This year I’ve taken to my local library in order to expand and hone my scrapbooking skills, as well as gain a plethora of new ideas! The first book I discovered was Simple Scrapbooks: 25 Fun & Meaningful Memory Books You Can Make in a Weekend by Stacy Julian.
The first thing I notice about this book was its age. Published in 2000, it brought be make to the times when scrapbooking was mitagated to plain cardstock (sometimes, in all too bright colors), simple diecuts, and a few stickers thrown in here or there. Scrapbooking materials have definitely matured in the last ten years! That being said, it’s a worthy book to add to your scrapbooking library.
What I liked
There are a lot of good album ideas. Most projects are simple and straightforward with simple layouts and color schemes, along with helpful sections like “Guidelines” and “Preparation.” There’s definitely an emphasis on a return to actual “scrapbooking.” Julian explains “how to quickly and easily record the most important aspects of your life” (7), so that you can scrapbook and have a life too.
She poses the question, do we scrapbook to record all of life’s events or do we scrapbook in way that when people see our albums they walk away knowing more about us. She offers these questions to ponder (8):
- What is the routine of your daily life?
- What songs do/did you sing to your children?
- What hopes and dreams do you have for your family?
- What are your valued beliefs and traditions you’d hope to pass on to your children?
Good questions to ask. I know I am benefiting from them, since I’ve been trying to break away from my pattern of scrapbooking chronologically.
Stacy Julian defines a simple scrapbook as “an album that focuses on one theme and follows a specific formula with the help of a framework” (8). Building on that definition, she leads to the framework of a simple scrapbook that you can build in one weekend.
The framework is simple, consisting of a title page, table of contents, subtitle page, fill-in pages, and a material file (where you keep the photos, memorabilia, materials you’ll need to complete the album). The goal with having a framework for these simple scrapbooks is that you’ll have a sense of completion even though you’re not completely done.
What I didn’t like
To be truthful, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about Simple Scrapbooks. I could complain that the layouts are too simple and remind me of my early days of scrapbooking when I all knew came from Creative Memories, but the point of the book is to make quick and simple scrapbooks. Some of the projects do require more work beforehand, which might not be able to get done in just one weekend.
This is where the material file comes in, getting things ready for your scrapbooking weekend. You know, tracking down family recipes and the only couple of your grandparents wedding photo so you can scan it. If you count your research time, some of these ideas couldn’t be started and completed in a weekend. But if you prepare ahead of time, you’re likely to make it to completion by Sunday.
The “Family Storybook” was truly the one project that I had a hard time with. It’s a good idea, but the directions were hard to follow her method and seemed would mean a lot of rearranging layouts from other albums.
Overall, it’s a useful book with lots of great ideas. It’d be a good investment if you’re planning to make a few of the scrapbooks.
Noteworthy Scrapbooks from Simple Scrapbooks
Collector’s Catalogue (34)
My Hometown (45)
Random Memories* (60)
Pictures I Love* (64)
Romance (76)
A Little Book About Your Name* (90)
Christmas Cards and Photo Book (131)
Christmas Exchange Album (136) – A great idea if you have a family of scrapbookers!
*Scrapbooks I’m planning to make and blog about this year.
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Saw this book in a store and after reading your review I just might go back and buy it.
Anyway, I have some scrapbooking kits you might be interested in. 