Start by removing your pictures from those horrible old magnetic albums with a product like Un-Du (from Doumar). It will safely loosen the glue and you can arrange your photos into categories ready for your brand new scrapbook. If the pages are too old and can't be removed simply make color copies of the pictures-it will work just as well-even with black and white pictures! You can even scan them onto your computer and make printed copies.
You may have hundreds or even thousands of photos but don't be intimidated - it's possible to get them into some sort of order, all you need is a little patience. Start by choosing the categories you want, for example, family member and theme. A simple strategy may be to place them into boxes marked 'Mom', 'Dad', 'Nephew', 'Vacation', 'Christmas', 'Birthday' etc. Learning the basics of scrapbooking allows you to finally clear the clutter and arrange it into something beautiful.
Decide, NOW, to only keep the ones you love best for your scrapbook - too many pictures can get confusing, so don't feel you have to display them all. Try to choose ones that capture the experience best and be sure to include special moments like a first birthday or Christmas.
* Choosing a Scrapbook Theme or Chronology
Once you have made a decision on your favorites and collected the pictures into categories put them into sheet protectors together with any journal entries, notes and a few patterned paper sheets that you want to use as background features.
For the basics of scrapbooking choose a good sized album for example 12" x 12" and label the cover and first page with the theme of the scrapbook. You are now ready to begin.
You may want to create a chronological scrapbook - starting with photos and birth certificates of you grandparents or even great grandparents. Make sure to include a special memory about them like the time you and granddad watched the ships leave from the harbor. Old photos are quite small so you will probably be able to fit several on one page.
Create a page for your parents next, perhaps including a page dedicated to your parents as children and documenting their marriage and the births of you and your siblings. Ask you parents to share a few stories with you about their early years together and include these too. As you learn the basics of scrapbooking you learn to be more organized in your own mind too.
Next you will want to make a few pages for you and your brothers and/or sisters. Include the first birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as baptisms and pictures of your first day at school if you have these. Include the age you were when each picture was taken. With the basics of scrapbooking understood you can really have fun journaling all your childhood memories.
