It's always difficult when you sit down hoping to create a really awesome scrapbook page but have no idea where to start. You've got your pictures. You've got your supplies. But your brain can't put it together or you're afraid to dive in. Don't worry, you're not alone. Here's a few ideas to get you started.
1. Choose a theme
If you don't already have your theme in mind, pick one now. Your theme can be very broad like Baby, Christmas, Wedding, or School Days. Or you can choose something more specific like Maggie's First Tooth, Maggie Learns to Walk, Charlie's New Bike, or Visiting Aunt Amy. Personally, I like the specific ones, but they usually are more difficult to find content for.
2. Choose some main embellishments
Your main embellishments should be related to your theme. If your theme is Baby, you might want little bottle stickers as your main embellishments. If your theme is Visiting Aunt Amy, you might want something that reminds you of Aunt Amy. My Aunt Amy loves sunflowers, so I would want my Visiting Aunt Amy scrapbook page to have some sunflowers. It's always good to have a place to start and a really good place to start is by getting some main embellishments.
3. Get coordinating paper and other embellishments
So now you have your main embellishments. From those, we can pick out good colors for our background color, accent colors, and other embellishments. My sunflowers are yellow and a soft brown color. Those two colors will be my accents. We just have to choose a main color. You might also want to consider what event is in the pictures you'll be displaying. In my case, it's a girls day, so it's safe to pick a light pink for my base color. If it had not been all girls in the picture, I might have went with a bright green.
4. Layout
Some people are born with this amazing ability to make beautiful layouts just by placing items at random on a page. I don't have that ability. I use a book of scrapbook sketches. They're just pencil drawings of layouts. In the book I use, there's 500 of these sketches. I just pick out a sketch and start cutting. It's that simple. If you don't have a scrapbook sketches book, I have some basic rules that might help you out.
1. Make the pictures the main idea.
2. Frame your pictures by cutting a piece of accent colored paper slightly bigger than the picture and putting it down under the picture.
3. Make room for some journaling to explain what was going on in the pictures.
4. Put your smallest embellishments on last. If you start with the smaller items, you might not have room for the bigger items when you get to them.
My name is Jennifer. I'm a programmer by profession, but my other skills include shopping, sewing, scrapbooking, photography, photo editing, custom framing, and other general crafting. I like to use ScrappingLayouts.com to help me make beautiful layouts. Visit my website at ScrapbookingLayoutIdeas.us for more scrapbooking layout ideas.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Stanton
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Starting a Successful Creative Scrapbooking Business, Part II
It’s ironic; what makes a creative scrapbooking business unique attractive to entrepreneurs seeking a work-at-home venture is also what makes it so incredibly challenging. After all, there are no definitive “rules” when it comes to pricing your scrapbook creations or determining where and how to advertise your services.
However, there are general business planning techniques you can use as a starting point to give your creative scrapbooking company the best chance of long-term success.
Setting Your Creative Scrapbooking Price Rates
Whether you specialize in wedding scrapbooks, memory scrapbooks, award/honor scrapbooks, or other creative scrapbooking creations, you’ll need to develop a price guideline. Otherwise, it will be difficult to negotiate with clientele.
Determining your creative scrapbooking business price guideline may seem daunting at first blush, but it’s actually not that complicated when broken down into “bite sized” pieces.
Hourly Rates or Standard Price per Scrapbook?
First, you’ll need to determine whether you want to set prices per project or per hour.
One huge advantage to charging per creative scrapbooking project is that consumers are accustomed to paying for products this way. After all, people don’t purchase a pair of shoes based on how long it took a cobbler to make them; they simply look at the price tag or retail value and decide if they feel it’s a worthwhile investment.
That being said, setting a price per creative scrapbooking project may not always be beneficial for you. If you discover you’re spending inordinate amounts of time on each scrapbook you create, your originally quoted price might not match your efforts. (Remember the old adage: Time is Money.)
Essentially, you can expect to experiment with your creative scrapbooking cost methods at first. Perhaps with some clients, you could offer a “per project” rate, but with others, you might try an hourly approach. There’s no “right or wrong” process–you simply want to find the best one for your creative scrapbooking business.
