Photos & Mementos - Dig through your albums and boxes. Select the photos that best represent who you are. Gather photos of important events, adventurous travels, and lazy days. Dig that box of mementos out from under the bed! Everyone has one of these boxes filled with movie stubs and love letters and other misc. items.
Paper - There are two basic sizes of scrapbooking paper, 12x12 and 8.5x11. By far the most popular is 12x12. If you have a large selection of photos and mementos, you may want to go with 12x12 simply because you can fit more on the page. If you're going to be printing a lot (such as poems, quotes, titles, and such) you may want to go with 8.5x11 because it will fit in a standard printer.
Album - Choose an album that goes with your theme. There are gorgeous white wedding albums, floral romance albums, adventurous travel albums, and more. Be sure to get an album that will fit your paper size.
Adhesive - Tape runners, glue sticks, photo splits, photo corners, and more.
Scissors/Cutting Tools - You'll need a good pair of scissors and a 12x12 paper cutter is useful if you're using the larger sized paper.
Embellishments - This is where it gets tricky. Embellishments are all the fun and cute things that you put on a page to decorate it. Stickers, buttons, eyelets, tags, and more. Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. There is an entire section on great embellishments for your albums!
A Note About Acid/Lignin Free
Whenever you purchase scrapbook supplies, be sure to look for the words “Acid Free/Lignin Free” on the packaging. By selecting acid/lignin free products, you ensure the safety of your photos for years to come. Traditional paper items, such as newspaper, are highly acidic and will rapidly increase the deterioration of your precious photos. A product called “Archival Mist”, which you can spray onto acidic items to neutralize them, will help you preserve those mementos.
Photography & Development
Take lots of pictures. The cost of film and development is insignificant when it comes to your memories. The more photos that you take, the more you'll have to choose from when creating your scrapbooks. Try taking photos in different lights, both indoors and outdoors and at different times of the day. The key to taking great photos is experimentation.
If the photos have already been taken, try photo editing to create different looks. You can use your own photo editing software or a Kodak Picture Maker type of machine (available at most drugstores and department type stores) to crop, blowup, and edit your photos.
You may also want to try an online photo developer. If you use a digital camera, it's probably a no-brainer to upload your photos and order prints. Online developers are great for traditional film development as well. With online development, your photos are available online to share with family and friends.
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