Nothing inspires creativity more than the bold colors of Autumn! Thanksgiving is such an important time of the year and scrapbooking these themes can get a bit redundant.  I came up with a great idea for combining the two with a new take on it.

• choose scrapbooking paper in fall colors
• draw or paint an autumn tree trunk and branches such as the one shown here
• cut out different colors, types and sizes of leaves using scrapbooking or craft paper
• add photos of your family – one to each leaf
• add your Thanksgiving dinner menu to a leaf too!
• attach the leaves to your tree branches with ribbons or other materials in complimentary colors
• journal your date, Thanksgiving activities, special guests or anything else – including some of the things you are most thankful for this year

This makes a wonderful layout for the season – something a little different.

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

This is the Season of Green!

If you’re Irish this is the perfect time to scrapbook some of your Irish heritage along with the photos of your present day celebrations.  You may not be Irish nor have anything you want to scrapbook about that suits this happy season, however, Saint Patrick’s Day is also about things like:  Good Luck and Fortune (like the Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow) – the reward for all your hard work!  Now that’s something everyone has a story about.  Here are a few ideas for this Irish theme that you might want to try:

• Scrapbook a story of something good that’s happened to you recently (with a Saint Patrick’s Day color theme)

• List the things about your life that make you feel lucky or fortunate – let’s call it your Pot of Gold – using a Saint Patrick’s Day paper and embellishments

• Using the theme of  “Lucky Charms”, tell a story and give examples of how you invoke your quirky little rituals to create the outcomes you desire.  You don’t have to be Irish to be superstitious!

Have fun with this!

Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

Are you looking for new Thanksgiving Scrapbooking Ideas? I think one of the nicest ways to Scrapbook Thanksgiving is to simply create a Thanksgiving Layout showing all the things you are personally thankful for. It can combine humorous sentiments (eg. Mom’s cooking, or my Girlfriend Get Togethers and a glass of wine) along with the more serious side of being thankful – family, friends, home, good jobs, good health, etc. For each of us being thankful is a different experience, brought on by our unique circumstances. Use pictures if you have them – but if not just fill your page with larger than life phrases and words to express your list of things you are thankful for, along with tons of Thanksgiving embellishments. This can be a very creative exercise. Have fun making your list using different textures, fabrics or paper – the sky’s the limit.

Another great idea for your Thanksgiving Scrapbook Layout is to scrapbook your favorite holiday recipes and add photos of your table settings too – especially if you like to go all out like me!

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

We’ve just added another Heritage Scrapbooking Tag Set to our large inventory for traditional or digital scrapbooking.

One of 3 coordinated tags in the Set

Many of you enjoy hybrid scrapbooking – and these tags offer something for both styles.  Print them or save to your computer for your digital layouts. The color and quality are always the best.

Hope you will enjoy!

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

Include in your layouts:

- the year’s school photo of your child

- a sample of  their progress reports for the year (choose the best one!)

- notes on special accomplishments or activities they took part in at school

- a list of their friends and teachers

- names of their favorite games, movies, sports or other activities

- a personal note from “Mom” or “Dad”

You may want to use fall colors for your palette.  Embellishments are easy…stick to the traditional school format using school tools, etc.  You can’t go wrong with this strategy!

The album can be kept until your child leaves home – then send it along with them as a wonderful memory of their school years.  They’ll be so happy you put in the effort to capture their personalities and accomplishments!

Here are some of my favorite products for School Scrapbooking.  I hope you like them as much as I do:

# This A+ collection includes 24 acid-free prints, 12 with glitter and foil. Adorable apples, bouncing school buses, chalkboard doodlings and more make up this scholastic collection. 48 printed papers that measure 12” x 12”

Die Cuts With A View – Grade School Collection – 12 x 12 Paper Stack
Scrapbook.com

Or go the distance and get everything you’ll need in one place!

Scrapbook Album Kits contain everything you need to create an amazing, coordinated scrapbook album. Each kit contains one 12” x 12” album, 20-24 printed papers, chipboard pop-up stickers, epoxy alphabet stickers, cardstock stickers, small and large brads, ribbon, and a sturdy, reusable box to hold your scrapbooking supplies or other treasures.

Die Cuts with a View – Grade School Collection – 12 x 12 Scrapbook Album and Box Kit
Scrapbook.com

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

So here’s a challenge for you.  Document some of the interesting and unique ways that you are different than someone in your family too – for example interests, hobbies, beliefs, lifestyle choices, careers, etc.  Try putting together a layout that shows the contrasts as well as the similarities…this will give your story a whole new dimension and make it a little more surprising.

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

This is my grand-daughter and this will be her first Christmas…as you can see we’ve been busy clicking photos of everything!  Your camera is your best friend…never miss an opportunity.   It doesn’t take much to create a masterpiece of Christmas color.  Check out our Christmas Scrapbooking Tags – they’ll give a great boost to your layouts.

Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills

Here’s an idea for creating a gift of Christmas Past.  This mini album is colorful and just the perfect size to tell your story in pictures. I particularly love the scalloped paper edges.

Bo Bunny Press – St. Nick Collection – Edgy Album Class Kit – Holly Jolly Christmas
Scrapbook.com

You could include a series of childhood Christmas photos, and tell the stories associated with them. There are many things you could include, for example your favourite presents and Christmas recipes…the sky’s the limit. Remember to make copies of your originals and use them for giving. Never touch your originals, especially in the case of vintage photos.

Cheers and Happy Scrapbooking!
Val at Paperhills

Try these ideas for scrapbooking your collections:

1.  Photograph your items or collections.  These can be sorted into groups and set onto colored backgrounds.  The photos can then be arranged to form numerous layouts using color co-ordinated papers.  You might want to create mini albums for each collection.

2.  Heirlooms can be placed into display cases, then photographed and transferred to scrapbooking layouts along with a written history of the pieces.  An example of this would be military medals, uniforms, etc.

Using these methods will help you in keeping your records all together without using the bulky or heavy objects themselves – a great family record.

Learn more here.

Happy Scrapbooking!

Val at Paperhills