Valentine Scrapbooking 2010

It's a new year in a new decade - and time to think about your Valentine's Day scrapbooks. Scrapbooking in 2010 is so great - and there are plenty of choices for a memory book for the one you love - or for all the people you love.

This is a great choice: American Crafts - 12 x 12 Bulk Cardstock Pack - 60 Sheets - Valentine

This gives you a selection of cardstock in red, pink, magenta and all those warm colors you need for the holiday of love.


For single sheets of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper, I really love this one from BasicGrey:

BasicGrey Bittersweet Collection 12 x 12 Paper - Ganache

The following paper is a totally new line of Little Yellow Bicyle papers from Deja Views C-thru company. This one is nice!

Deja Views - C Thru - Little Yellow Bicycle - Sweet Love Collection - 12 x 12 Double Sided Shimmer Paper - Big Love

Here is a video about another new product line: K and Company Ka-Zoo Valentine Collection:

Here is a paper pack of the new line: K and Company - Ka-Zoo Valentine Collection - 12 x 12 Silhouettes Die Cut Paper Pack

These great papers and paper packs are sure to get you started with ideas for your Valentine's Day scrapbooking! Have fun...

The Valentine Papers

That title sounds like it's a suspense novel title or a government report. But I really am just referring to my recent search for nice Valentine's Day scrapbook papers. February 14th is approaching and it's time to make Valentine scrapbooks!

I found some papers I really didn’t expect to find (with racy names). There are two scrapbook papers that are called “Strip Tease” made by two different scrapbook paper companies. It looks like the pole-dancing craze has had an effect on the scrapbook world! Will there be any papers named pole dancing next? For all I know, there might be some - I just haven't seen any.

Actually, those "Strip Tease" papers are pretty nice. One is from the Cosmo Cricket line called Hey Sugar. The other is from Scrapworks' Valentine's Day Collection - Love in Bloom.

Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar - Valentine's Day - Strip Tease

Scrapworks - Valentine's Day Collection - Love in Bloom - Strip Tease

Scrapworks had some of the nicer paper designs that I found. Their Love in Bloom papers are all well-coordinated, and with some careful thought, they could be combined in a scrapbook. I like that line's softer colors with more reds than pinks.

Other Valentine-themed paper collections (most of which have coordinated stickers and other embellishments) include:

• Carolee’s Creations – Valentine’s Love Collection
• Cosmo Cricket - Hey Sugar Collection
• Bo Bunny Press - Smitten Collection
• Doodlebug Designs - Love Spell Valentine's Day Collection

Also, there are some beautiful designs from Karen Foster's Love and Valentine designs. If you like pink, you will love the papers from Paper Adventures, designed by Marna Hill.

There are some scrapbook kits or paper packs that are pretty good for Valentine scrappin' too. If you want all the embellishments and papers in one package, Doodlebug Designs has their Love Spell 12" x 12" scrapbook collection kit. It can save you the time it takes to search for all the embellishments, stickers, etc. you need by buying one package with all of this in it:

• One Cupcake Loopy Lou alphabet cardstock sticker sheet
• One Love Spell Collection cardstock sticker sheet
• One love jewel assortment
• One package of Bon Bon stitched grosgrain ribbon
• One package of Cupcake Paper Posies
• One package of Bubblegum brads
• One 12” x 12” sheet of Very Cherry Paisley Accent Paper
• One 12” x 12” sheet of Neapolitan Stripe Accent Paper
• One 12” x 12” sheet of Cherry Blossoms Accent Paper
• One 12” x 12” sheet of Cherry Chocolate Paisley Accent Paper
• Six sheets of assorted cardstock

That seems like it would easily make a complete scrapbook. If you prefer to make a smaller-sized scrapbook, Daisy D's has an 8" x 8" Maybe Baby Valentine scrapbook pad. The kit includes 12 paper designs - 2 pages of each, so you get 25 papers in all. And any of these papers could be used for Valentine card making, too.

For Digital scrapbooking, there are Digikits, such as Romantic Roses 2 and the Romantic Roses 3 digital elements kit. Another digital scrapbook kit I like is called Amore by Sande Krieger. It's fairly complete, with the 11 background papers, 8 brushes, 4 word art, 3 flowers, 2 hearts and 2 ribbons that are all coordinated.

So, whether you like to print your own papers using digital scrapbook kits, or if you buy 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 papers, you have some good choices for Valentine's Day scrapbooks.

Don't forget to look at some binders, too. A bright red 3-ring (D ring) binder might work well for this celebrated occasion! This is a popular customizable d-ring binder from American Crafts:

Other really popular binders are the 3-ring faux leather or linen covered albums made by We R Memory Keepers. For those who prefer postbound albums, We R Memory Keepers has linen postbound albums, too. And, there are many more choices. An album that allows for a photo to be inserted on the cover would be an excellent choice for Valentine's Day, such as this Kolo Newport scrapbook album or the Making Memories Leather window album in apple red.

