Traditional scrapbooking

Keys to getting started in scrapbooking
Luckily, I found Stacy Julian, the editor-in-chief of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. This remarkably sane mother of four young boys preached common sense in her seminar. During the introductions to Ready, Set…Scrap!, two cousins admitted they had been buying scrapbooking supplies for three years but had yet to produce a single page. This cracked us all up and made me realize that being overwhelmed is a common experience. Here are Julian's tips to get going.

A mess of your own
First, find a space you can dedicate to this rather messy pursuit. Then, collect your photos and any related mementos, such as ticket stubs, recital programs, badges, postcards or old letters. (And in case the house burns down, Julian suggests, store negatives and backup CDs of digital photos off-site; hers are in a shoebox under her husband's desk at his workplace.)

The big sort
Do a simple chronological sort, group the material by year and slip the photos into inexpensive, acid-free slip cases (label them on the back with a photo-labelling pencil first, if you like). Then get to work as a Memory Keeper.

Julian says that people tend to organize their scrapbook pages around events, but, she insists, the really fun and interesting stuff happens when you choose photos themed around:
• you (you are the best person to keep your own history);
• people you love (if you think a picture captures the essence of someone's character, grab it);
• relationships (with family, friends and pets); and
• passions (hobbies, jobs and anything that fires you up).

Interview elderly family members now and make time to see your cousin next time he visits from his overseas posting. Get down your family history while you can. And spend an hour brainstorming with your family, then create a chronology of significant events for each person. Holiday get-togethers are perfect for this.

Scrapbooking: the cool stuff
Invest in a few scrapbooker's essentials: acid-free paper and card stock, small straight scissors, an X-acto knife, permanent scrapbooking markers or pens, a grid ruler and a 12-inch paper trimmer, acid-free adhesives (such as glue and archival tape), Un-du (which reverses gluing mistakes), an acid-free album and archival page protectors (the top-loading style are particularly useful). The sky's the limit for embellishments.

Go for it
Get your feet wet. Label an album Family Celebrations and put one great photo on each right-hand page (stick the photo onto card stock and trim the stock, leaving a 1.3- to 2-centimetre border, then attach it to the page). On the left-hand page, when you have time, write down who was there, why so-and-so wasn't there, what was going on in the photo, in the family and in the world at the time (or computer-print it in a fancy font on special paper, then attach it to the page). Ask yourself the journalist's questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? Include lists, quotes, interviews and narratives.