your journaling and pictures. It gives you ideas for layouts. Use the template as a starting blueprint, but don't forget to add your own personal touch to the page.

Remember to add your own unique personality to your scrapbooking pages. Frances Meyer supplies make it easier to create beautiful pages, but they leave room for your personal touches. Express your scrapbooking style in every page and make them more meaningful for your family.

Christine Perry invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and information on scrapbooking organization.

Digital Scrapbooking: What You Need to Know to Get Started

No doubt you are familiar with traditional scrapbooking done with paper and printed photos. But there are a growing number of people who are using their computers to create unique scrapbooking pages. If you're looking for a way to artfully preserve your photos in a digital format, digital scrapbooking may be right for you.

In contrast to traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking doesn't require very many supplies. All you need to get started is digital imaging software that supports layers (such as Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro) as well as digital copies of your photos and digital scrapbooking templates. If you'd like to print out your own digitally created scrapbook pages, you will also need access to a high quality photo printer and photo paper.

While a traditional scrapbooker will collect piles of paper and dozens of types of embellishments, you can easily download free embellishments to your computer from different digital scrapbooking supply websites. At its most basic, there are not any supply costs, so digital scrapbooking can be an inexpensive alternative to traditional scrapbooking. Look for templates that will help you easily format your photos and coordinate your embellishments. These templates normally include background layers, fonts and embellishment choices. You can also find paid templates and sites that offer embellilshments. You can build a large library of embellishments for a very low price.

Select the photos you want to use in your layout and then edit them if you need to. You can use your digital imaging software to crop your photos, reduce red eye and adjust the color levels. Place the photos inside of the pre-made templates and then add your journaling and other decorations.

There are no limits to the creativity that you can use with digital scrapbooking. The pages are easy to edit, so you can tweak and adjust your pages based on what looks best. You can even create you own embellishments and offer them for other people to download and use.

As far as storage goes, you have a few different options. You can keep all of your digital scrapbooking pages on your computer. You can share them online in their digital format and even burn them to a CD to share with your friends and family. If you'd prefer to have hard copies of your pages, you can print them off on your computer or send them out to be printed. There are a number of online photo sites that specialize in printing the work of digital scrapbookers.

Many scrapbookers use a standard size of 12 X 12 inches, which is obviously larger than the standard printer. You can have your pages specially printed at that size, or simply create layouts on an 8 ½ X 11 inch template.

In addition to creating complete pages in a digital format, you can also combine your digitally created pages with traditional scrapbooking elements. This form of scrapbooking, called hybrid scrapbooking, allows you to use the pages you create on your computer and then add dimension with velum, flowers and other three dimensional elements.

No matter how you choose to use digital scrapbooking you can make use of this fun technique. It's easy to get started and relatively cheap. Whether you want to make entirely digital pages or use a hybrid scrapbooking technique, this is something that you owe it to yourself to try.

Handmade Bookbinding – How To Book Bind Yourself

Handmade Bookbinding is one good way of stirring and rousing the creative side in you. Instead of having the typical book bind in designing your own books, doing it yourself with the use of different handmade designs will not only let you choose your own draft but also create your preferred design.

You can easily utilize these designs by means of printing and binding your own paperback. You can also visit a lot of websites that teach you how to book bind yourself.

Handmade bookbinding specifically provides you with a step-by-step way of designing, crafting and binding your own books. If you want to engage yourself in different training and crash courses to develop your craft then you have to search for different sites that provide courses regarding bookbinding.

On the other hand, having an innate gift of creativity will hone you further through different instructional manuals and guides.

The emergence of a lot of e-books regarding bookbinding has proliferated online and so making a wise decision of choosing the best ones is imperative. There are other sites where designs are poorly demonstrated and pictured, the details are not clear and so you have to make a careful choice so as not to waste money.

Saving you with a good deal of money and time should be your primary concern in searching for the best bookbinding training program or course.

Thus, book binding need not be something that would require you to shell out a lot of money. With a little knowledge, resourcefulness and creativity you will surely create your own design effortlessly in coming up with a handmade masterpiece.

