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Scrapbooking for Others
Ramie Ahlstrom - Scrapping Deck Cruise DirectorAs we get into the heart of the holiday season, we're all frantically trying to find that "perfect" gift for a special someone (well, I'm not-I finished my shopping in October!). Maybe it's your mom, your uncle, or a close friend. Maybe they've always drooled over your scrapbooks, but aren't crafty, or don't have the time to scrapbook themselves.
How about making them a premade album, or just some pages, as a gift? Or, even better, how about scrapbooking a stack of their photos (maybe one event to start), as the "perfect" holiday gift?
Scrapbooking for others is something I've been intrigued with since I started scrapbooking. I've thought about making it my "job," but decided against it when my daughter was born. I'm struggling to keep up with her book(s) and our family albums, heaven knows I'd struggle with others…or so I thought!!!
When my "assigned" topic for this month's article fell through, I had to come up with a plan on the fly….so I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell you all about my thoughts on scrapbooking for others! I've done some pages for others with no photos, and some using photos!
Scrapbooking for others is very rewarding, although it can be challenging! I've been making blank pages for my niece's album for about six months. It's fun to create pages for my sister that she can "slap" a photo or two onto, and add some journaling, and have a completed album. She loves the ease of it, and since she feels she lacks creativity, it takes the "burden" off her shoulders to provide my niece with a scrapbook. Here's a page I've done for her album:
I've also done several gift albums with blank pages. One of my favorites was a half-pint album, measuring 5 ˝" x 8 ˝". Here are two pages from it:
Here is another gift album page I did. This one had a calendar page facing it, with December 2002 on it. Some friends, through a Yahoo Group, hosted a "photo" swap last spring. We each sent photos to the hostess, who forwarded them on to other scrappers. We each scrapbooked the photos we received, then mailed the completed pages back to the photo's owners. It was fantastic!!! I LOVED the challenge of working with someone else's photos, and I loved being able to work on something different!!
This month, I asked some of my fellow crewmembers to email me photos that they wanted scrapbooked. Four ladies sent me photos, and told me a little about them, so I've scrapbooked them for you to see (and I'm sending them the layouts too)!!
The easiest part about doing these pages was doing the actual layout. Picking matching papers, and embellishments is the "basis" of scrapbooking as we all know it. Adding the little extras is the most fun. It's a way to add "just the right touch" to a layout, making the photos pop! The hardest part I've found in scrapbooking for others is not knowing the entire story behind the photos. I struggle to journal on my own pages, and not knowing the who, what, when and where of other people's photos can be frustrating. But, to solve the dilemma, I left space for the "owner" to do the journaling themselves! I simply added an appropriate title, and left a blank journaling box (or two) for them to write their thoughts.
Stacie Guerra sent me some adorable photos of her daughter. These pics were screaming to be scrapbooked very simply (just my style) and with papers that coordinate with the plaid blanket she's laying on.
Cindy Roland sent me some photos of her grandkids. There were a large number of photos to be scrapped, so to maximize space on the two page spread, I cropped several of the photos to smaller sizes. Using a generic patterned background (not one that was too bright or busy) allowed me to keep the focus on the photos.
Diana Scott's husband is building a house for her parents. She's building a scrapbook for them to remember the process. When I asked her to send me some photos, she sent me some of the early building stages, complete with the crew mascot, her dog Missy! This layout depicts just one stage in the process, but I hope it adds a wonderful touch to her album!
Laura Stewart sent me some spectacular close up shots of her cousin. These photos screamed to be scrapbooked with minimal colors, to highlight the little girl's beautiful face and gorgeous eyes. Adding just a few flower stickers was a perfect touch for a simple, yet sophisticated layout.
As you can see, making pages for others can be as simple or as sophisticated as you would like. Since you are creating the pages, you can do as you please, with or without photos. Taking the photo's (and thus page's) new owner into consideration is a huge step in success when scrapbooking for others, and can easily be done if you know the person well. If you don't know them very well, stick to a more generic theme, and color scheme. It's bound to be a hit because it's homemade!!
I hope you have the chance to make at least one gift page or album to give away this holiday season. Making pages for others is only half the fun…the other half is seeing their faces light up when they receive them!
Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas in Spanish)
Ramie Ahlstrom
ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Deck Cruise Director
S.S. Reflections, Inc.
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