How did I get 28 photos onto one scrapbook page?

Inspiration struck when a scrapbooking challenge was presented to me by If It's Groovy. The goal was to create a scrapbook page using the dictionary, which turned into an unexpected twist: 28 photos on one 12x12 traditional scrapbook layout (not part of the challenge, which was also supposed to include a word that we didn't know, but I seemed to forget that little tidbit, although I did find out that the word "zoo" wasn't used until 1847...does that count?).

So, how did I get 28 photos onto one scrapbook page? Two words: photo collages. Printing little 4x6 photo collages not only saves money, but are also perfect for all those not so good quality cell phone camera pics. I may not always have my digital camera on hand, but I always carry my Blackberry and have created several scrapbook layouts using the photos I've taken from it. Here's a couple of them:

Riding around in a golf cart.

The large sketch-like photo was taken from my Blackberry and edited in Picasa.

Thanks for stopping by Snap.Scrap.Blog.Tweet! Visit next week when I share a couple mini scrapbook albums that I created as birthday and Christmas gifts.

Birthday Scrapbook Layouts & Party Photo Tips

One of my favorite things to do after a birthday party is let my children play with the balloon decorations. They get crazy and have loads of fun while I take dozens of photos. (We always play it safe and are very careful about the tiny pieces of popped balloons, so don't worry about that.) The joy in a child's eyes when (s)he attacks a bundle of balloons is priceless.

Not only do I take balloon photos, but I also take photos of:

1. Party preparations
2. Invitations
3. Before/After (you know, neat vs. messy)
4. Food and drinks
5. Decorations
6. Party guests (posed and candid)
7. Cake (cake smashing if you're lucky!)
8. Gifts
9. Party outfit(s)
10. And of course, the birthday boy or girl

Parties go by fast so make a list of the photos you want to take beforehand and check them off as you go. While the party is still fresh in your mind, take the time to write down everything you remember and ask your family/friends what their most memorable moments were too. 

P.S. Be sure to visit next week when I post my comic book scrapbook layouts featuring The Super Sisters and the Balloon Attack! You won't want to miss this!!

"Birthday Balloons" (12x12 Two-Page Layout)

"We Are One!" (12x12 Two-Page Layout)

"Handsome" (8x8 Page Layout)

All layouts were created by Danielle Hunter of Scrappin' Memories 4U.

You may also be interested in:

• Vacation Scrapbook Layouts
• Sports Themed Scrapbook Layouts
• Scrapbook layouts that celebrate children 
• Pregnancy Scrapbook Layouts 
• Baby Scrapbook Layouts
• Scrappin' Memories 4U Custom Scrapbooking 

Vacation Scrapbook Layouts

I recently read How To Chose Your Best Vacation Photos, a wonderful and helpful post by Noell Hyman of Paperclipping Roundtable. Most of us can agree, we take a lot of photos when vacationing, often hundreds of snapshots documenting all the activities we partake in and the wonderful sites around us. With so many photos, it would be a time consuming task to use every single one in a traditional scrapbook (a little easier when going digital). Noell's post helps us to decide what photos to use on our scrapbook pages and I highly recommend reading it.

I haven't been on a "real" vacation in FIVE years. (I soooo want to relax on the beach right now and without any children, but I'm stuck in Ohio. Anyway, there's always next year. That's what I keep saying year after year.) Here I am, reminiscing about my Vegas vacation in 2004 and the Miami vacation in 2005:

"Vegas" (8.5x11 Two-Page Layout)

"Beauty" (8.5x11 Two-Page Layout)

 

"Sunshine Sandcastles Shells" (12x12 Two-Page Layout)

"A Special Day" (12x12 Two-Page Layout) 

All layouts were created by Danielle Hunter of Scrappin' Memories 4U.

You may also be interested in:

• Sports Themed Scrapbook Layouts
• Scrapbook layouts that celebrate children 
• Pregnancy Scrapbook Layouts 
• Baby Scrapbook Layouts
• Scrappin' Memories 4U Custom Scrapbooking 

 

Pregnancy Scrapbook Layouts: Documenting 9 Months

Pregnancy. Nine months that will change your body and life forever. Nine months that go by fast and slow at the same time. Nine months of allowing a little human to grow inside your belly.