Remember to Consider “Hidden Costs”
Before “going public” with your scrapbook price structure, make sure you’ve accounted for the many costs (both direct and indirect) associated with owning a creative scrapbooking business. Be certain to include the amount you expect to spend on basic creative scrapbooking supplies such as specialty paper, a scrapbook, adhesives, stickers, markers, and fabrics.
Add into your creative scrapbooking price figures telephone calls, mileage (if you’ll travel for consultations), babysitting costs, and any overhead.
At this point, your initial price estimates may seem too high or low. Consequently, you can modify them accordingly, although you should never underestimate what people will pay for a one-of-a-kind scrapbook.
Selling Your Creative Scrapbooking Services
You’ve determined your basic scrapbook price. Creative scrapbooking supplies are on hand and on order. You’re organized, primed, and ready to go. But wait! You still need to attract that first key customer.
Advertising and marketing are stumbling blocks for many creative scrapbooking business start-ups; consequently, plenty of scrapbook enthusiasts shy away from becoming entrepreneurs because they assume they’ll never be able to publicize their talents. However, if you approach the selling of your creative scrapbooking services pragmatically, you’ll have an excellent chance of attracting clientele.
Initially, you may want to try a technique that has worked for many other creative scrapbooking aficionados – scrapbook “parties”. These get-togethers are akin to the “tupperware” gatherings made famous in the 70s. Put simply, a friend offers to host a scrapbook party at his or her residence for several persons interested in the world of creative scrapbooking.
Your role at the scrapbook party will be to introduce them to creative scrapbooking and to talk about what you can do for them. Obviously, it will be crucial to bring along business cards (why not design handmade “mini scrapbook cards” for the occasion?) as well as sample scrapbooks you’ve created. Coupons for discount scrapbook services make nice add-ons and will encourage scrapbook party guests to hire you. From this party, you can expect to get a few “nibbles” and perhaps one or two customers.
Naturally, it’s essential to do a fabulous job on your first scrapbook assignment. You must give it “your all”; that way, your client will have a reason to brag about and show off your customized (and exceptional) creative scrapbooking services to friends, family, and coworkers. You can also use your satisfied customer (if he or she agrees) as a “spokesperson” for your creative scrapbooking business in future advertising campaigns.
Next … Beyond Marketing 101
In the final article of our three-part creative scrapbooking business piece, we’ll examine particularly creative scrapbooking business marketing ideas and provide hints on running your creative scrapbooking company wisely, ethically, and efficiently.
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.
However, there are general business planning techniques you can use as a starting point to give your creative scrapbooking company the best chance of long-term success.
Setting Your Creative Scrapbooking Price Rates
Whether you specialize in wedding scrapbooks, memory scrapbooks, award/honor scrapbooks, or other creative scrapbooking creations, you’ll need to develop a price guideline. Otherwise, it will be difficult to negotiate with clientele.
Determining your creative scrapbooking business price guideline may seem daunting at first blush, but it’s actually not that complicated when broken down into “bite sized” pieces.
Hourly Rates or Standard Price per Scrapbook?
First, you’ll need to determine whether you want to set prices per project or per hour.
One huge advantage to charging per creative scrapbooking project is that consumers are accustomed to paying for products this way. After all, people don’t purchase a pair of shoes based on how long it took a cobbler to make them; they simply look at the price tag or retail value and decide if they feel it’s a worthwhile investment.
That being said, setting a price per creative scrapbooking project may not always be beneficial for you. If you discover you’re spending inordinate amounts of time on each scrapbook you create, your originally quoted price might not match your efforts. (Remember the old adage: Time is Money.)
Essentially, you can expect to experiment with your creative scrapbooking cost methods at first. Perhaps with some clients, you could offer a “per project” rate, but with others, you might try an hourly approach. There’s no “right or wrong” process–you simply want to find the best one for your creative scrapbooking business.