You know, you don't have to have a traditional "sweetheart" to make a Valentine's Day scrapbook. You could make one about your kids, parents, or anyone who is dear to you!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful day on February 14th!

Holiday Scrapbooks Ideas

You've finally finished all the leftover turkey or ham and you've taken down the decorations (unless you are one of those people who leave them up all year). You have dozens of photos and many are probably still in the digital camera - and you are just getting used to using writing 2008 for the date.

The Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Hanukka holiday memories are fading from our minds, while the next occasion to celebrate is more than a month away (yes, Valentine's Day decorations are already in the stores). Now really is a good time to take a moment to do something fun with your recent photos from those holiday dinners or family get togethers.

A holiday scrapbook is especially nice for anyone who's had a new arrival (births, adoptions) or a wedding in December. Or maybe you want to remember many occasions and holidays you felt were particularly special during 2007 - you should scrap 'em! Maybe you took a family trip during the holidays? Scrappin' a trip or vacation - using the photos your took while you were away - are the kind of memory books your family will enjoy sharing with friends. Another project idea is to make your own "year in pictures" scrapbooks beginning now, and just imagine that someday you'll have a shelf of these memory books all in a row - one for each year. Scrapbooks are a kind of historical archive in the making!

Or, you could make a scrapbook of one particular holiday from 2007 or any past year that you want to remember and share with others. You could put photos and holiday cards you've recieved for several years or family birthday cards into a scrapbook (you know, all those greeting cards you've saved and just can't bear to throw away - they are over there in that drawer that is too full to open!)

Another holiday scrapbook idea that would be fun is a holiday cookbook or special recipe scrapbook that you can keep adding recipes to as you get new ones. You may even have hand-made decorations that can be put into a scrapbook (did your kids make paper snowflakes or draw any cute Thanksgiving or Christmas pictures at school?)

So, figure out what kind of images, photos and pictures, recipes or other momentos you have and use those to decide on a theme.

Scrapbook to-do list:

1. Decide on your theme.


2. Look through your photos, pictures, or cards and start selecting which you think should go into your scrapbook. If you are a digital scrapbooker, you can start making a folder on your computer and put the photos you want to use in it.


3. Get a scrapbook album or binder (decide what size you want to use - you can use a small album (the mini albums are quick to make - 6" x 6" albums and 8" x 8" albums) if you only have smaller photos or keepsakes to put in your scrapbook. Larger albums that are 12" x 12" are a sort of standard size and they have many more options to find nice scrapbook papers. These larger albums come in all sorts of fabrics or cover materials, including really nice leather covers. The 12" x 12" size allows for various sized photos, cards, and other materials, so it's a good size choice if you can't decide right away what to include in your scrapbook. There are also scrapbook album kits or scrapbook page collections that have the album included - those save you time by having scrapbook papers, a few ebellishments and the scrapbook album already coordinated.


4. Paper or Cardstock - This is a tough descision - what paper should you use! There are so many gorgeous papers and such a variety of scrapbooking cardstock available for scrapbooks. Set aside some time to familiarize yourself with the newest paper designs. I personally adore the Karen Foster designs. These scrapbook paper brands: Basic Grey, EK Success, Bazill, K & Company and others have become industry standards and scrapbookers favorites. Scenic Route Paper makes some great paper collection packs with holdiay and other themes. Some paper is a bit thicker - and it's called scrapbook cardstock. This is a more durable paper stock and some are printed on both sides for use in page protectors that allow both sides to be viewed.


5. Embellishments - decide if you want to add decorative items to your scrapbook pages. Embellishments include: ribbons and fibers, tags, tabs, frames, buttons, and stickers, to name a few. You may have your own items you can use, such as buttons or fabric. Just about any item (if it isn't too thick) can be added to a scrapbook with the great adhesives and glue guns that are available. Embellishments add a really personal touch, so get creative and try adding some of these to your scrapbook pages.


6. Other Supplies - Make sure you have a sharp pair of scissors, the appropriate types of adhesives or glue, page protectors, cutting mats, markers and pens or paints and brushes or other necessary supplies all ready to use.


7. Inspiration and Perspiration - These are the most important elements for any creative project! Get inspired, look at online scrapbook galleries and page examples. Then don't give up, keep working on your scrapbook and you'll feel great when the memories are sorted out and displayed for you and others to enjoy!

Other notes: Some scrapbook paper manufacturers have monthly theme kits or calendar pages you can use to introduce the occasions you want to include in your scrapbook. You could make a "December 2007" scrapbook using winter themed papers. Just remember to pick a theme that you have enough resources for - or one that you can buy the right papers, ribbons, etc. to create your book. While you organize your photos when planning a scrapbook, think about having a photo album handy to put the photos you won't be using in your scrapbooks - this will keep them out of the over-filled drawer or shoebox and protect them for future use or just to have to look at when you feel like it.