Making A Family History Scrapbook

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Now that you have finished making your Family Tree CD http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/659205.aspx What else can you do with the theme of Family History? Well, have you thought of a family history scrapbook? Oh, you have never made a scrapbook. That is ok. It is simple to do and anyone can make them as long as you have some family pictures and some stories as background. Are you ready to get started? Great, here is what you will need: The best place to start is to Gather your pictues of whatever you have on hand. If you still need more just contact family and have them send you some copies.Gather photos - pictures of your grandparent's wedding, your great-grandfather at work in the fields, a family Christmas celebration... Begin your heritage scrapbook project by gathering together as many photographs as possible, from boxes, attics, old albums, and relatives. These photos don't necessarily need to have people in them - pictures of old houses, automobiles, and towns are great for adding historical interest to a family history scrapbook. All of these are great memories. They have stories in our minds that make us smile. Family mementos such as birth and marriage certificates, report cards, old letters, family recipes, clothing items, and a lock of hair can also add interest to a family history scrapbook. Smaller items can be incorporated into a heritage scrapbook by placing them in clear, self-adhesive, acid-free memorabilia pockets. Larger heirlooms such as a pocket watch, wedding dress, or family quilt can also be included by photocopying or scanning them, and using the copies in your family album. Get Organized As you begin to gather photos and materials, work to organize and protect them by sorting them in archival safe photo files and boxes. Use labeled file dividers to help you divide the photos into groups - by person, family, time-period, life-stages, or other theme. Choose an organizational file that you can find things quickly. This will help make it easy to find a specific item as you work, while also protecting the items which don't make it into the scrapbook. As you work, use a photo-safe pen or pencil to write details of each photo on the back, including the people's names, the event, the location and the date the photo was taken. Then, once your photos are organized, store them in a dark, cool, dry location, keeping in mind that it's best to store photos standing upright. I like to make copies for my albums with my my scanner , computer and printer. Assemble Your Supplies Made sure all supplies are Acid Free Scrapbook Album Photo cornors, glue stick, double sided tape and photo tape. Sissors I like to use fancy ones that make designs journaling pen Acid Free Colored and patterned acid free paper, stickers, etc Now for the fun part: Select Your Photos - Begin your page by choosing a number of photos for your page which relate to a single theme - e.g. Great-grandma's wedding. For a single album page layout, select 3-5 photos. For a two page spread, select between 5-7 photos. When you have the option, use only the best photos for your heritage album - photos which are clear, focused, and best help to tell the "story. Choose your colors that add interest to the pictures you are puttin on the page. Crop your photos into shapes and sizes that are interesting. Old cars, houses, furniture is great to keep for the album. These things add stories to the book. Mat your Photos A bit different than the traditional picture mat, matting to scrapbookers means to glue a photograph on a piece of paper (the mat) and then trim the paper close to the edges of the photograph. This creates a decorative "frame" around the photo. Different combinations of decorative-edged scissors and straight scissors can help provide interest and help your photos catch your eyes from the pages Arrange the photos Begin by experimenting with possible layouts for your photos and memorabilia. Arrange and rearrange until the layout satisfies you. If it dont look right, just pick another picture to use. Be sure to leave room for titles, journaling, and embellishments. When you are happy with the layout attach to the page using acid free adhesive or tape. Alternatively, use photo corners or a corner slot punch. Add Journaling Personalize your page by writing down names, date, and place of event, as well as memories or quotes from some of the people involved. Called journaling, this is probably the most important step when creating a heritage scrapbook.Write it with different colors of markers, gold, silver, etc. Write it in different directions or however you want. Remember, it is your book, your memories. For each photo or set of related photos, you should follow the five Ws - 1) who are the people in the photo, when was the photo taken, where was the photo taken, why is the moment significant, and what are the people doing in the photo. When journaling, be sure to use a waterproof, fade resistant, permanent, quick drying pen - preferably black as research has shown that black ink best stands the test of time. Other colors can be used for adding decoration, or other non-essential information. Journaling Tip: When journaling in your family history scrapbooking, it is important to be specific, adding related memories and details to the names and dates. "Mom in her kitchen on June 1954" is nice, but it is better to write: "Mom just loves to cook and is very proud of her kitchen, seen here on June 1954. Her carrot cake was always the hit of the family gatherings." Embellish by adding momentos from the occasion, such as a copy of Grandma's carrot cake recipe (in her own handwriting, if possible). Enjoy your new scrapbook. It is your memories and your creation. They make great gifts. I previously published this discussion as an article on gather.com