Scrapbooking - Organize a Special Room

Scrapbooking can be addictive. Creative individuals, browsing a scrapbooking supply store, often find themselves purchasing items for which they have no present use or future plan. A particular pack of paper is too pretty to resist. A certain embellishment is new and exciting. A kit would be just right if a friend has a baby sometime. Eventually, the scrapbooking supplies begin to overflow a box. Then they overflow two boxes. Papers become dog-eared or torn. It's time to organize.

Such people eventually reach a point where they begin to despair, and question how to organize a scrapbook room. They don't want to give up the craft, but it takes so much space.

Perhaps you find yourself in the same predicament. Maybe you are wondering how to organize your scrapbook room.

How to Organize a Scrapbook Room

Wondering how to organize a scrapbook room, you may have started sorting supplies into separate boxes. That kept them organized, but not readily accessible. Also, the scrapbooking tools weren't in boxes.

Perhaps these suggestions will help.

Divide a scrapbook room into two areas. The first area will be for working on scrapbooks. The second will be for storage.

1. Work Area: This area will need a scrapbooking table or desk. The scrapbooking work area should be large enough to hold a large album, papers, photos, other elements, and tools. If you enjoy working with other family members or friends, select a scrapbooking table that provides space for 3 or 4 workers. Provide comfortable chairs for your scrapbook room so that your back is supported while working. Good lighting is also essential in a scrapbooking work area. Add a big wastebasket!

2. Storage Area: Adequate, organized storage in a scrapbook room will make your work easier and keep your supplies fresh and clean. There are many ways to store scrapbooking supplies. You can purchase furniture made especially for scrapbook rooms. Scrapbooking desks offer drawers of various sizes to fit the most common supplies. Scrapbooking paper storage units are often similar to those used in large offices. Clear plastic bins that stack are very useful. You will need different kinds of storage for different products so they will stay organized.

Once you have divided your scrapbook room and acquired the necessary furnishings, it is time to organize things.

Scrapbooking albums are probably your largest items. Keep them on a bookshelf where you can easily select the one on which you want to work. If you have more than one size, arrange them by height to give your scrapbook room an organized look to go with your organizational efforts. If you have idea books or instructional books on scrapbooking, put them on the bookshelf. Magazines can be stored there, too. Magazine holders from am office supply store will keep them tidy.

Scrapbooking papers and cardstock are the next largest items. These can be organized in a Paper Station such as scrapbooking stores use. Or store them in clear stacking plastic bins. Sort all of your papers and get them safely out of the way before moving to another scrapbooking element.

Sort your paper and cardstock in a way that fits your creativity. Some people sort by color, placing all blues in one location, yellows in another, etc. Others prefer to sort according to occasion. Papers related to nostalgic themes go together. Papers that fit a sports theme go in another storage bin. Baby scrapbooking paper goes in a third.

Once papers are sorted and put in storage bins or drawers, label the bins so that you will know at a glance what is in each.

Kits should be stored separately from your paper and cardstock. Your scrapbook room might have a dedicated box or drawer just for kits. Keep them in their wrappers if you want to be sure you have all the pieces when you are ready to use them. Label your kit box or drawer.

Ribbons can tangle and fray if not stored properly. Invest in a ribbon holder for your scrapbook room - more than one if you have a lot of ribbons. Make sure each roll is tidy, and store them on the ribbon holders. You may want to organize these by color also. If you are putting them in a box or drawer, attach a label.

Your scrapbook room is probably looking better by now. The small things are left, though, and they can cause clutter. Take time to sort through all of the stickers, embellishments, eyelets, brads, and other items. Once they are sorted, place each in an appropriate drawer or box, and label them. A scrapbooking desk is especially convenient for these small items. Its many drawers and nooks will soon have the scrapbook room well organized.

One essential in a scrapbook room is a place for tools. If they are on your table or desk, you may not have space to work. Put them away.

Helpful Tip

Still wonder how to organize a scrapbook room? Remember the old maxim: A place for everything and everything in its place. Put things away when you're done and it will stay organized.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about scrapbooking at http://www.scrapbooking-for-fun.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site. You won?t want to miss her recent article on scrapbooking with a designer's eye.

Your Wedding Scrapbook - Preserving Your Special Occasion

There are many events that are perfect for archiving such memories, and what better occasion to do so than your own wedding. Whether you had a small, intimate wedding with only a few guests present, or opted for a large celebration with everyone you know, and perhaps some you didn't, there are plenty of items you could include in your wedding scrapbook, and many ways to arrange them in order to recapture that very special day over and over again.

