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	8 Simple Scrapbooking Tips

	by Wes Waddell

I've collected 8 easy to follow tips that will make your scrapbooking; both digital and the old style hand scrapping go a lot easier. I'm keeping this short, so here we go.

Tip 1.

1. Keep a small journal or small planner handy to jot down memories, thoughts, events.

This is especially handy while you are on your vacation or holiday, but works really well while you are sorting through all the photos you took. If the photos are printed, number them on the back and make your notes correspond to the photo numbers. If you are working with digital images, put the number in the file name at the beginning and it will sort your photos for you as well.

Tip 2.

2. Keep your photos organized.

Speaking of sorting your photos... It's so much easier to scrapbook when you can easily find the pictures you want for each page as you need them! For printed photos, I use an assortment of ziplock bags and boxes and plan my scrapbook pages as I sort them. For my digital images (which is most of them these days) I create sub-folders on my hard drive and number/name the photos in each directory to make for easy sorting.

Tip 3.

3. When hand scrapping a page, write your journaling in pencil first, to make sure it fits and to rectify any mistakes before you ruin the page!
,br/> Better yet, even if you are not using the much easier digital scrapbooking techniques, you can still use your computer and it's 1000s of fonts to print your titles and journaling and then cut them out and afix to your scrapbook page. This way, you can arrange the page in several ways and get just the look you want.

Tip 4.

4. Batch tasks such as photo editing, cropping, and layout planning and do each for several layouts at once.

This should make it possible to get more hand scrapped pages done in the time you have. You can be working on another page while glue or other elements are drying on your original page. Digital scrappers can use this technique too. Just create your file with several blank pages and save your photos, elements and background to individual pages. Then go back to each page and arrange and finalize your pieces.

Tip 5.

5. Don't be afraid to hand-write some of your journal entries. The way you write can be just as important as what you write.

If your hand isn't as steady as it used to be or you have a condition that makes it difficult to write, the computer can still use your hand writing. Kathy, my wife had her best hand writing made into a computer font. It's not that expensive and adds a really nice personal touch to not only her digital scrapbooks, but to her letters and emails as well.

Tip 6.

6. Use Calendars and Greeting cards in your layouts or clipart versions from the internet.

It gives a different look and feel to your scrapbook layouts. Hand scrappers, be sure and make sure that there are no acids or lingon in the papers as they can destroy your photos. I don't recommend anything with glitter or thick dimensional objects as they can cut and perforate your pages that surround them in your scrapbook when stored. Scrapbook Photo Calendars also make great holiday, wedding and baby shower gifts.

Tip 7.

7. Try to make scrapbooking a part of your daily or weekly schedule.

Even if it's just an hour a week, you're 1 step closer to being finished! Don't forget, that if you are digital scrapbooking, you can start and stop at any time by just saving where you are at. So, with digital scrapbook techniques, you can scrapbook with as little as just 10 minutes a day. If you have followed the sorting and organizing tips above, you can even finish a digital scrapbook page in just 10 minutes.

Tip 8.

8. I like to save lots of souvenir's from vacation places or special events I have been to.

They are an added bonus to the page layout. Ticket stubs, napkins, invitations and other paper type souvenir's work great. Be really careful with leaves and flowers as they need to be sealed, even when dried, to protect your photos from the gases and oils they contain. As stated above, avoid thick and sharp items as they will damage your surrounding photos and pages, especially when stored in stacks. If you really like a large thick object, consider taking a photo of it and using the image on your scrapbook page, then place the object in a shadow box for display with your page.

See, 8 simple easy to follow tips and you are preserving your life's most precious memories in no time at all.

Wes and Kathy Waddell own and operate multiple digital scrapbook membership sites, including: The Most Incredible FREE Digital Scrapbook Gift...EVER! Membership offers much more than just scrapbook templates, it's help when you need it and a friendly push to keep you on track. Visit PrincessCrafts.com for details on all our Scrapbook membership sites.

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