Remember to Consider “Hidden Costs”
Before “going public” with your scrapbook price structure, make sure you’ve accounted for the many costs (both direct and indirect) associated with owning a creative scrapbooking business. Be certain to include the amount you expect to spend on basic creative scrapbooking supplies such as specialty paper, a scrapbook, adhesives, stickers, markers, and fabrics.
Add into your creative scrapbooking price figures telephone calls, mileage (if you’ll travel for consultations), babysitting costs, and any overhead.
At this point, your initial price estimates may seem too high or low. Consequently, you can modify them accordingly, although you should never underestimate what people will pay for a one-of-a-kind scrapbook.
Selling Your Creative Scrapbooking Services
You’ve determined your basic scrapbook price. Creative scrapbooking supplies are on hand and on order. You’re organized, primed, and ready to go. But wait! You still need to attract that first key customer.
Advertising and marketing are stumbling blocks for many creative scrapbooking business start-ups; consequently, plenty of scrapbook enthusiasts shy away from becoming entrepreneurs because they assume they’ll never be able to publicize their talents. However, if you approach the selling of your creative scrapbooking services pragmatically, you’ll have an excellent chance of attracting clientele.
Initially, you may want to try a technique that has worked for many other creative scrapbooking aficionados – scrapbook “parties”. These get-togethers are akin to the “tupperware” gatherings made famous in the 70s. Put simply, a friend offers to host a scrapbook party at his or her residence for several persons interested in the world of creative scrapbooking.
Your role at the scrapbook party will be to introduce them to creative scrapbooking and to talk about what you can do for them. Obviously, it will be crucial to bring along business cards (why not design handmade “mini scrapbook cards” for the occasion?) as well as sample scrapbooks you’ve created. Coupons for discount scrapbook services make nice add-ons and will encourage scrapbook party guests to hire you. From this party, you can expect to get a few “nibbles” and perhaps one or two customers.
Naturally, it’s essential to do a fabulous job on your first scrapbook assignment. You must give it “your all”; that way, your client will have a reason to brag about and show off your customized (and exceptional) creative scrapbooking services to friends, family, and coworkers. You can also use your satisfied customer (if he or she agrees) as a “spokesperson” for your creative scrapbooking business in future advertising campaigns.
Next … Beyond Marketing 101
In the final article of our three-part creative scrapbooking business piece, we’ll examine particularly creative scrapbooking business marketing ideas and provide hints on running your creative scrapbooking company wisely, ethically, and efficiently.
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.
Starting a Successful Creative Scrapbooking Business, Part I
Creative scrapbooking has taken the world by storm. It’s relaxing, fun, social… and, let’s face it, incredibly addictive! After all, what scrapbooker doesn’t smile with pride when she or he finishes a decorative project?
If you have the talent to create eye-catching, creative scrapbooks, you can actually turn your hobby into a lucrative creative scrapbooking career. In this three-part series, we’ll show you some of the secrets to running a home-based creative scrapbooking company that regularly adds extra coins to your coffers!
Why Creative Scrapbooking?
People from all walks of life have photos and mementoes cluttering their homes. They’d love to organize and arrange them, but don’t have the time (or, in some cases, the ability.) That’s where you, as a professional scrapbooker, can step in!
Through creative scrapbooking, you can create delightful, entertaining, and touching memory books that will be certain to have a very long shelf life. Imagine… your scrapbook creations could someday become precious family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation!
What Types of Scrapbooks Sell?
Creative scrapbooking is an incredibly versatile field because you have virtually no boundaries. Graduation scrapbooks, family tree scrapbooks, baby scrapbooks, wedding scrapbooks, and achievement scrapbooks are only a few of the countless styles of creative scrapbooking inventions you can market.
Use your imagination; anything that’s relatively flat can go into a scrapbook, so the sky’s the limit.
Can Scrapbooking Really Be Profitable?
Creative scrapbooking, as with any legitimate business, won’t make you rich overnight. But if you’re determined and plan your creative scrapbooking operation pragmatically, you can absolutely make money from this burgeoning industry.
Best of all, creative scrapbooking is a low overhead industry. You’ll need to start with a modest amount of scrapbooking supplies, but you can build your stock over time thanks to fast shipping and wholesale prices offered at Internet scrapbooking supply stores.