Who knows, maybe you can even make a living out of handmade bookbinding.

Learn how to do simple handmade bookbinding here. I will show you some of the best handmade bookbinding techniques you can use to do your own book bind.

Make Your Scrapbooking Pages Personal: Use Your Own Handwriting

The digital age has even affected the scrapbooking hobby. Digital scrapbooking software lets us make entire page layouts on our computers. Traditional scrapbookers who may like the more tactile materials on their pages still like the neatness of computer fonts for their journaling.

Handwriting on pages may not be as pretty as a computer font. Still, it is so much more personal and meaningful to our families.

Why do we hesitate to use our own handwriting in our albums? There are a few reasons. The most common one is concern that our handwriting is too messy or won't be able to be read by others. We should all try to get beyond this and realize how important it is to our family to preserve something as unique as our handwriting. Think about those handwritten letters and recipes from a grandparent and how important they are to you now.

Another reason people resist handwriting on page layouts is fear that they will make a mistake that can't be erased. There are many ways to correct a handwriting error. First, use a paper journaling block to write on first. You can always use a second one if you make a mistake. You can also correct a mistake by placing a new piece of paper over the error on the page, and write again on that piece. Finally, stickers work wonders when it comes to covering up most kinds of scrapbooking mistakes.


The right pen makes a big difference when it comes to handwriting success. Look carefully at the paper you are using, and choose the best pen for that type of surface. Many pens will smear or run on certain types of papers. Choose a pen with the appropriate width as well. Trying to write in a small space with a wide tip will be a definite handwriting challenge.

Practice, practice, practice. Write out the journaling first on a scrap piece of paper. Read it over slowly out loud. This will help you spot errors in spelling and grammar. For longer narrative writing, you may want to have someone else proofread it for you before you place it on your page. Be sure to test the pen on a small piece of the paper you want to use. Writing a draft will let you know how much room you need to write on as well.

Many of us need a straight edge to handwrite or we tend to write on a slant. Pre-lined journaling blocks are a useful tool for those you often write uphill. You can make these using a pen and ruler or you can use a lined-journaling stamp made for this purpose. Your local scrapbooking store will also have pre-lined journaling blocks usually with decorative accents. Patterned paper can work as a guide for your handwriting. Try writing along the lines in striped paper. Print along the outside of a frame. You even can write along the edges of scrapbooking borders.


There are few things as personal as our handwriting. Handwriting is unique. Like our signature, it is a statement of who we are. When you use your handwriting on your page layouts it adds character to your scrapbooks. It will tell your family and anyone who looks at your albums about your mood and your personality. Your family is sure to treasure your scrapbooks even more. Let your handwriting add depth and emotion to your pages, not a computer font.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has more than 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 beginner scrapbooking and information on Mother's Day cards for scrapbooking.

Scrapbooking Adhesives: Stick to the Basics

Scrapbookers can never have enough adhesives, and now it comes in so many choices. The scrapbooking manufacturers offer some very innovative adhesives that can meet the new demands of the scrapbooking industry. Trends and techniques have continues to change, and you need to know what adhesive to choose for your scrapbooking projects.

The key to scrapbook adhesives is that they must be photo-safe. You need to be sure any product you are using on your scrapbooking pages, particularly on the back of your photos, will not cause damage to them over time. When it comes to adhesives, scrapbookers have a variety of options.

Photo Corners: These are the pioneer adhesives of scrapbooking, and they still remain a popular choice for many scrapbookers. When scrapbooking first began, photo corners were used because they would allow you to attach photographs to a page and still remove them. Because photo corners are not permanent adhesives, they are ideal for heritage photographs and anything you don't want to permanently mount to a page. They now come in a variety of colors and materials.

Glue: Scrapbookers love glue for its versatility. Glue comes in pens, tubes and bottles. You can use just a small dot of glue from a glue pen to stick even the tiniest items to your scrapbooking page. Choose from permanent or repositionable glues, or even specialized glue for metal or fabric.

