Archive for July, 2007

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Machine embroidery ideas

Tuesday, July 24th, 2007

Machine embroidery is a popular pastime that allows people of all ages and skill levels to create beautiful needle work, whether for decoration, functionality, or as an heirloom to pass down for generations.

Machine embroidery is much different than hand embroidery in that it uses a machine and software applications to create designs and patterns. There are many things you can create using machine embroidery. Because embroidery designs come in different sizes, it’s important to understand that your designs will be limited if your machine has a smaller hope size. Also, be sure to check the pattern’s sewing field, which is the area inside the machine’s hoop where the design is sewn, before you begin.

The following are a few machine embroidery ideas:

1. Baby items and gifts. Things for babies are some of the more commonly embroidered items you can do with an embroidery machine. Blankets, bibs, and socks are perfect for embroidery and make lasting and appreciated gifts. Most people will embroider the baby’s name on the item, and many times the date of birth and other identifying information, such as weight and length. You can embroider on most types of fabric and can make fairly large designs, depending on your machine.
2. Wall Hangings. Machine embroidery is perfect for wall hangings and can provide more intricate designs in a shorter amount of time. You can put special or meaningful phrases, quotes, designs, and a number of other things on wall hangings.
3. Monogrammed items. One good embroidery idea is monogramming. With a machine, you can monogram virtually anything quickly and easily in a number of different designs, fonts, and colors. Clothing, blankets and pillowcases, towels, handkerchiefs, and a number of other things can all be monogrammed with your machine.
4. Linens. Linens can be customized and made beautiful with machine embroidery. Pillowcases, pillows, and tablecloths are also good items to embroider. These items you can get really creative with. Simple flowers, initials, or sayings are good things to embroider onto pillows and linens. Embroidering linens is also a good gift idea. Embroidered tablecloths and napkins with the bride and groom’s initials are also increasingly popular in weddings. Blankets are also easily embroidered with a machine.
5. Clothes. Various items of clothing can be embroidered with little or no effort with an embroidery machine. You can embroider a name, initials, or even a design across shirts, sweatshirts, socks, and other item of clothing. This is a good idea for teams, children’s clothing, and anything else you may want to personalize.
6. Handkerchiefs. Handkerchiefs are other commonly machine embroidered items. Many people who begin embroidery will actually begin on handkerchiefs to practice, but you can do more advanced lettering more quickly with an embroidery machine. Typically, you would embroider a person’s initials on a handkerchief, but you could also do a full name or intricate border.      
7. Gifts. Embroidered items make beautiful gifts, and pretty much anything made from fabric can be embroidered on a machine, depending on your machine and its capabilities. Good ideas for gifts you can machine embroider include anything personalized, a person’s favorite saying or quote, verses from scripture, or a number of different designs.

When it comes to ideas for machine embroidery, there are few limits. Machine embroidery can do more intricate designs much faster than hand embroidery and can create beautiful, personalized items and designs.

 

Posted in Needle Crafts | Comments Off

Starting a woodcraft business, what you need to know

Monday, July 23rd, 2007

Some people decide to take their hobbies, like crafts, woodwork, and more, and turn them into a profitable business. The idea of making money making something you love to do is appealing to many people.

However, before you go about starting a woodcraft business, there are a number of things you’ll need to know in order to be successful.

Taxes
If you decide you are going to sell your woodcrafts for a profit, even though it is a hobby, you will have to pay taxes. Technically, your hobby is considered a business if you made a profit from it in three of the past five years and from there you will have to file taxes as a small business. You will need to obtain from the IRS a federal Tax Identification Number, which you can apply for on the IRS’ website. To give you a general idea, most likely you can expect the following:
 Federal, state and local income taxes on your earnings from your business
 Self-employment taxes (roughly 15.3 percent) on everything you’ve earned from over $400. These are paid quarterly.
 You will also need to file Schedule C form (income or loss from a trade or business) with your Form 1040 each year you have your business

Laws and licensing
There are many legal requirements to starting a business. You will need to apply and pay for a number of licenses, depending on the type of business you have. In addition, each state has different laws requiring small business licensing and laws. You will need to check with the Small Business Association branch in your area. Obtaining all of the necessary licensing and laws is costly and time-consuming.