How Can I Start Professionally Scrapbooking?
Obviously, the first step to starting a creative scrapbooking company (even one with a single employee, aka “you”) is to develop a business plan. This document should include an overview, financial information (including income and expense projections, marketing ideas, local competition statistics, and realistic growth rates.
Though you may not be able to find exact data to work into your creative scrapbooking business plan, try to be as complete as possible. The more information you include, the better your chances of success.
Do I Need Any Formal Training?
Though there are no credentials needed to call yourself a creative scrapbooking pro, you may want to take a few community courses on scrapbooking design. Doing so will keep you “in the know” as far as the latest products and trends are concerned; it will also provide you with fresh ideas to propose when working with clientele.
What Do I Need in Terms of Stock?
One of the most essential items you’ll need to start a creative scrapbooking venture is scrapbooking paraphernalia. Chances are, you already have some supplies around your home, but if they aren’t organized, it’s time do so.
Invest in some bins (dollar stores have a plethora of options) and label them according to scrapbooking supplies, such as stickers, papers, backgrounds, adhesives, albums, markers, scrapbooking magazines (for inspiration), and borders. This way, you’ll always know exactly how much of each scrapbooking necessity you have and can order more before you run out.
Do I Need to Rent a Space for My Scrapbooking Business?
Though it would certainly be wonderful to have an “offsite” locale for your creative scrapbooking enterprise, it’s more likely that you’ll need to make due with your current digs.
Anything from a corner of your family room to a renovated closet can serve as your creative scrapbooking “headquarters”. Just make certain that you have enough space and light to work your magic and store your scrapbooking supplies!
What Will I Tell My Family?
If you’re worried about “breaking” the news to your family that you’re setting off on an entrepreneurial scrapbooking journey, you’re not alone. Many first-time business owners are reticent to reveal their plans to loved ones for fear that their significant others will not be supportive.
With that said, it’s critical to the long-term success of your creative scrapbooking business that you have the “buy in” of your kin. So take a deep breath, muster up all your courage, and boldly state, “I’m going to become a professional scrapbooker! And when the money starts coming in, the first dinner out is on me!”
The Next Step
Are you eager to start your creative scrapbooking adventure? In our next article, we’ll explore how to set your prices and market and advertise your home-based scrapbooking services…
If you have the talent to create eye-catching, creative scrapbooks, you can actually turn your hobby into a lucrative creative scrapbooking career. In this three-part series, we’ll show you some of the secrets to running a home-based creative scrapbooking company that regularly adds extra coins to your coffers!
Why Creative Scrapbooking?
People from all walks of life have photos and mementoes cluttering their homes. They’d love to organize and arrange them, but don’t have the time (or, in some cases, the ability.) That’s where you, as a professional scrapbooker, can step in!
Through creative scrapbooking, you can create delightful, entertaining, and touching memory books that will be certain to have a very long shelf life. Imagine… your scrapbook creations could someday become precious family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation!
What Types of Scrapbooks Sell?
Creative scrapbooking is an incredibly versatile field because you have virtually no boundaries. Graduation scrapbooks, family tree scrapbooks, baby scrapbooks, wedding scrapbooks, and achievement scrapbooks are only a few of the countless styles of creative scrapbooking inventions you can market.
Use your imagination; anything that’s relatively flat can go into a scrapbook, so the sky’s the limit.
Can Scrapbooking Really Be Profitable?
Creative scrapbooking, as with any legitimate business, won’t make you rich overnight. But if you’re determined and plan your creative scrapbooking operation pragmatically, you can absolutely make money from this burgeoning industry.
Best of all, creative scrapbooking is a low overhead industry. You’ll need to start with a modest amount of scrapbooking supplies, but you can build your stock over time thanks to fast shipping and wholesale prices offered at Internet scrapbooking supply stores.
How Can I Start Professionally Scrapbooking?
Obviously, the first step to starting a creative scrapbooking company (even one with a single employee, aka “you”) is to develop a business plan. This document should include an overview, financial information (including income and expense projections, marketing ideas, local competition statistics, and realistic growth rates.
