Handmade Gift: Create A Christmas Scrapbook
Scrapbooking has gained in popularity over the last few years. How about creating a Christmas scrapbook for everyone to enjoy. You could even make a separate one for each family member for a special keepsake.
When getting started with your Christmas scrapbook it might be easy to go overboard and overspend on supplies. Go slow at first until you know what sort of paper craft products you are likely to use. For instance, you may find a preference to rubber stamping over using stickers. If this is the case you will want to allocate more money to rubber stamps and supplies.
Just about everyone has an abundance of pictures stored in a box somewhere, not to mention pictures from every Christmas. A Christmas scrapbook is a nice way to compile your favorites.
To create your own Christmas scrapbook you will need a loose leaf binder, some plastic page protectors, and some colored card stock. Many paper crafts experts insist on only archival quality materials. Check the labels as you buy. Most paper products, even the cheaper ones, are labeled “acid-free,” which means that it shouldn’t fade or over time.
You should be able to find everything you need at craft nearby. Be sure to look for sales. Craft stores such as Michaels usually have good sales and coupons in the weekly flier.
To start a Christmas scrapbook you can either select photos from one specific year or have different pages for each Christmas, starting with your first family Christmas. You may want to include some two page spreads in your scrapbook. This is a great way to look back at how the kids have grown each year.
Attach your photos to the card stock with double-sided tape squares or a glue stick. Then it’s time to decorate the page with stickers, paper shapes, or rubber stamped designs. If you want to personalize it you can use a colored gel pen to write dates, names, and other highlights about the activities in the pictures.
Other items are available in paper crafts stores. These includes die cuts, which are pieces of paper already cut into shapes and objects. There are also special scissors that cut paper with an interesting edge. A pair of the type called “deckle” scissors is very useful for making elegant looking pages for your Christmas scrapbook as well as other crafts such as handmade greeting cards.
Many who enjoy scrapbooking like to branch out by making greeting cards. Greeting cards may or may not have an original poem written on the inside. A simple “Happy Birthday,” or “Thinking Of You” is enough to brighten someone’s day. Rubber stamps often make beautiful greeting cards and are reusable. Attach ribbons and beads to dress it up a bit.