Marketing
Once you have your tax information and laws and licensing in place, you will need to begin marketing your business if you haven’t already. There are a number of ways you can do this; entire books have been written on marketing for a business. One thing you will want to do first is find a niche, and then go from there. A niche is a target market; for example, wooden toys for children, or tables, or chairs. Once you have your niche, you will be better able to sell your woodcrafts to people.

Go to fairs
One of the best ways to make money from a woodcraft business is to start entering craft and woodworking fairs in your city or surrounding cities in your state. This is how many hobbyists make money; some make thousands just from one fair or show alone. Check with your state to see what craft fairs are held and when. You will also want to check out the entrance requirements and fees (some of which can be quite steep), as they vary for each fair. When you find out you will be at a certain fair, be sure to tell your friends, neighbors, and anyone else that you will have a booth at the craft fair, and invite them to come and see. Word of mouth is a great way to drum up business.

Starting up a woodcraft business can be a great way to make money, but there are a number of things you need to know before you should start.

 

Posted in Wood Crafts | Comments Off

A description of tools used for wood crafts

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

Wood crafts are a great hobby for anyone who enjoys working with their hands or with wood. Wood crafts can be stained, painted, and used as decoration or as functional pieces throughout the house. Many people also sell their wood crafts at craft shows and fairs.

If you want to get started with wood crafts, there are some basic things you will need to begin. This includes a variety of tools. The following are descriptions of the tools used for wood crafts.

Planer
A planer is typically used to smooth out rough wood. When it is cut directly from the tree, wood is very rough and full of ridges. This is usually planed out before it even reaches the lumber mill and stores, but perfectionists and those who want to work with perfectly smooth wood will want a planer.

Sander
Many times, the wood needed for wood crafts can be purchased pre cut and sanded. However, in some cases, it will still need to be sanded to make it smooth enough for painting and working with. You can get an electric sander for larger pieces of work, or you can get a hand sander for smaller pieces or those that don’t need to be sanded down quite as much.

Measuring tools
Most likely, you will need a certain amount of measuring tools for your wood crafts if you want to measure them correctly. If you have a saw, you can measure directly on the surface. But if you don’t, you’ll want a metal measuring ruler, which can be purchased in a hardware store.

Coping saw
If you’re creating small, intricate wood craft shapes, like letters or smaller shapes, a coping saw might be a good investment for you. You can get a number of different blades for this, depending on the type of craft you’re making.

Paints
Once you have all of the wood cut out and sanded, you can concentrate on other tools of the trade, such as paints. There are a number of different options for paint, you need only choose the paint that is best suited to your surface. Choices include watercolor, oils and acrylics, and others. Acrylics are the best for beginners, as they dry quickly and have a number of ready-made colors. They are also inexpensive, so you can easily experiment with acrylics without spending too much.

Stains and varnishes
This is another important aspect of wood crafts. More than likely, you will use some form of stain and varnish for your crafts. There are many different types, from glossy to matte, so make sure you know what you want before looking in the paint section. Varnishes are also good for sealing paint to the project.

Brushes
It’s important to buy good quality brushes when painting your wood crafts. Otherwise, they will fall apart quickly and leave bristles on your painting surface, which could ruin the paint when you try to remove them. Take care of your brushes as well, making sure to rinse them free of all paint in warm water and detergent after each use, and let them air dry before using them.

These are just a few of the many tools used when working on wood crafts. If you are not an avid woodcrafter or the thought of using power tools doesn’t appeal to you, you can still purchase sanded, pre-cut items for your crafts from craft or wood stores.

 

Posted in Wood Crafts | Comments Off

Vintage knitting patterns

Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

Classic style, crisp looks and vintage knitting goes together. Even though there is some remakes of old styles, there are also many vintage-knitting patterns available.

There are literally thousands upon thousands of knitting patterns that are no longer available simply because they were published many years ago and are now out of print.

If you have ever wondered what kind of patterns your ancestors might have knitted, check out the Internet. You will be able to see what was being knitted and worn when your grandma was the talk of the town. This translates to some of the patterns from an 1891.