Tape Runners: These are double-sided adhesives that are sold in rolls or in dispensers. They are a must-have supply for any scrapbooker. Similar to glue, they come in permanent and repositionable varieties. They are convenient and less messy than regular glue. You run the tape along your photos, paper or any other surface that needs adhesives. It leaves behind a continuous line of adhesive.

Glue Dots: Available in rolls or sheets, glue dots provide a strong bond for heavy embellishments. They work well with fabric, ribbons and textured materials as well. Glue dots are available in a variety of sizes.

Glue Sticks: Glue sticks provide a convenient, easy-to-use alternative to glue, without the sticky mess. You can cover a large area quickly, making them a great choice for creating fast layouts. Before you buy a glue stick, make sure it states that it is photo-safe. Some varieties, like those use for school projects, are not.

Adhesive Spray: Adhesive sprays provide transparency and even coverage. They don't show through paper like many adhesives, making them perfect for vellum. Be careful with over spray. You always want to cover your work surface before using adhesive spray.

Tape: Most scrapbookers prefer double-sided tape for adhering scrapbooking page elements. However, one-sided tape is useful on the back of brads or eyelets to keep paper from catching on the prongs.

Foam Tape: Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, like dots and squares, foam tape gives your scrapbooking layouts a dimensional effect. They work very well with titles and letters.

Scrapbookers can never have enough adhesive. Always stock up on your favorites and bring plenty with you when you go to a crop or workshop. It helps to have a variety of adhesives available as you work on a project. Consider your choices and choose the ones that best fit your scrapbooking style.

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 creative memories scrapbooking.

How to Create Digital Scrapbooking With Adobe

One of the reasons that Adobe is such a great company for modern-day computer users is that they offer a wide range of products. These products help you to not only create documents, but to really enhance them when you're working with photos and other graphics. So, using Adobe for digital scrapbooking can be a fun and enjoyable way to create stunning graphics and pages for your own albums.

You probably have some questions on how to get started with digital scrapbooking with Adobe. We will try to answer some of those questions so you can quickly begin using this software. Once you learn the basics, you can start using Adobe Photoshop to create new effects with your photos on your scrapbooking pages.

Most people think of the Adobe software program, Photoshop, when they talk about digital scrapbooking with Adobe. Many people use Photoshop to edit and enhance their photographs on their computer screen. The internet is full of some of the funny photos that have been altered by Photoshop - the President's head on a buff muscular weight-lifter's body or a cat riding on top of space shuttle - those photos are created with Photoshop.

One of the tools that Adobe Photoshop has is the selection feature. This allows you to take any area of one picture and remove it from its original setting, expand it, and so on. For example, suppose you have a favorite photo of your two children, but wish you could have them in individual photos to work with your scrapbooking projects.

Photoshop allows you to select and manipulate the part of that original picture you want and make it into its own new picture. This is one of the best ways to begin scrapbooking with Adobe, as you are not limited by the pictures you have and the way they've come out.

It's common to see scrapbooking pages with multiple copies of the same picture or severals shots taken in sequence. Digital scrapbooking with Adobe Photoshop gives you flexibility with your photographs and graphics. You not only can copy your picture, you can also reduce them, enlarge them, and add as many other photographs as your page layout needs. All this is at the click of your mouse. Photoshop always preserves your original photo so their is no damage done to it.

Whether you are a beginner or advanced computer user, Adobe Photoshop has a version that is right for you. Consider how long it takes you to learn a new computer program. Professionals use the full versions of Adobe Photoshop. However, these are much more expensive and offer more features than most digital scrapbookers will need. The Adobe Photoshop Elements version is much more practical and easier to learn.

Using Photoshop for your digital scrapbooking can be a great tool to work with your photos and create beautiful and stunning scrapbook page layouts. It has a full range of special effects that you can add to your photos. Taking the time to learn Adobe Photoshop will add a new techniques to your digital scrapbooking projects.

Christine Perry invites you to her website, for more scrapbooking tips and information on how to become a scrapbook consultant.