Though you may not be able to find exact data to work into your creative scrapbooking business plan, try to be as complete as possible. The more information you include, the better your chances of success.
Do I Need Any Formal Training?
Though there are no credentials needed to call yourself a creative scrapbooking pro, you may want to take a few community courses on scrapbooking design. Doing so will keep you “in the know” as far as the latest products and trends are concerned; it will also provide you with fresh ideas to propose when working with clientele.
What Do I Need in Terms of Stock?
One of the most essential items you’ll need to start a creative scrapbooking venture is scrapbooking paraphernalia. Chances are, you already have some supplies around your home, but if they aren’t organized, it’s time do so.
Invest in some bins (dollar stores have a plethora of options) and label them according to scrapbooking supplies, such as stickers, papers, backgrounds, adhesives, albums, markers, scrapbooking magazines (for inspiration), and borders. This way, you’ll always know exactly how much of each scrapbooking necessity you have and can order more before you run out.
Do I Need to Rent a Space for My Scrapbooking Business?
Though it would certainly be wonderful to have an “offsite” locale for your creative scrapbooking enterprise, it’s more likely that you’ll need to make due with your current digs.
Anything from a corner of your family room to a renovated closet can serve as your creative scrapbooking “headquarters”. Just make certain that you have enough space and light to work your magic and store your scrapbooking supplies!
What Will I Tell My Family?
If you’re worried about “breaking” the news to your family that you’re setting off on an entrepreneurial scrapbooking journey, you’re not alone. Many first-time business owners are reticent to reveal their plans to loved ones for fear that their significant others will not be supportive.
With that said, it’s critical to the long-term success of your creative scrapbooking business that you have the “buy in” of your kin. So take a deep breath, muster up all your courage, and boldly state, “I’m going to become a professional scrapbooker! And when the money starts coming in, the first dinner out is on me!”
The Next Step
Are you eager to start your creative scrapbooking adventure? In our next article, we’ll explore how to set your prices and market and advertise your home-based scrapbooking services…
Friday, November 6, 2009
How to Create a Scrapbooking Layout
The first stage in creating a scrapbooking layout is to select your photographs or pictures that you want to use. You do not necessarily have to use a photograph in a scrapbooking layout but it is becoming the common starting point for most people. The idea when planning a scrapbooking layout is to remember that every page should relate a part of a story but the photographs that one person feels perfectly captures an event may well be very different to the choice of others. However, this is all part of the joy of designing your own scrapbooking layout because it is always going to be original, because of the actual pictures or other elements that you use.
The next stage in creating a scrapbooking layout is to decide how many photographs to use on a page. There may be a particularly special photograph that deserves its own page. Other types of scrapbooking layout involve using a double page spread to cover the theme. If this is a type of scrapbooking layout that you are considering then it is important to remember that the overall look and feel of both pages needs to be the same. A lot of people tend to be a little overenthusiastic with their first scrapbooking layout project and feel that they need to cram as many photographs onto the one page as possible. It is important to always be happy with your own style of scrapbooking layout but it might be worth playing with having a few less photographs and leaving more room for journaling comments and descriptions.
The intended audience for a scrapbooking layout is also an essential point to bear in mind. If you are going to give the album as a memento of a child's birthday then it needs to be considerably different to that of a friend's wedding, for example. There are so many ideas for scrapbooking styles and themes available that it is worth investigating a few to get some ideas. The type of paper that is used for your scrapbooking layout will be a major starting point. Computer generated layouts and backgrounds are often the simplest and most economical choice to enable you to amend and adjust as necessary without wasting a lot of paper. Do not use overly ornate backgrounds for your scrapbooking layout if you are using a lot of photographs as this will distract from the pictures themselves.
The next stage in creating a scrapbooking layout is to decide how many photographs to use on a page. There may be a particularly special photograph that deserves its own page. Other types of scrapbooking layout involve using a double page spread to cover the theme. If this is a type of scrapbooking layout that you are considering then it is important to remember that the overall look and feel of both pages needs to be the same. A lot of people tend to be a little overenthusiastic with their first scrapbooking layout project and feel that they need to cram as many photographs onto the one page as possible. It is important to always be happy with your own style of scrapbooking layout but it might be worth playing with having a few less photographs and leaving more room for journaling comments and descriptions.