I'm lucky. Two souls chose me to be their mom. They both came into my life when the time was right and both decided to be born on their exact due dates. With each pregnancy, I tried to document as much as I could and regularly wrote down my thoughts, cravings and how my body was changing. I kept a pocket calendar next to my bed during both pregnancies to record doctor appointments, how much I weighed, if I felt sick or when there was a flutter of movements in my womb. Each month, I photographed my growing belly and during the third trimester, went to a professional photographer to capture these moments in my life. With my second child, I had my mom help me create a belly cast which now hangs on my bedroom wall (see the last layout of this post and it's also featured at ProudBody.com) and was also the Belly of the Month in April 2008 at PregnancyPiercings.com (this still makes me laugh).

I'm glad times have changed. Women no longer have to hide their pregnant bellies. We are able to be proud and show them off. Pregnancy is a time to celebrate being a woman. Life grows within us. This is a miracle that happens everyday. Cherish it. Document it. Share it.

"Life is adventure" (12x12 Page Layout)
Photograph by Rick Sheridan of Look At Me Studios

"Make A Wish" (12x12 Page Layout)
Photograph by Rick Sheridan of Look At Me Studios 

"Defining Moments" (8.5x11 Page Layout)
Photograph by Rick Sheridan of Look At Me Studios

"I'm Pregnant" (6x6 Page Layout)

 

"It's a Girl" (6x6 Two-Page Layout)

"Love Makes The World Go Round" (6x6 Two-Page Layout)

"Beautiful" (6x6 Two-Page Layout)

All layouts were created by Danielle Hunter of Scrappin' Memories 4U.

Scrapbook layouts that celebrate children

"The Girls" (12x12 Page Layout)

Browsing through any online scrapbook page gallery, you will find an abundance of child-themed layouts. As a parent of two beautiful little girls, I have taken thousands of photos during the eight years I've been a mom and have created hundreds of childhood scrapbook pages. And if you've been scrapbooking as long as I have, I'm sure you have done the same.

With thousands of photographs, not every one will be utilized in a scrapbook. Who has that kind of time? I tried scrapbooking every single photo during the first few years of my oldest daughter's life and I just couldn't keep up. That was back when I only had a 35mm camera and didn't always have the best photos.

Nowadays, we have the advantage of digital photography and don't have to worry about printing 35mm photos only to find out that several are blurry or have heads chopped off. We can save money, paper and ink by deleting the unwanted photos in our digital cameras and then crop or touch them up in any photo-editing software program. I've allowed myself to still use photo albums and only choose favorite photos to use on scrapbook pages. 

Here are some of the layouts I've created over the years that celebrate children:

"You are growing up" (8x8 Page Layout)

"This little lady" (12x12 Page Layout)

"Boys" (8x8 Two-Page Scrapbook Layout)

"Splish Splash Bubble Bath" (12x12 Page Layout)

"This Is What Life Looks Like" (12x12 Page Layout)

"Piggy Tails" (12x12 Page Layout)

"Fingerpaint" (12x12 Page Layout)

All scrapbook layouts were created by Danielle Hunter of Scrappin' Memories 4U.

The Retweetables: Announcements & Photo Tips

My daughter's 6th birthday. Yes, she's wearing vampire teeth.

I can't believe she'll be 8-years-old in November!

What an exciting week! From birthdays to blog hops to contests galore, we all seem to be getting back into the groove of things since the start of a new school year. Of course, the most exciting moment of the week was when I saw tweet #3 and found out that I'm on the Glue Dots Design Team (read about that HERE). With all the recent excitement and craziness of getting ready for a craft show, I didn't spend as much time reading tweets, but I did see the ones below. I want to give Nancy Nally of ScrapbookUpdate.com a big shout out to say congratulations on six years of giving us crafty ladies (and gentlemen) the news we need to stay updated on the scrapbooking business. Thank you, Nancy!

This week's #retweetable tweets are...

Birthdays, Celebrations & Announcements

1. @NancyNally: Happy 6th Birthday, Scrapbook Update! http://dlvr.it/4vJ5y

2. @ArtofScrapping: Debby’s Dare: Four Day Birthday Celebration http://t.co/DIwZR5h via @blogger

3. @GLUEDOTS: Attention Please!  The Glue Dots Design Team is Unveiled!  Congrats All!  http://gluedots.tumblr.com/

4. @iLoveToCreate: USA Today Highlights Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores Craft For A Cause http://tinyurl.com/2fx3bfx

Photography Tips

5. @noellhyman: How to choose your best Vacation Photos + the #scrapbooking format:  http://bit.ly/aNhso8

6. @jenniferswilson: 8 secret Flickr features for scrapbookers http://goo.gl/fb/QjXvp

What were your favorite tweets this week?

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com!

You may also be interested in:

• Crafting with Glue Dots
• The Retweetables: Getting messy, laughing and talking about fears
• The best scrapbooking conventions in America