Scrapbook WAHM

Winter is a wonderful time for scrapbooking. It’s a great activity for those cold days when you’re curled up next to the fire. And with all the snowy fun and holiday festivities going on, you should have plenty of pictures to work with.

Coming up with great winter layouts can be a bit of a challenge, though. The bright colors you used in the spring and summer don’t quite fit, nor do many of the nature-inspired embellishments you would use in other seasons. But there is inspiration to be found. Here are some layout theme ideas to get you going:

* Snowmen - The snowman is a popular winter figure that adds a whimsical touch to your scrapbooking. You could create an adorable layout by cutting pictures into circles of three different sizes and stacking them on top of one another like a snowman. A border featuring snowmen also makes a nice frame for photos of winter fun.

* Snowflakes - They say that no two snowflakes are exactly alike, so a snowflake layout is anything but boring. Why not make some paper snowflakes (or have your child make them), arrange them on the page, and place photos in the middle of them?

* Candy canes - The candy cane stripe pattern is symbolic of winter and the holidays. Using it as a backdrop or in borders makes for a fun page. How about making a heart-shaped photo frame with two candy cane die cuts?

* Christmas lights - For Christmas pictures, a border featuring a string of Christmas lights looks nice and festive.

* Wreaths - A holiday wreath makes a perfect frame for a Christmas photo. A simple wreath with a bow makes its presence known without overpowering the photo.

* Poinsettias - If you adore floral layouts, poinsettias can keep you from suffering withdrawal in the winter. A poinsettia-patterned paper makes a lovely backdrop for your page. It’s also easy to make paper poinsettias to use as embellishments.

* Winter scenes - A nice winter scene is great for the background of a scrapbook page. It expresses the beauty of the season without taking the attention away from your photos. A beautiful and easy way to create such a layout is to use photo editing software to fade and soften a picture of a winter landscape, then print it onto a piece of card stock.

Winter scrapbook layouts are often more muted than those of other seasons, but they do not have to be colorless and boring. Splashes of red and green can spruce up pages while maintaining a winter ambiance. Blues and purples are also good choices for the season.

Scrapping your snow-filled memories is a fun way to pass the time during chilly weather. With some fun and creative layouts, you can give your winter photos the beautiful presentation they deserve.

Digital photography has enhanced our ability to capture memorable moments in so many ways. It allows us to take as many shots as we need to get the perfect one without having to worry about running out of film. It makes it easy to crop and touch up our photos. And it provides opportunities to create beautiful crafts featuring our favorite photos.

From the age-old technique of decoupage to creating digital scrapbooks, making things out of beloved photographs never goes out of fashion. We can create cherished keepsakes for ourselves, and we can make unforgettable gifts for our friends and loved ones. Here are some crafts you can create using your favorite pictures.

* Photo t-shirt - An item of clothing that features photos of those we care about is easy to make. There are several printing programs that you can install on your computer to design and print iron-ons. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, you can print it onto iron-on paper and transfer it to a t-shirt or other piece of clothing. Add some fabric paint, studs or rhinestones, and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind garment.

* Collage jewelry box - Jazz up a plain jewelry box with photos of yourself and your loved ones. Just crop some favorite shots, adhere them as you like with Mod Podge, and let dry. Add embellishments or paint designs between pictures, and once everything is dry and as you like it, coat the whole thing with Mod Podge.

* Photo calendar - Everyone uses calendars, so why not create a family calendar to give as a holiday gift? You can create one digitally using your favorite printing program and print multiple copies to give to all of your family members. Or if you like scrapbooking, you could use your scrapping skills to make beautifully embellished and unique calendars.

* Photo quilt - Handmade quilts make wonderful gifts, and when you add cherished photos, they become even more special. You can create iron-ons using the computer for this purpose, but they tend to make the fabric stiff. If you prefer your quilting fabric to be soft, you can buy special paper-backed fabric that you can run through your printer to make quilting squares. There are also products you can use to treat your own fabric to use for printing if you like.

* Photo clock - Making a personalized photo clock is very easy. All you need is a clock movement, an old CD, photos and other decorations, and Mod Podge or glue. You use the CD as the clock face, decorating it as you please. You can whip these up in no time, so they make great holiday gifts.

Using photos is a great way to make personalized items for yourself or to give as gifts. The things you can make are limited only by your imagination. With a digital camera, computer, and photo printer, you can add photos to almost anything.