How to Scrapbook Your Pictures Right Away

Digital photographs are fantastic in so many ways, aren't they? However, if you're like me - you take pictures, download them to the computer and that's where they stay for a while. My thinking is that I'll print pictures as I get caught up with my scrapbooking pages. In reality, the longer the pictures stay in the computer, the more the details about the pictures fade. Precious memories are lost in the process. I have discovered an inexpensive and quick method for preserving my memories and scrapbooking "as I go".

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Scrapbook pages (not necessarily albums)
• Page protectors
• Stickers
• Photo splits
• Decorative paper (optional)
• Acid-free journaling pens
• Your recent pictures

1. As soon as you download your recent pictures to the computer, go ahead and either send them via an online service to be printed, or take your camera's memory card straight to the store and print the most recent pictures.
2. Many times, an entire album is not in the budget for me when I want to scrapbook pictures. So, I just buy the pages and use those.
3. Ok, you have your most recent pictures in front of you. Sort them by date or by event.
4. Using the scrapbooking pages, go ahead and put your pictures, paper, stickers, and other embellishments onto the page.
5. Spend time journaling! Your memories of these events are fresh, so make the most of that and include details of the day, event, things the children said, etc. to make the photos and the event unforgettable. You'll be glad you did in years to come. Always make sure you include the date, names of people or pets, places, and what was going on. Journal why the day or occasion was special to you and your family.
6. Once you've "scrapped" your most recent pictures, it's important to keep them in a safe place and keep them flat until you can purchase an album.
7. Keep doing this as you get your pictures and the job of keeping up with your memories won't seem so daunting!

Tips & Warnings

• I've found that this method saves me a lot of time. It only takes about an hour (depending on the number of pictures). Time is saved because I'm doing only a group of pictures at one time. My memories are fresh in my mind, so I don't have to sit and try to remember what happened on the day the pictures were taken.
• You'll feel a great sense of accomplishment each time you complete a few pages!