Holiday Craft Ideas

Holiday Scrapbooking Ideas: Transforming Traditions Into Heirlooms

Whatever time of year and whatever holiday you may be celebrating, there’s a reason to make a scrapbook to honor it. The motive behind holiday scrapbooking ideas is the simple fact that time slips away quickly and memories, the priceless stuff that life is made of, are elusive. To capture them for future generations, decide on holiday scrapbooking ideas for all the holidays of the year, but perhaps one scrapbook per year, if you will, insuring thought and consummate effort into your final holiday scrapbooking ideas. Here are some thoughts about how to go about this seemingly monumental task, which like most things in life is accomplished one step at a time.

Write down your thoughts in a holiday scrapbooking ideas journal before you begin. Include some of the following: feelings, plans, hopes and dreams for the holidays. Collect material for your holiday scrapbooking ideas that reflect the ideas expressed in these notes.

Use journaling as a tool to document your photos.

Write down as much information as possible about the photos and ephemera you have chosen for your holiday scrapbooking ideas. This could include when and what time of day it was taken, the location, the occasion and of course, who is in the photo. Even though these details may not seem that important, for the future generation, for those who weren’t there when the photos were taken, this is all priceless anecdotal information. Record it for always and incorporate it all into your holiday scrapbooking ideas. Journaling also helps to tell the story of the holiday you are commemorating, no matter which it may be.

Personalizing your holiday scrapbooking ideas.

This will greatly depend on the type of scrapbooking paper and pattern you select. There are a myriad of choices available on the market today, so pick those designs for your holiday scrapbooking ideas that best suit you and your family’s collective personality. Paper patterns can also serve as a subtle backdrop to your holiday scrapbooking ideas. Remember that the photos are the main attraction, and you will need something to complement but not overshadow their impact. Anything goes, however, so let your imagination go as wild as it dare to express your holiday scrapbooking ideas. Most important of all, make the choice that reflects your own unique holiday scrapbooking ideas.

Holiday mementos for every holiday under the sun.

These run the gamut of all the holidays themselves, ranging from Christmas cards and holiday poems to colored pictures drawn by children, or cards with holiday sayings that match the unique theme of your holiday scrapbooking ideas. Special holiday stickers can also enhance your theme, but don’t go overboard with them while expressing your holiday scrapbook ideas. Stickers are very versatile and can be stitched, painted, embossed or glitterized!

Include the whole family in the project.

A family rather than an individual within a family celebrates a holiday, even though some holidays are more family-oriented than others. Encourage everyone in your family to gather items and photos that mean something specifically to them. Figure out where and how these images will fit into your holiday scrapbook ideas later. Each family member should have a page in your holiday scrapbook if it is at all possible.

Never lose sight of why you are creating your holiday scrapbooking ideas.

The motive is to have fun and commemorate those special moments that keep us all alive and smiling. Remember too, that if you instill a tradition of exploring your holiday scrapbooking ideas with your children, the chances are that they will also do it with their own children when the time comes.

Organize, organize and then organize some more of your holiday scrapbooking ideas. You might want to keep your scrapping and craft supplies in either glass or plastic containers, which work well because contents can easily be seen from any location on a shelf.

Don’t be intimidated by misconceptions about holiday scrapbooking ideas.

Many people would have thought at one time that holiday scrapbooks and the like are for the more artistically inclined among us. Nothing could be further from the truth and with all the advancements of digital scrapbooking, it couldn’t be any easier than it is; simply upload the photos of your choice, crop them, add embellishments with software and then print them all out to express your holiday scrapbooking ideas.

Another misconception about expressing your holiday scrapbooking ideas concerns the amount of time involved. Many think it is too time consuming. Limit your ideal to capturing a moment and feeling in time and nothing more, and you can finish your holiday scrapbooking ideas in far less time that you might have imagined.

Do not feel that everything must b done in chronological order.

This is one tip that will save you a lot of time. If you are stuck or bored with one section, move on to another more passionate one because inspiration shows in the end.

Whatever you do, enjoy the holidays that comprise your life. They represent the best of our experiences and as such, should be savored, like a glass of the finest wine.

About the Author

Michele Cardello, director of marketing and creative for Life Imprints, a creative scrapbooking supplies company also offering contemporary picture frames, in Cleveland, Ohio, has worked in the photo packaging industry for 10 years. Cardello helps customers find creative ways to preserve and appreciate a lifetime of memories.

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