The intended audience for a scrapbooking layout is also an essential point to bear in mind. If you are going to give the album as a memento of a child's birthday then it needs to be considerably different to that of a friend's wedding, for example. There are so many ideas for scrapbooking styles and themes available that it is worth investigating a few to get some ideas. The type of paper that is used for your scrapbooking layout will be a major starting point. Computer generated layouts and backgrounds are often the simplest and most economical choice to enable you to amend and adjust as necessary without wasting a lot of paper. Do not use overly ornate backgrounds for your scrapbooking layout if you are using a lot of photographs as this will distract from the pictures themselves.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Heritage Scrapbooking - Preserving Your Family's History by Jennifer Gormly
Heritage scrapbooking is valuable and rewarding way to create a visual record of your family's history for yourself and your descendants. We all have old photos and memorabilia lying around, but very few of us have detailed records of who people were or why they are important. Creating a heritage scrapbook is your chance yo make sure those memories are never lost.
Heritage scrapbooking requires a little bit of pre-planning. First you need to decide on the scope of your album. How big and extensive will it be? Are you trying to feature your entire family tree or perhaps just one branch? Keep in mind how much time you will have to create your album. The bigger the project, the more time you will need.
Also consider how much of your family tree (and your partner's family tree) do you actually know? Write out everything including birthdays, places of birth, marriages etc. If you find there is a lot of information missing, start asking around various family members. They may be able to fill in a lot of the gaps for you. If not, there are several family heritage websites around that you may like to consult.
Gather together all your information, photos and memorabilia. It is now time to start planning your album pages. Organise everything so that you know what you would like to appear on what page. If you have too many items, set some aside for another heritage scrapbooking project. Similarly, if you do not have enough, ask other family members if they have anything they can contribute.
Now it's shopping time! You will need scrapbooking papers, cardstock and embellishments like stickers, rub-ons and die-cuts to help you finish your album. Typically heritage albums feature a lot of browns and old vintage-style designs, but if this is not your style, choose something that is.
No matter what style you select, make sure EVERYTHING you use in your heritage scrapbooking projects is archival (in other words acid and lignin free). Also consider using copies of your old photos as the originals have probably already started to age and come into contact with unsafe materials. Using copies will enable you to protect them and everything else in your album.
For more free ideas and tips for successful and fun heritage scrapbooking, please visit http://www.stickersnfun.com/heritage-scrapbooking.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Gormly
Heritage scrapbooking requires a little bit of pre-planning. First you need to decide on the scope of your album. How big and extensive will it be? Are you trying to feature your entire family tree or perhaps just one branch? Keep in mind how much time you will have to create your album. The bigger the project, the more time you will need.
Also consider how much of your family tree (and your partner's family tree) do you actually know? Write out everything including birthdays, places of birth, marriages etc. If you find there is a lot of information missing, start asking around various family members. They may be able to fill in a lot of the gaps for you. If not, there are several family heritage websites around that you may like to consult.
Gather together all your information, photos and memorabilia. It is now time to start planning your album pages. Organise everything so that you know what you would like to appear on what page. If you have too many items, set some aside for another heritage scrapbooking project. Similarly, if you do not have enough, ask other family members if they have anything they can contribute.
Now it's shopping time! You will need scrapbooking papers, cardstock and embellishments like stickers, rub-ons and die-cuts to help you finish your album. Typically heritage albums feature a lot of browns and old vintage-style designs, but if this is not your style, choose something that is.
No matter what style you select, make sure EVERYTHING you use in your heritage scrapbooking projects is archival (in other words acid and lignin free). Also consider using copies of your old photos as the originals have probably already started to age and come into contact with unsafe materials. Using copies will enable you to protect them and everything else in your album.
For more free ideas and tips for successful and fun heritage scrapbooking, please visit http://www.stickersnfun.com/heritage-scrapbooking.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Gormly
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