The creation of scrap books involves putting together pictures, articles, clippings and other things of interest. Scrapbooking has become increasingly popular and many people meet at organised events to share their ideas. This how to guide provides a brief introduction to scrapbooking.

Organisation
Gather together any pictures and text you might want to include and sort them by date and event or subject. Label material for identification purposes.

Planning
When deciding on a theme for your scrapbook you should start with recent material to ensure you can recall enough relevant information. You should also have clearly defined parameters, such as a holiday or important social event.

Scrapbook Album
Having chosen a subject for a scrap book, you should select a suitable album in which to store the pictures and text. Factors to consider include size, with the 12"x12" being the most popular, the ability to add more pages when and if required. Scrapbook albums are available in a wide range of colours, designs and textures to suit your requirements. You should also ensure that the album is "photo-safe".

Pages
Each page could have several photographs, cropped to focus on the most important part of the picture, with supporting captions. Additional text could expand upon the pictures, describing the people and events in them. Background colours, borders and stickers could be used to enhance the page and its content.

Storage
It is important to properly organise and store both your scrapbook albums and scrapbooking supplies. This should be done to ensure that they are not damaged by exposure to heat, light and damp. Also it should be easy to find any particular material when you need it for a scrapbooking project.