Though many of these patterns are tricky to read, there are many ways to learn the translation of the vintage-knitting pattern into modern language. It is truly amazing to see and try these vintage patterns.

Knitting History has an amazing collection of historic knitting patterns, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Those styles are often mimicked in new styles, though the look just is not the same.

Using the vintage knitting patterns either purchased online, or gotten for free, or from thrift stores, grandmas secret stash or just pure luck, you can make the next treasure and impress all your friends.

The biggest things I have found with knitting from the vintage patterns are the difference in the sizing. Make sure to get a test swatch made to compare.

If the sizing is off try a needle one or even two sizes smaller or larger until you obtain the exact gauge specified for the garment you intend to make. The needles and hooks recommended in the instructions are based as nearly as possible on the average knitters work. We suggest you test your own work first to verify the gauge.

If you find that you have to use a different size needle or hook than that called for in the instructions, the change will not in any way alter your garment, provided your gauge is the right size as called in the instructions.

Here is a chart to help figure out the size differences in the vintage knitting pattern.

If you are working with a vintage pattern the sizing is a little different, but very doable.

Sizing: Sizing has changed considerably over the course of the twentieth century. To make matters more complicated, vintage sizing was not quite as standard as it is today.

•    Size 12 = 30" bust in 1930, 32" bust 1930s — 1960s, 34" bust post-1968
•    Size 14 = 32" bust in 1930, 34" bust 1930s — 1960s, 36" bust post-1968
•    Size 16 = 34" bust in 1930, 36" bust 1930s — 1960s, 38" bust post-1968
•    Size 18 = 36" bust in 1930, 38" bust 1930s — 1960s, 40" bust post-1968
•    Size 20 = 38" bust in 1930, 40" bust 1930s — 1960s, 42" bust post-1968

Looking at the recommendations for needle sizes on vintage patterns often can be daunting. You see size 13 needles on a small gauge and just think to yourself “that can’t be”. Well here is a little information to help clear things up a bit

The US sizes are sizes 0-9. 0 being the smallest. 9 being the largest. Sometimes different companies used the metric sizes. You can find metric sizes in most craft stores.

You have all these knitting needles and no gauge ruler to figure out what size is what. Well most needles have some kind of characteristic or marking on them, but they wear off and sometimes are not labeled at all.

There have been few exceptions but there are a few books that use steel needles and they are sized more like UK needles. Please do not confuse aluminum needles with metal needles.

The vintage Boye needles maintained their sizing and they seem to match up with the modern day standard needles.

The overseas in the UK scale is a great deal different. The larger numbers like 13 are smaller sizes.

Therefore, my point is that no matter what the pattern calls for there are differences in size of the pattern and needle sizes. Keep this in mind and always do a swatch to check your gauge.

Creating a vintage-knitting garment is going to be a treasure for your lifetime. Use high quality thread and enjoy your knitting.

Posted in Knitting | Comments Off

Ideas for country wood crafts

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

There are so many different crafts you can do with wood. There are also a lot of different ideas when it comes to crafts. You can use woods crafts in about anything you want. You can even use wood crafts when going for the country look. Here are some ideas for country wood crafts.

The first idea for country wood crafts is a wood sign. You can make a wood sign by either getting a piece of barn wood, or if you can’t find barn wood even a piece of MDF will work. Then you will want to figure out how big you want the sign to be. Then you can cut it out and then you can paint the board whatever color you want. If you want to put a saying on it use vinyl lettering. There are many places out there that sell it. Using sandpaper you can lightly sand around the wording and even over the wording and around the edges of the sign to get the country look. Then if you want you can take some stain and stain over the whole sign or even just around the edges that you sanded to help give it the old worn look.

The second idea for country wood crafts is a bench that you can either stick inside as part of your décor or even on your porch to add a little bit of hominess to your front porch. You can do this by getting some wood that is string enough that you can sit on it and it won’t break. You will then want to distress it by either chiseling the wood or even sanding it. You want to make sure that you make it looked old and distressed so you will accomplish that country look. It will also help if you painted it old colors like a dark sage green, or a red or cream even use stain to help accent it. Finding wood that has stress marks such as little cracks and things along those lines will help add character. You can go online or even to a craft store to find patterns to help you build the bench itself.

