A Scrapbook As a Christmas Gift
It seems that every year Christmas arrives earlier, at least it sure looks that way on the high street. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet, but not found that personal gift you are looking for. Why not consider making scrapbooks as Christmas gifts. With a scrapbook you are sure to have some unique, personalised gifts for everyone on your Christmas shopping list.
Here are some ideas for a Christmas gift scrapbook.
ABC scrapbooks are a great gift for the young children in your family. Each page of the album can be used for one or more letters of the alphabet or you can combine several letters on one page. Personalise the album by using pictures or images that relate to each letter. For example A is for Apple Pie, B is for Banana Sundae, C is for Cherry Ice Cream etc.
Grandparents love to have pictures of their grandchildren. Any scrapbook made for grandmas and grandpas is sure to be appreciated. Use all family members to get the scrapbook together for the grandparents. The children can also help in creating pages. Let them play around on separate pieces of paper first to generate the ideas before actually working in the final scrapbook. Ask your children to make specific paintings or drawings to include in the book as well as let them tell you their favourite grandparents stories.
If you do not have the time to put a scrapbook together, you can try out the digital photo books available online, for example Smilebox. Scrapbooking can go hi-tech with digital version which can also be printed for you. Some give you the option to email the scrapbook, which can be a great alternative Christmas card.
How to start your scrapbook.
First of all you will need to find the right scrapbook. A visit to your local hobby and craft store will afford you the occasion to examine various different styles of photo scrapbook that are available. Scrapbooks come in all shapes and sizes, as well as in huge number of colors. You may want to buy a plain one, and customize the cover yourself.
Next you will need to collect the material you want to use in your scrapbook. The base of the scrapbook is your photos. Select all photos you want to use for the scrapbook. Make sure you make copies of rare pictures so you always have an original to return to. To decorate your pages you can use memorabilia like concert stubs, leaflets etc. Apart from memorabilia you can use embellishments, charms, stickers, and other small pieces that add interest.
Once you have everything together, start laying out the material in the scrapbook. Do not glue it to the pages yet. Give yourself time to put the pages together. Once you have done the original layout, leave the book for a couple of days and return to it. Often you will find new ideas spring to mind and you want to make changes. Practice on separate paper writing the text for the different pages. You might want to experiment with different fonts, sizes and materials (like pen, paint, pencil etc).
The most important page of the scrapbook is the first page. Start there with a picture of the receiver of your gift, the title of your scrapbook and make sure you put in a footnote with your name and date of gift. Try to make the title memorable, refer to the receivers character or interest.
The holiday season gives a great opportunity to design a personalised scrapbook for someone you love. Or get ready now to create one after the holiday season by taking memorable pictures with your camera and writing down details of special moments.
If you plan to give a personalised scrapbook this year, make sure you have your camera ready to make a picture of the surprise on the recipients face.
