Scrapbooking is the gathering together and recording of precious memories, important events and everyday happenings, using photos, memorabilia and journaling.  It is a way of preserving your family history in a way that is both artistic and safe, so that it will be around for future generations to enjoy.

Scrapbooking is a way to leave a part of you behind – a legacy.

Scrapbooking is one of the fastest growing hobbies today.  It is fun and creative and each scrapbook is as individual as the person who made it.  However, the most important reason for scrapbooking is to get your photos into an acid and lignin-free environment, so that they can be safely preserved for years to come.

Lignin is a substance present in wood fibre and pulp, and it is acidic.  It is the acid in lignin that causes paper and photos to go brown and brittle, ruining our precious memories.

Make sure the paper and paper products that you use say ‘archival, acid-free or photo-safe.’  These terms describe products that have had the lignin removed, have a PH level above 7.0, and are considered safe to use with your photos

When scrapbooking, there will be times when you want to include things that aren’t photo-safe, such as theatre tickets, awards or newspaper clippings.  There are sprays available that you can use on these paper products that will neutralize the acid and make them safe to include.  For the bulkier mementos, you can use special memorabilia pockets and holders to keep the acid from affecting the rest of your scrapbook page.  Another way is to make color photo copies of the mementos, or  you can scan them onto acid free paper.

Scrapbooking Ideas and Solutions agree that it’s easy to start scrapbooking.  The first thing you need to do is to get those photos in order.  You can sort them either chronologically, by people or by events.  Whichever way you choose, find yourself a large clear space to work on.  It will make your job easier if you have all your photo’s laid out in front of you.

When sorting your photo’s, have a separate pile for the ones you have difficulty placing.  It’s often easiest to sort these at the end and look at things like similar hair styles, colors, clothes, cars etc.

Where you go from here is entirely up to you.  You can start working with your most recent photos and work your way back in time if you prefer.  With this method your memories will still be fresh and it may be easier for you.  You can also work by person and create albums specifically of that person, or you can just work at random.

There is no right or wrong way to organize your photos, so decide what works best for you to keep you motivated and excited.

Another good idea is to take yourself to a scrapbooking class or two.  Here you will meet like minded people and learn some tricks and new techniques that you can use in the future on your pages.

Whether it’s for an occasion, or as a record of your personal or family history, making a scrapbook is a highly rewarding experience that is guaranteed to bring out the inner artist in you.

To find out more about Scrapbooking, or to get more Idea’s and Solutions visit:  Scrapbooking Machines.com

When you're creating a scrapbook, you'll want to use a scrapbooking template that reflects your overall theme. If you're not sure what theme to apply, then here are some ideas that may help you find a ready-made scrapbooking template or create your own.
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n1. Environmental
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nEnvironmental themes are very popular these days. Scrapbooking templates with an environmental theme include natural motifs incorporating plants, animals, and the basic elements - soil, water, and air. They portray the natural beauty of our planet and are perfect when your photos and memorabilia are related to outdoor and environment-related activities. Perfect embellishments for your environmental scrapbooking template could include that small pebble you found at the beach, a dried leaf or twig, or an Earth Day button or decal. This template is a perfect to present your nature trips, safaris, hiking and camping adventures, and wildly successful fishing trips.
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n2. Technological
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nUsing a technological scrapbooking template are a great way to illustrate the passage of time and how much things have changed. They incorporate images and memorabilia related to any number of technologies - computers, cell phones, microchips, vehicles, space travel, and gadgets. A scrapbook with a technological scrapbooking template is perfect for that techno-geek in the family. It can document his or her evolution through different stages of techno-geekness. Or you can use the technological theme to showcase the houses you've lived in, moving up from a black-and-white portable television to a giant plasma wall-mounted screen. Your technological scrapbooking template will prove how tech-savvy you are and make your friends envy your modern attitude.
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n3. Athletic
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nOne of the most popular scrapbooking templates reflects sports and fitness. Often selected to document a man's life, it makes a masculine scrapbook free of ribbons and lace. Most sports-oriented scrapbooking templates reflect one of three elements:
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nPersona - A very popular scrapbooking template, this type of template showcases sports personalities popular to avid fans. You create a scrapbook for your favorite player or team. You can track their career, including photos, newspaper articles, and game reviews. If your man has a favorite sports celebrity, this scrapbooking template will make a great gift that you know he doesn't have.
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nTeam - This sports scrapbooking template can be based on the team's symbol or mascot. You can showcase individual team players and stars. Demonstrating support for your favorite team or college, the team scrapbooking template is embellished with ticket stubs, treasured pieces of uniforms, and a color scheme based on team colors. This scrapbooking template is a great gift for team associations, alumni groups, and school classes.
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nEquipment - Based on the type of equipment used in sports, your equipment scrapbooking template can be designed around equipment for many sports, relying on the equipment for a more general sports theme, or the equipment for a specific sport with that sport as your focus. Cut-outs and die-cuts in the shape of the equipment makes great frames for photos and documents.
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n3. Emotional
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nScrapbooking templates designed to represent the emotional nature of events rely on color and design to complement your photos and memorabilia and tell the whole story. Wedding-oriented scrapbooks tell a story of love and married life. Career-oriented scrapbooks describe challenges, struggles, and successes. Memorial scrapbooks express grief and sorrow for the loss of a loved one. You illustrate the emotion with color or characters.
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nColor - Bright and dark colors express different subtle emotional intensities that you can't usually describe with pictures or scrapbook embellishments. And specific colors represent different emotions. Red denotes passion, courage, and action. White denotes innocence, love, and purity. Yellow represents energy and enthusiasm. Blue speaks of inner peace and spiritual love. You can use different shades or saturations of the same color to express different intensity of emotion.
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nCharacters - Using characters is an effective way to express emotions. Facial expression is an easy way to communicate feelings. You can have your characters involved in different activities related to the photos and memorabilia on the page. Complementing your characters with background illustrations is also effective. For example, showing your character taking a walk in the rain could communicate solitude, sorrow, or sadness. Showing the same character on the beach in full sunlight would speak to joy, playfulness, and