Scrapbooking Articles

Showing posts with label scrapbooking embellishments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scrapbooking embellishments. Show all posts

Friday, July 18, 2008

A Very Unique Wedding Scrapbook

We have all been to weddings where the bride and groom have placed a pretty signature book somewhere near the entrance. A pretty pen or pens usually accompany this pretty signature book.

While these books are lovely, they almost never are looked at again. I know when I looked back at my own wedding guest book there were actually a couple of names I couldn’t read.

With some planning, you can create a guestbook that will be created as the guests arrive. You’ll need to choose a scrapbook prior to the wedding. You’ll also need to hire someone who can take and print digital photos on the spot. Next, find a local scrapbook consultant who will put together the album as the photos are being taken, so that by the end of the evening, you’ll have a scrapbook-guestbook that everyone can enjoy.

As your guests arrive, you’ll have someone at the entrance taking their photos. I am not a fan of Polaroid photos. This is why I recommend digital photos. With a laptop and photo printer, the photos can be printed out as they are taken. There are electrical outlets in almost every lobby I’ve seen.

You’ll also want to have available precut acid free paper and pens that your guests can write a personal message to you on. After their photo is taken or while they wait to have their photo taken, they can both write you a personal message and sign their names.

If you have someone there who can create the pages as the photos are taken, you’ll have a completed guest book by the end of the evening. Embellishments and enhancements can be added by the bride and groom after the wedding, if they want to add these items.

This is a very unique way to create your guestbook and have a lasting memory of your very special day that you and others will look at over and over again.

Audrey Okaneko has been scrapbooking for several years. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

by Audrey Okaneko

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Wedding Scrapbook Albums - They're Not Just For Brides and Grooms

These life changing, always memorable events are frequently the catalysts for nuptial-themed scrapbook albums. But true creative scrapbooking artisans have come to realize that only one wedding scrapbook might not be enough!

Here Comes the Bride... Her Dad... Your Cousin... The Neighbors...

Take a moment to consider how many people are in attendance at the typical wedding. Aside from the bride and groom, there are usually bridesmaids, groomsmen, attendants, flower girls and ring bearers. Add to that the plethora of family members and friends-fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, former roommates, school chums, grandparents-and you have a bounty of people for whom scrapbook albums would be perfect mementoes.

Of course, this is great news to the professional scrapper who desires to make a partial living off her creative scrapbooking abilities, selling her innovative scrapbook albums by the dozen.

It's also terrific for the recreational scrapbooking fan (and new bride!) who wants to test her skills at arranging wedding scrapbook albums as a "thank you" for everyone who attended her special day.

But no matter who is putting together the scrapbook (seasoned scrapper or newbie artist), it's critical to have a plan in place before setting off on this exciting adventure. Otherwise, you could find yourself with tons of scrapbooking embellishments and few finished projects.

The Wedding (scrapbook album) Planner

The key to arranging phenomenal wedding scrapbook albums is to develop a strategy before ever lifting a gel pen or unpeeling a sticker. This game plan can be as intricate as you need. Some scrappers prefer to simply write down the names of recipients for whom they'd like to make albums and then jump right in to their work. For them, a simple list is enough of a guideline.

Other scrapbooking gurus prefer to establish a more comprehensive blueprint, describing their intended scrapbook albums in greater detail (e.g. including approximate number of pages, size of album, theme of album, anticipated scrapbook products.)

Regardless of your organizational style, once you've written down at least a general idea of how you want to create your wedding scrapbook albums, it's time to check your scrapbook accessories. (Nothing's worse than finding out you've run out of card stock in the middle of a fun project!)

Evaluate your inventory, then decide whether you need to purchase scrapbook supplies online or if you have enough items in your scrapbooking kit. If you're unsure as to whether you need more, know that it's always better to have a little too much.

Making Memories Come Alive Again

Your next step will be to sort applicable photos and nostalgic items for inclusion in the wedding scrapbook albums. Simple enough, but don't breeze through the process.

For instance, if you're creating an 8-page scrapbook for your six-year-old niece who served as your flower girl, you'll want to create a very special scrapbook using photos of her (don't forget about those silly candids that make such delightful creative scrapbooking items!) If you have dried flowers, pictures of flowers or even flower-themed scrapbook products, you could add them, too.

Taking this hypothetical creative scrapbooking scenario a step further, you could also choose card stock that mirrors the colors (and perhaps fabrics) of both your wedding and your flower girl's dress. Remember-there's no "right" or "wrong" way to arrange scrapbook albums, but they should have a strong sense of originality and personality.

I Do... Thank You

Once your scrapbook albums are completed, the method of transporting them is entirely up to you.

Sent in the mail to friends and relatives who took part in your marriage ceremony, wedding scrapbook albums make a lovely surprise. Of course, a face-to-face delivery is a powerful way to say, "Thanks for being a part of our marriage", too.

In the end, your creative scrapbooking generosity will not go unnoticed, and the thoughtful scrapbook albums you've produced will be treasured for generations to come.

Michele Cardello, director of marketing and creative for Life Imprints, a creative scrapbooking supplies company also offering contemporary picture frames, 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.

by Michele Cardello