Many parents are finding today that putting together scrapbooks is a great hobby that the entire family can enjoy, including young and old. But as with any other activity, it’s important to remember that scrapbooking for kids is not like scrapbooking for adults. You mght have to make some adjustments in how you scrapbook to accomodate the abilities and attention span of children or they may get bored just like they would with any other craft or hobby. So how can you approach scrapbooking for kids so they will love it as much as you do? Consider these easy and simple tips before you start scrapbooking with your children.

Getting them involved and letting them make their own choices is imperative in scrapbooking for kids. Allow them to choose the photo or other page element that you will be using as the main focal point and have them choose the theme or colors too. You might think that bold colors or soft pastels would be the best choice on a particular page layout, but this activity isn’t about the final product, it is about allowing your children to express their own creativity. Give them as many choices and options as you can and you’ll see that they’re more involved and will enjoy scrapbooking projects with kids more often, as opposed to just dictating to them what you’ll be doing or working on. Their scrapbooking techniques may get better over time but be patient with them and encourage their own creativity.

It’s important to keep things basic and simple when scrapbooking for kids. You might be experienced using a variety of designs and elements on your scrapbooking page layouts, but think of how coloring books for children are designed. The drawings in coloring books are very basic in their shapes, colors, designs, and so on. You don’t want your pages complex when you are considering scrapbooking for children. Stay with basic shapes like rectangles, circles, hearts, diamonds, triangles and squares, and simple designs like stars, suns, flowers and boats. You can use stencils or templates or maybe just have them draw things freehand, but be sure to avoid being too critical of their work.

Scrapbooking is a great hobby for anyone and everyone. It’s affordable, creative, and something to do when you can’t go outside! But when you’re enjoying scrapbooking with kids it’s good to allow them take the lead in their page layouts and really express themselves so they enjoy it as much as you do!

If you are fortunate enough to be able to create a scrapbook room in your home, then you must be a serious scrapbooker and serious about the space you plan to use. Whether it’s a guest bedroom or home office or basement space that you’re converting, creating a scrapbook room is not as difficult as some might think. Although it isn’t the same as a home office or other space you might design.  Here are some scrapbooking ideas for setting up a scrapbook room.

For example, when designing a scrapbooking room, you might need more surface workspace then you would for a typical home office. Between the larger pages and the many embellishments you want to have at hand, your desk may need to be larger than normal. Many scrapbookers just use an actual table as their workspace in their scrapbook room instead of a desk. An old dining room table or even a nice folding card table can work. Be sure that it is solid and sturdy and fits within your new room.

Storage is of course an issue when creating a scrapbook room. You will have cardstock and embellishments, as well as incomplete albums that you want to have within easy access. There are many small storage containers you can get from craft stores that are perfect for your embellishments. These small stacked drawers are perfect for all those tiny items you need at your fingertips. An easy tip for storing your incomplete page layouts or pages not ready to be stored in an album is to attach binder clips to the wall and then clip the pages and papers up until you are ready to use them. When creating a scrapbook room try to work this into your design scheme. You don’t need extensive carpentry skills to put some hooks on your wall, but you do need to space them correctly so the pages stay neat and clean.

Using wall space to organize your scrapbooking room is important. Shelves on the wall can hold storage containers for papers or anything else you need to put away. They can hold finished scrapbooks too. Shelves are easy to install, and of course they make good use of otherwise wasted space in your room. Get creative when it comes to storage when creating a scrapbook room and don’t assume everything needs to be on your table. If you do, you will have a functional and beautiful scrapbooking room.

You may already realize that Making Memories is a great company when it comes to scrapbooking ideas and materials. Making Memories recently released it’s new cordless personal die cutter, the Slice Cordless Design Cutter.  Making Memories Slice is a perfect tool for hobbyists and serious scrappers alike. With all your choices out there for cutting systems, why would we recommend the Making Memories cutting system over others?

For one thing, the Slice Cordless Design Cutter is the smallest personal die cutter available right now, and at less than five inches square, it’s perfect for scrappers with limited space for storage and scrapbooking. Even if you have a large desk or table on which to work, you don’t want your tools taking up that space because you need room to work. Your paper and embellishments and maybe the examples you’re working from need to be at your fingertips, so the fact that the Making Memories cutting system is somewhat small is a big plus for scrappers. It can do its job without actually getting in your way. It’s also less than two pounds in weight, meaning that when you do need to move it from one spot to another this isn’t going to be a dreaded chore. It’s the perfect choice for scrappers who do not want to make their scrapbooking time into a workout!

The Slice by Making Memories cutting systems operates entirely on rechargeable batteries that have approximately one hour of cutting time before it needs to be recharged. Without a bulky cord to get in your way, you won’t have ripped paper or bent cardstock to deal with. When the Slice by Making Memories runs low on its batteries, you just need to plug it back in and its battery will recharge. This makes it one of the best and most convenient personal die cutters available, perfect for the serious scrapbooker as well as beginners.

Are you looking for a wide variety of patterns from which to choose for your projects? Then, you are in luck! The Making Memories cutting system has exclusive design cuts for your to choose from, and it works both on textured paper as well as smooth cardstock. This means that whatever your project, whether it’s a serious wedding album or a school scrapbooking album, you’re sure to find a perfect pattern for your scrapbooking needs. So why not give this handy, portable, and convenient little machine a second look, whether it’s for you or as a perfect gift for the scrapper in your life?