OK, I admit it. We scrapbookers can seem a bit obsessed with our hobby. To folks outside the fold we probably even appear a tad odd. Debbie Farmer a humorist wrote a column in The Dispatch about how she came to be one of us. It seems she knew she had crossed the line of observer to participant when…

It’s about saying something like, “Does anyone have a Xyron 510 because I need to laminate a W,” and getting a straight answer without being directed to the local mental health facility.

Check out her whole column here.

Fun column, Debbie. Welcome to the fold!

When did you know you were a bona fide scrapbooker?

Ironically after my last post being about finding my historical twin, I got an email today from my friend Lisbeth Sanders who has created a really cool website that helps people write a biography (or autobiography) using 250 thought-provoking life story questions and an easy-to-use web template. Lisbeth’s site is LifeBio.com.

When you go there you can sign up to receive 10 Sample Life Bio questions. Here are the first two with my answers recorded here. I’d love to know your thoughts on these questions too - or any of the other 8 sample questions…

How would you describe your mother to someone who had never met her?

My mother is a beautiful woman who is full of life and energy. She is caring, smart and fun to be around. Lest you think she is perfect - she is known by her friends to be a know-it-all. We believe her when she tells us something because she says it with such conviction. Most times she does know the piece of knowledge, but it is sure fun to catch her when she’s convincingly making stuff up. If you were to need a person in your life that you know you could count on to be there when the chips are down, my mom is it. She is ALWAYS there when her family or friends need her. She’s a talented scrapbooker, a kick-ass travel agent and the best mom anyone could want.

What is a key lesson you learned from your father?

One lesson? Impossible to choose just one… My dad taught me to go after what I want in life and believe I can get it. He taught me to never make an ultimatum I didn’t want to live with should it be accepted. He taught me to laugh at myself. He gave me the gift of talking to strangers in lines. He taught me that family is always there for you even if other people come and go. He shared with me that everyone doesn’t always have the same ideas or background when approaching any situation.

Hhhhhmmmmm. These are great questions. Thanks Lisbeth!

Anybody want to share their thoughts?
Get the Sample Life Bio questions here. (They’ll come in your email after you sign up.)

Carolyn at Crop Chic has discovered she is the “historical twin” of her maternal grandmother and did a beautiful Then & Now layout sharing her grandmother’s photo alongside hers. She really does look like her =:) What a great idea Carolyn! I am now on a quest to find my historical twin.

In my mind I look like my mom’s paternal grandmother who came to America via steerage despite the fact that her husband-to-be had sent her money to come first class. Since she knew she wasn’t going to marry him when she arrived, she saved the money on the fare to pay him back. She did and married someone else (my great-great grandfather). Now that’s gutsy and honorable. Even if I don’t look like her, I hope I am like her.

Kathryn Clayton’s article in the Deseret News starts, “Frankie Easter started scrapbooking about six years ago for what might seem a mundane reason: to get her family photos out of boxes. What began as an organizational mission has evolved into a hobby she loves.”

How fun to read about kindred spirits.

The article goes on to describe a Halloween layout Easter did (there’s a photo too, it’s cute) and how she created it. Worth a peek, especially if you are getting ready to do any Halloween pages.

My favorite part of the article though is the closing thought, when Clayton inquires how long it takes to do a scrapbook page. When Easter replies that she takes about two hours a page Clayton asks if she has any regrets about spending that much time on her hobby. “Not at all. I wish I had more time to devote to it,” she said.

Ah, kindred spirits.

I suppose this is how my husband feels about golf. I get it now.

by Vera Raposo

If you are creating a photo album for your baby for the first time, or are unsure where to begin in creating a scrapbook of your baby’s first year, here are some tips to make it quick and easy to preserve your photos and memories:

Rather than including every photo you take of your baby, organize your pictures according to the month they were taken and chose a few of your favorites from each month.

You can make single page or several pages from each particular month and stage of development without having to spend a large amount of time gluing every single photo into your scrapbook.

Be sure and include birth announcements and baby shower invitations as a special touch.

Keep a notebook or calendar within easy reach to record milestones in your child’s development. You can then coordinate the events on your calendar with the month-by-month photos.

It is always a good idea to keep an ongoing journal of special times in your baby’s life so that you can include those moments in your scrapbook. It does not have to be elaborate or detailed, just a few special dates and events that you can include as text next to your pictures.

