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Scrapbooking
Towne Lake's Latest
CRAZE!
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It's Towne Lake's latest craze, but by no means a new art form. Scrapbooking has taken the place of the Quilting Bees of old and grabbed women and men of all ages into creatively preserving their memories for posterity. Using the plethora of available "archival quality" albums, papers, adhesives and decorative items now available, people all over the area are creating lasting memories in the form of scrapbooks.
For years we've all stored our photos in boxes, bags and drawers -- which is generally okay, but certainly doesn't help future generation see what the pictures meant and who the people are in the photos. Or, even worse, many of us have placed our photos in "magnetic" albums or sleeve albums made of PVC. After just a very few years, photos in those albums begin to yellow, peel and the adhesives begin to seep through the photos and ruin the images.
Using "archival Quality" items in creating a scrapbook allows you to not only safely preserve the photos, but also the memories that go along with them. On a scrapbook page you can easily write your thoughts about a photo, identify the people and include a date of the event.
May 5 is National Scrapbooking Day and scrap-a-holics from across the country and right here in the Towne Lake area will gather in homes, stores, churches and community rooms to spend the day "cropping" together.
So, you'd like to preserve your memories in a scrapbook but not sure how? Are you concerned that you'll never have the time to create a memorable scrapbook? Or perhaps you're intimidated by your perceived "limited creativity." Never fear -- using the thousands of products and how-to guides now on the market, virtually anyone can create a scrapbook.
So, where do you go to find these items? Almost any store that sells paper now sells scrapbooking supplies. Try looking at craft shops, card shops, stationary stores, Wal-Mart, or call an in-home Creative Memories consultant. There are even entire stores now dedicated to scrapbooking. See page 28 for Web sites related to scrapbooking.
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Above -- Creative Memories consultant Michelle Donley and Darice Jamison work on scrapbooking ideas at a recent crop.
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GETTING STARTED
Step 1 Organize and sort your photos chronologically.
Step 2 Select an album, 12" x 12" or 8½" x 11" are the most popular.
Step 3 Pick a theme: Baby's First Year, Christmas, Wedding, Vacation, etc.
Step 4 Crop and mat you photos. Choose the photos you want to begin with. Crop them by cutting out any distractions or center your subject. (Do not crop "one of a kind" photos). Place paper behind the cropped photo and trim around the paper to create a mat, giving it a "framed look."
Step 5 Layout and Design your pages. Lay the matted photos on background paper and move them around until they appear balanced, then affix them to the paper. Balance can also be added using decorative items such as die-cuts, stickers or punches that match the theme of your page.
Step 6 Journal your memories on the page. Include the who's, what's when's and where's. Elaborate on any stories behind the photograph.
To protect your memories, always use acid-free, lignin-free, and vinyl-free products.
Carrie Harwell
The Scrapbook Garden
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But be certain to use "archival quality" products, to ensure that your scrapbook lasts for generations to come!
Happy cropping!
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