The third idea for country wood crafts is making a little picket fence that you can paint and make it looked white washed. You can put it on the wall in your laundry room or even on the bottom of a mirror. Depending on where your décor is will depend on where you want to put it. But little picket fences are a great country wood craft.

The fourth idea for a country wood crafts is making a box for a planter. This can be done by finding a pattern for a planter. Making a square planter will be much easier than other planters. Then stick on the color of paint you want and then sand it down and make it look worn. This will give you the country look and it doesn’t take a lot of time.

These are all ideas for country wood crafts. Pretty much you can make anything you want and make it a country wood craft. All that it really consists of is sanding the paint down in areas so it wears through to the wood. Then to make it look a little dirty or worn you can add stain. All of this will help you to achieve the country look. Now all you have to do is find what ideas for country wood crafts you want to do and then you will be set to do what ever you want to do.  

Posted in Wood Crafts | Comments Off

Where to buy beads for jewelry

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

To make bead jewelry you have to have beads. So, the question becomes, where do you get beads for jewelry? The answer really depends on what types of beads you want. But, let’s take a look at your options:

1. Craft stores: Most craft stores carry an impressive line of beads for making jewelry. In fact, you can find many different varieties of beads at your local craft store, from seed beads, to glass beads, to plastic, to crystal. You may have trouble selecting beads because of the sheer variety of choices some craft stores offer. The following are two common craft stores that generally carry a wide variety of beads for making jewelry, and this variety is not just in shape and color, but also brand.

 Robert’s Craft- they offer local items, nationwide brands, and competitive prices. They also have a weekly coupon for a percentage off any purchase, which means that you can get the beads you want for making jewelry at a better price.

 Michael’s Craft- while more famous for their inexpensive custom framing, and wedding supplies, Michael’s Craft also offers a wide variety of beads for making jewelry.

2. Online: If you want lots of variety in type, size, style, color, and brand of beads for making jewelry, and you do not want to go too far from home to get it, your best bet is to check out the Internet. You can online shop for beads for jewelry by typing “Beads for jewelry” into a search engine. This will bring up hundreds, even thousands of sites that sell beads that you can use to make jewelry. Just be careful when purchasing online that you use a secure site, that you use a legitimate company, and that there is a satisfaction guarantee. You would not want to have your credit card number sold, or stolen. So, make sure these are sites that are well known and used regularly. The following are a few examples:

Gembeads.com
Obviously this is a site for purchasing gem beads. However, they do also offer some other types of beads, but gemstones are their specialty. They claim high quality and authenticity, and many people have been satisfied with their great customer service, competitive pricing, and fast shipping. Not to mention, they offer a rather extensive collection or selection of hard-to-find and rare gemstone beads. These are beautiful beads for the higher end jewelry making.

Artbeads.com
This is another popular choice for online bead purchasing. This particular site offers a wide selection of beads to choose from, and offers beads of all types. Another great feature of this site is that they offer free shipping and no minimum order. This is great for you as a customer because it means you can order just a few items upfront to make sure you are comfortable with their quality and service before spending more money. Another great feature of this online store is that they have a learning center and a bunch of design ideas to help you out so that you are inspired to make, and know how to make beautiful bead jewelry.

3. Malls: If all else fails, you can usually find at least one store at the mall that sells beads for jewelry. Of course, this is a specialty shop, and their prices will likely be much higher than those of a craft store or online stores, but you may be lucky and find a mall jewelry store with great selection, from plastic to Swarovski crystal beads etc. at a competitive price.

Posted in Beading | Comments Off

How to advertise for a craft sale.

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Craft sales are a fantastic way to make money off of doing what you really, truly love.  Advertising a craft sale well is the key to a successful craft sale, however.  Here are some tips that should help you successfully advertise your craft sale.

Marketing crafts is a different kind of ballgame than many other different business ventures.  For one, very few crafters actually own an entire business all by themselves.  Generally, people who make crafts tend to place their products in other people’s boutiques, or sell their crafts at craft fairs or expos, or perhaps have their own craft fair.

Craft fairs are a fantastic way for you to get your crafts out there in the public eye.  Craft fairs are also a good business move, because you get together with a number of different crafters so that all of you can band together to market your crafts.

