Blog Index, page 4

Family Records

Family History
Family Reunion Calendars
Heritage Albums
Not Your Grandma's Journal!
A Book of Remembrance
Book of Remembrance FAQs
Kid-Sized Personal Histories
Family History Albums

Scrapbooking
Holiday Photo Tips
Photo Preservation Tips
Fast, Beautiful Album Pages
Be Organized And Do Fast Pages
Awesome Family Vacation Albums and Journaling!
Photo Capturing Your Pets
Fabulous Journaling and Merger Layouts
Baby Album Page Layouts
Touch of Class: Graduation Layouts
Family Albums
Simple Hand-Drawn Scrapbook Borders
Page Layouts with Hearts, Stars and Circles
Scrapbook Layout: The Balance Game
Fast, Beautiful Album Pages
Family History Albums

Women's History
They Shall Call You Blessed (Grandma)
Homemaking Journals (Aunt Phala)
10 Things I Learned from My Mom (Mamma)
Country Girl (Grandma)
A Time to Die (Grandma)

Family Night
Do You Know Your Family?
Family Reunion Calendars
Christmas in July
Resurrection Eggs
St. Patrick's Day FHE
Including Family History

Newsletters
Church Newsletter Ideas

Scrapbook Layout: The Balance Game

I really struggled so much when I began creating layout pages for my Creative Memory albums.  This was before Idea Books, before the internet, before scrapbooking really caught on.  I can't tell you how many pages have been disassembled and put back together again--sometimes over and over!  That is when I learned you really have to have a plan (or copy someone else's idea!).  I'm sharing information from a handout I received when I first started scrapbooking with Creative Memories in the early 1990's.  It has helped me so much in planning my layout pages so that I get it right the first time.

"When you are laying out your photo's for your page, remember that it is your balancing game and you balance according to your visual likes.  Some people like a symmetrical look--same sizes, same spacing.  Other people like a more abstract design with flowing patterns and color."

Put your visually heavy picture down first, then start balancing.

...it's just like hanging pictures on the wall.

You can balance with stickers or colors...You can balance with words.

Work with your page in 1/2's or 1/3's.

(Layouts by Homemaker's Journal.  "The Balance Game" source unknown--circa early 1990's)

Page Layouts With Hearts, Stars and Circles

Here's a fun idea for those post-Valentine's Day photos, engagement/wedding photos, Mother's Day or any someone-you-love photos.  The die-cut hearts, templates and colored paper make it quick and easy!  Some layout ideas for stars and circles are shown below.

TIP:  Use pigma pens (like Zig) to make the dots around circles.

Photo Capturing Your Pets

Don't forget your pets when scrapbooking!  They deserve a page or two all to themselves.  Above is one of my more recent pages devoted to our cat "Kitty."  

Pet Journaling Prompts:

Who named your pet, and how did they choose it's name?

What kinds of games do you play with your pet?

Where does your pet love to sleep or hide?

How does your pet show you how much he/she loves you?

Why is your pet is so important to you?

What tricks does your pet know?

When and Where did you get your pet?

For the layout below, cut circles for animal heads from card stock.  Cut triangles for ears and noses with scissors.  Cut dog's mouth freehand with scissors.  The journaling and layout idea (shown below) is from Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, p. 53.

Layout design by Lynda Kanase