Selecting Photos for your Wedding Scrapbook

The first items you will probably want to scrapbook will be your wedding pictures. Photos can, and often do, tell a story. They can walk you through the events of that special day every time your scrapbook is viewed. The only difficulty may be choosing which ones you should include, since you will probably have many from which to choose. They will also give your children and grandchildren something to talk about as the book is passed down through generations.

Your wedding scrapbook would not be complete without pictures of the building where the ceremony took place, you walking down the aisle, and, of course, the wedding ceremony itself. You may also want to include photos of the reception, the cutting of the cake, and you and your new spouse leaving the building. These special events will then be cataloged for years of enjoyment in your very own special wedding scrapbook.

Choosing a Theme

Creating a theme that depicts your thoughts and feelings you had on your wedding day is important. A distinctive wedding scrapbook or album is essential, as it will help you to always remember the people who helped to make your day what it was. Writing down the events and the emotions you had when they occurred will also serve as a record or journal, and will supplement the pictures quite nicely.

Organizing Your Memories

There are several ways to organize a wedding scrapbook, and many layouts from which to choose. When putting together your wedding scrapbook, color is extremely important, as it will accentuate the photos and other material. Many people choose to use their own wedding colors, but you can choose other color combinations if you prefer. Even if you do choose to use your wedding colors, you may want to use other colors to add variety to your scrapbook pages and layouts. For example, if your colors were burgundy and green, you could add cream, light pink, or yellow to accent the darker colors. Putting different colors together will give your layouts a distinctive look and set them apart from other wedding scrapbooks.

Your wedding scrapbook should look elegant and charming, so you might want to add embellishments. These, as well as the right color scheme will make your wedding scrapbook unique and appealing. One option is to use vellum paper. Vellum looks elegant and is easy to find. Eyelets, brads, and ribbons are also suggested embellishments that will add character and personality to your wedding scrapbook.

Floral patterns also work great for wedding scrapbooks. They tend to match well with wedding décor, and lend themselves to the overall wedding theme. Your choices are numerous, so don't be afraid to experiment until you find the color scheme, embellishments, and patterns that work best for you.

There are many different themes you can use to capture the love and affection felt by everyone on your wedding day. One idea is to include marriage tips from more experienced individuals. These tips may serve as simple ideas or advice that might be useful to you and your spouse on down the road. Interesting anecdotes may also serve as a fun read. You can even incorporate this as an activity at your bridal shower or bachelor party, whereby, other married people write down their tips and give them to you for the scrapbook. You can also include photos of the married couples that will serve as captions for the tips.

Another wedding scrapbooking idea is to incorporate any interests of the bride and groom that may have been a part of the overall wedding theme. For example, some couples choose to make personal interests a part of their wedding. If you or your spouse to be enjoys playing golf, you may depict this at your wedding reception. Guests may be provided with wedding favors that are golf-related and have been customized for the event. You might want to devote a page or two in your wedding scrapbook to this, and include photos or items small enough to fit on a page. This is your opportunity to be as creative as possible, while making a wedding scrapbook that will truly record your very special day.

A More Personal Approach

You may want to create a wedding scrapbook that is not considered to be traditional. There are many ways to set yours apart from others, thereby, taking the untraditional route. When planning your wedding scrapbook, you should focus around your lives together, while catering to your individual personalities. If desired, you can include pictures of memorable events that took place before your marriage, their respective dates, and any photos you may wish to add. You may also want to include your spouse in the scrapbooking activities. This will allow both your personalities to come through, and will be something the two of you can work on together.

You can add mementos and items such as the wedding invitations, reception napkins or cards. Scrapbook stores sell memory pockets for these types of items, and are easy to incorporate in your wedding scrapbook. You also might want to include any congratulatory notes or cards from friends and family you may have received during your engagement. This will add a more personal touch, and will further personalize your scrapbook. It will also serve as a reminder of your feelings during such an anticipatory time.

No matter what you decide to include in your wedding scrapbook, choose carefully. Take as much time as you need when deciding on colors, a theme, and the various photos and items you will include. Your wedding scrapbook will be a very important part of your new family, and will help preserve memories for many years to come.

Michele Cardello, director of marketing and creative for Life Imprints, a wedding scrapbook [http://www.lifeimprints.com] and scrapbooking supplies company in Cleveland, Ohio, has worked in the photo packaging industry for 10 years. Cardello helps customers find creative ways to preserve and appreciate a lifetime of memories.