However, no matter how fantastic, how original, how well made, and how beautiful your crafts are, it doesn’t matter if nobody comes to your craft fair.  It’s important that you spend a fair amount of effort and creativity on actually advertising your craft fair, along with creating your crafts for sale.  Here are some good publicity tips to help you advertise your craft fair.

1.  Make use of the Internet
There are a number of different places online where you can advertise your craft fair.  Make use of them!
 Online craft websites are a great place to start by advertising to fellow crafters.  Try www.churchofcraft.org, www.crafster.org, www.getcrafty.com, and www.knithappens.com.
 Create your own craft fair website.  It isn’t too difficult to design a website.  There are a number of different website templates that you can purchase.  It would even be great to get a professional to design your website.  Contact your other crafter friends and ask them to post a link to your craft fair website.
Try out online communities.  There are a number of online sites that are great for publicity, such as Craigslist and MySpace.  Both of these will allow you to reach a much larger number of people than you ever could imagine.
 Email.  When you are selling your crafts at other locations, provide a place for people to sign up for an email mailing list.  Then send them emails!  You can also try evites.

2.  Spruce up your show with a standard graphic.
You are going to have a number of different vendors participating in your show.  Standardize your publicity and improve it by coming up with your own craft sale logo.  Save it as a JPEG file.  Then participants can use it in their own publicity and also in emails that they send out.

3.  Publicize within the community.
There are a number of different ways that you can publicize your craft show and craft sale within your community.  Here are just a few of those great ways to advertise.
 Take out ads in your local newspapers.  Ask that the ad be published in the section that discusses arts, cooking, interior design, etc.
 Post flyers.  You can post flyers in other stores, other craft stores, on lightpoles, and more.  Go to your local library and ask them to post your advertising poster.
 Contact your local radio stations.  Ask them to announce your craft show and your craft sale.
 Make sure that you advertise at other, earlier craft shows.  
 Make sure that you have ads in any home improvement store, any home furnishing store, any fabric store, any craft store.  Then you are really reaching the people who are going to come and shop at your craft sales and craft shows.

 

Posted in Selling Your Crafts | Comments Off

How to learn to crochet

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Crocheting has experienced a comeback in recent years, and many people are finding this form of handiwork as the perfect hobby – it’s relaxing and a great way to be artistic without messy or expensive materials. Blankets, throws, sweaters, and baby things are just a few of the things you can make when you learn how to crochet.

Learning to crochet can seem difficult; however, there are a number of different things you can do to learn how to crochet.

Take a class.

One of the best ways to learn how to crochet is to take a class that can teach you the basics. You can find these classes at a number of places, including:

• Craft stores. Many times, craft stores will hold small classes that will teach the basics of crochet, including types of hooks and sizes to use, yarn types, technique, and so forth. Depending on the length of the class – which can range from an afternoon to several weeks – you may be able to make a project as well.
• Libraries. Many libraries, especially in larger cities, hold various classes, from writing resumes to learning how to crochet or knit. These classes are typically inexpensive and usually only involve the cost of materials. Check your local library to see if they offer any type of crochet class.
• Continuing education classes. If there is a college campus in your area, many times there are also classes designed specifically for members of the community who are not enrolled in the school. Crochet and other needlework classes are common. This type of class is generally more in-depth and will most likely include making a project.

Teach yourself

If you learn better at your own pace and have no problem grasping techniques from books, you may want to consider teaching yourself how to crochet. There are many “Teach Yourself to Crochet” books available in libraries, craft stores, and bookstores that will go over techniques, basics, fundamentals, and other pertinent information such as types of yarns to use, hooks and sizes, and so on. Many of these books also have patterns and projects that build upon your skills as you improve. 

Books are a good way to teach yourself how to crochet, but videos, DVDs, and online tutorials are also helpful for some people who do better watching the actual motion or seeing a demonstration. You can also find these types of videos in craft stores and libraries, or you can download them or watch them from the internet.

Have a friend teach you

If you know anyone who crochets, such as a friend or grandparent, ask them if they would be willing to teach you. The basics of crocheting can actually be learned in a little amount of time; from there, the skill comes with practice. Having someone teach you is a good way to make new friends as well, or strengthen a bond with a family member or friend you already have.

