Your stories matter

Are you someone who has talked yourself out of ever scrapbooking? Why is that? Is it because of  lack of time and money or doubts about your creativity? Maybe its something other than that.

When I was a young Mom of three, I took lot and lots of photos of my babies. I wanted to catch every moment of their young lives and how I felt. First smiles, first laugh, first bath, first birthday and on it goes. So many firsts, joys,events and memories. Oh, I am so glad when I look at those photos now, remembering all the sights, sounds, and feelings that were there at that time. My kids love to look at their books too. Besides seeing my children pull their books out several times each year, it is a tradition at our house to get all their books out on their birthdays and go through them picture by picture remembering and laughing together.

It is never too late to start or restart scrapbooking. You should and here are a few reasons why:
 
1. Time.Your family is growing up and you may forget the stories that go with their photos.
2. Doable. It is not that hard. Can you use a scissors and glue? 
3. Value. Long-lasting importance to future generations. How great is it going to be when grandkids get to experience the "old days?"
4. Friendships. Scrapbookers make the best friends! It's true. In sharing ideas, inevitably you start sharing your life.

Here are the basics. A scrapbook is an enhanced photo album.  One of its defining characteristics is that scrapbooks tell the stories about the photos. This is called journaling. A scrapbook can also be a collection site for different types of memorabilia, like ticket stubs, certificates, letters, awards, and ribbons, etc.

So start pulling out those shoe boxes full of photos you have tucked away in your closet - They should be seen and shared! That's why the picture was taken in the first place, right? You don't even need to have any experience to begin. With photos in hand, a few basic materials, and some layout ideas, we can get you on the path to fun, engaging scrapbooks in no time!

Here are a few products you'll need to get started - I'll make sure you have everything you need.
Cardstock
Paper packs
Albums
Page Protectors
Adhesives 
Scissors
Layout Kits
Layout ideas

Pretty simple, right?
With so many great products CTMH has available, we have lots of  creative options for doing more than just dropping photos in an album - scrapbooking is a creative hobby and a great way to remember all your family's stories.

Next week, we'll talk about choosing and preparing photos.