Include a special folder or sleeve behind each page of your scrapbook to place the unused photos and mementos. This way you can keep them within easy reach and add pages to your scrapbook easily at a later time. Make sure you write the date and place the photos were taken on the back of the picture or on the folder.

When creating each page of your scrapbook, remember that you can add extra pages containing amusing notes or special occasions as you see fit. There is no right or wrong way to make a scrapbook of your baby’s first year.

Include the photos and events that are the most special to you and keep extras handy in the event you want to add to your scrapbook later.

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas for your new baby in her newsletter www.baby-scrapbooking.com

Article Source: www.ladypens.com

Would you like an easy way to begin to start creating digital scrapbooking layouts with your digital scrapbooking software (like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Image Maker or others)? I highly recommend the excellent free movie that the “girls” over at ScrapGirls.com have put together.

These awesome free scrapbooking training videos were created by their CEO, Ro to help you learn how to be a digital scrapbooker.

I have yet to dive into digital scrapping, but at least I know I can figure out how thanks to ScrapGirls!

Check out this article on the BBC website about how scrapbooking is taking the United Kingdom by storm. It is kind of like using the Way Back Machine to see what the first websites looked like. Or watching Leave it to Beaver and wondering if housewives really did vacuum in heels and pearls.

I can honestly say I have never said the following phrase before, but I kinda wish I lived in Indiana. No, not for the people - although I’m sure they’re really nice. I have no idea what the weather is like. And I would miss my Colorado mountains like crazy. But I’m pretty certain if I lived in Indiana, especially near South Bend, that I would be a regular at Theresa Casad’s modern farmhouse scrapbooking store, called Studio C.

Here’s how Heidi Prescott, a columnist at the South Bend Tribune described it in her article Historic farmhouse unique setting for scrapbooking:

“I’m a conservative person, not a real big risk taker,” says Casad, who until recently was business manager at the provost’s office at Notre Dame. “But I don’t scrapbook much at stores, because the main thing I’m missing is my computer. This is what I felt I was missing when scrapbooking.”

So her shop is different. She has created a place for scrappers to buy supplies and crop, as well as print, crop and enlarge photographs on computers with the necessary software.

After the new year, Casad plans to unveil a do-it-yourself studio — where scrappers can take their own photos of their kids using store equipment and have them printed.

“We’re trying to be a place that you can start and finish a project completely,” she says. “You don’t have to run out to make any adjustments if photos are the wrong size.”

The farmhouse Studio C lives in was built around 1866. Just think, preserving family history in a building built around the time of the Civil War. And, you have access to a computer at the same time. Just sounds so danged fun.

Good luck, Theresa with your new store. Thanks, Heidi for writing about it.

Anybody up for a road trip to Indiana?

The next generation of digital scrapbooking is about to appear. Lasting Impressions for Paper, Inc., the leading manufacturer of embossing templates, unveiled MemoryMixer at Memory Trends. They’re calling Memory Mixer “the industry’s first truly digital scrapbooking product.”

According to their website, MemoryMixer will allow people to combine digital video, digital sound, digital photos, computer graphics, typewritten text using their fonts, and narration capabilities into a multimedia experience that brings memories to life. In addition, the product allows for digitally scanned memorabilia such as report cards, diplomas, ticket stubs, or a child’s drawing and has multiple output options that include DVD, CD, hardbound book and traditional print.

Wow. Sounds cool. Even Lisa Bearnson, founder of Creative Keepsakes Magazine thinks so - she said “Lasting Impressions has introduced a product that will truly revolutionize the scrapbooking industry. The average home has at least a gigabyte of digital photos stored on computer with a limited number of creative ways to enjoy them and share them. MemoryMixer offers families a way to present, narrate and share their favorite photos.”

MemoryMixer will be available in January 2006 and they’re saying it will be “competitively priced for a broad consumer audience.” Wonder what that means exactly…

Did anybody see this at Memory Trends?

Today I was home in the middle of the day (after a dentist visit) and while browsing the on-TV TV guide I spotted a show on DIY called Scrapbooking. Quick as a wink I hit the select button only to find out that that our subscription package doesn’t include that channel. Bummer, dude!

But just now I was elated to find out that their online Scrapbooking center at DIYNetwork.com is simply amazing.

It has tons of ideas, photos, and even videos. COOL! Way worth a visit to the site.

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