If you want to join the ranks of many other people who have taken up crochet as a hobby, it’s not difficult to learn. You can take a class, be taught by friends, or even teach yourself in a matter of hours. When learning how to crochet, start with simple projects and remember to practice!

 

Posted in Crocheting | Comments Off

Tools for beginning knitters

Friday, July 20th, 2007

Every beginning knitter has to start somewhere. You have a picture in your mind of what you want to make, but how do you get from that thought to a finished knitted item. We all must start from the beginning by getting tools.

The question remains then, what tools do you need. Lets go over some of the tools and descriptions of what they do. This should help get you started.

First thing we usually want to do is jump in the car and head to the fabric or craft store. There we can see all the beautiful yarn and versatile needles. You could spend a fortune just on that. However, many of us need to start with the basics and go from there.

The other thing to look at is do you want to spend a great deal of money on tools that you may decide later you do not like the hobby of knitting and therefore the tools would sit in a bag in the corner.

The good news is, you do not need a lot of expensive supplies or fancy yarns to make your first knitting projects. In fact, you could probably buy everything you need at a discount store and not even visit a craft store or yarn shop (though you will find higher-quality items at a crafts store).

So, what do you need to get started?

•    Pattern

•    Yarn

•    Needles

•    A pair of scissors

•    A sewing needle

•    A crochet hook

The first and most basic would be the pattern. Knitting patterns come in many sizes, styles, difficulties, and prices. Choose something simple and easily finished in a few hours.

Next would be yarn. There are so many options; the biggest thing would be to match the yarn to the pattern you are working with. Therefore, if you do not have your pattern, you had better pick that out now.

Now you have your pattern and you have your measurements for yarn you will need. The quality of the yarn you purchase will affect the quality of the knitted item you make. This is important because maybe the practice run of a project you make is no big deal, but in time spending 15 hours on a bag you are giving as a gift, will be important and you would want it to last a long time.

Those yarns can be made from many manufacturers and with many different fibers. Several of those fiber types are listed as followed:

•    Silk

•    Wool

•    Cotton

•    Nylon

•    Synthetic

Now the needles, with so many, which ones do you get. Most knitting patterns are pretty clear when it comes to telling you what size knitting needles you will need.

If a pattern includes all of these numbers, you have no problem, but if the only number listed is one you are not familiar with, you need a needle conversion chart.

The scissors you purchase could come with plastic handles, metal handle, be left handed or right, or can be colorful or black and silver. The biggest thing is that they fit your hand, are comfortable and sharp enough to cut yarn.

You may also want a pair of scissors for material and yarn and a separate pair for paper and patterns.

Next comes the sewing needle. The little variety needle kits are very handy in the beginning. They are inexpensive and come with a wide variety of sizes you may need.

Finally, yet importantly, you will want a crochet hook. The size “G” crochet hook to start with will probably work fine. This is a good needle size for beginners.

Now another option you may find is that many of these tools could be found in a premade kit. That is fine to use also. I myself prefer to pick out the items that fit me best. It is your tools though you choose.

There you have it, put all the parts of your beginner knitting kit in your bag, tote, or case and get started having fun.

Posted in Knitting | Comments Off

Scrapbook page ideas for newlyweds

Thursday, July 19th, 2007

When you make a scrapbook for your family, it can be difficult to come up with page ideas for it. You may not be sure what events to include in a family book, and which items should be in individual children’s books, etc. The following are some great scrapbook page ideas for families:

Vacations:

While this is an obvious one, vacations are an important item to include in your family scrapbook. You will want to ensure that you include all vacations, even mini ones because for many families, vacations are some of the only time you spend together as an entire family. This is time that is uninterrupted, and where family is the focus. So, make one vacation page, and include great photos from several different family vacations, or make individual pages for each vacation.

Home:

Your home is an important part of your family. So, be sure to have photographs of your home, and pages in your scrapbook dedicated just to your home. Take a photo of the outside, take photos of the places in your home your family spends the most time together, such as the kitchen, television room, etc. Your home is where your heart is, so include your heart in your family scrapbook. Later you will enjoy seeing the changes you made in décor and layout of your home.

Being a newlywed is exciting and fun, but it is also a time of much change. So, great scrapbook page ideas for newlyweds include documentation of the changes that take place, both good and bad.

The following are some great newlywed page layout ideas:

• Document your new home. Most people do not live together before they get married, and so once you are married, you have to move to a place that fits both of you. This might be a tiny apartment, a basement, or you might be fortunate enough to buy a home. So, no matter home’s threshold you cross over as a newlywed, document. Later in your life you will enjoy looking back at the humble circumstances your marriage started out in.
• Document the things you did not know about each other. No matter how long you know each other before you get married, there are bound to be things about each other you did not know. For example, you may not have known the funny way he fold his socks, and he might not have known how long it takes you to get ready each day. So, take some pictures, and journal on this page. Talk about how you felt when you found this out, and how funny it is that no matter how well you think you know someone, marriage helps you get to know them tons better.
• Document your new bills (like insurance, etc.). For many newlyweds, one of the biggest changes is finances. Many parents continue paying insurance for their children, medical, dental, and even car insurance up to the point that the child gets married. Parents may also have helped you out with rent, groceries, etc. So, one scrapbook page idea for newlyweds that you will want to document are the financial changes in your life.
• Document your lack of money. Ok, not every newlywed couple is broke, but the majority of them are. So, one great scrapbook page idea is to show your lack of money. Document the mac and cheese dinners you eat, and the empty bank accounts. You do not do this to feel bad for yourself, you do it so later in your life you can be grateful for the things you have.
• Document your new friends. Married couples tend to have to find new friends. Most married people do not retain the same friends they had previously, or at least they do not hang out with the same people as often. Why? Because unmarried people do not like hanging out with married people very often. So, as you make new friends, and leave the old behind, document it. Some of the friends you make in the first few years of marriage will remain your best friends for years to come.
• Document your new weekend activities, etc. When you date, you spend your weekends going on dates, eating at nice restaurants, and having a great time, seeing all the new movies. Newlywed life changes…instead, you get frozen pizzas, and rent older movies, as new releases cost more. You go to bed earlier, etc. So, document it.

All of the changes in your new life make great scrapbook page ideas for newlyweds. So, take a few minutes and think about the changes that have occurred in your life, and make your newlywed scrapbook around those changes.

Pets:

Your pets are a part of your family. They help teach your children responsibility, and they give your child a playmate and friend. So, make sure that one of your scrapbook pages for your family scrapbook is of the playmates and extra siblings in your family’s life…your pets. It does not matter if your pets are dogs, cats, birds, or fish.

Car:

The family car is a big part of a family. It is what gets you to soccer practice, ballet recitals, church, school, friend’s houses, the grocery store, etc. Many families eat, sleep, read, watch movies, and more in the family car, it is the all function vehicle. So, include this important part of your family’s life in your scrapbook. You may not realize how important the family car is, but just think about what you would do without it.

People in family: obviously one of the things you want to do is include pages dedicated to each person in the family. However, you will likely have individual scrapbooks for each child. So, for the family scrapbook, you should include pages that document each person’s role in the family. You may want to show Dad leaving for work, mom dropping the kids off at school, brother taking out the trash, sister folding laundry, etc. The role each of us play in our families is important, so they make great scrapbook page additions.

Favorite relatives:

Extended family is family too, so make one of your scrapbook pages dedicated to documenting extended family. You may want to show photos of family reunions on this page, or even just portraits of your relatives, or cousins having fun etc.

Traditions:

Family tradition pages are an important part of every family scrapbook. You will want to include traditions that are done at holidays, Saturday mornings, first day of school, etc. You family probably has a number of traditions, so document them in your scrapbook pages.

Holidays:

Most families try and spend the holidays together, so they are a great time to take pictures and make memories, so be sure that some of your scrapbook page ideas are centered around the holidays.

Favorite family fun:

There is likely something your family enjoys doing together on a regular basis, whether this is playing tennis, seeing movies at the dollar theater, or playing bocce in the back yard, document it in your family pages scrapbook.

Posted in Scrapbooking | Comments Off

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »