First day of school, first day of high school or college…or simply school days memories are fun to incorporate into scrapbooks and journals.  This year is an eventful one in our multigenerational household.  Granddaughter leaves for freshman year of college away from home and grandson enters high school.
We took pictures of their first day ever of school, and subsequent years.  Now it’s time to record these memorable events and changes in all our lives.
Do you have back-to-school memories of your own?  Of your children and grandchildren?
My photos were taken in the days before we did scrapbooking, but they’re enclosed in …read more

One of my favorite activities consists of researching and writing about my family stories, along with developing scrapbooks that depict these tales.  In fact, I’ve been developing this into a business that brands me as a family writer.
You’ll find many ways to save your family memories in scrapbooks:

Simply a collection of pictures with names or captions
Adding journal notes and explanations to the pictures
Writing stories and using the photos and pictures to illustrate
Write a fiction story, or biography, illustrated with scrapbooking techniques, as I’ve been doing with the story of my Uncle William “Buffalo Bill” Mathewson of New York State …read more

Scrapbooking doesn’t need to be used solely by itself.  You can incorporate these techniques into other projects:

 Collages
Books
Altered Books
Cards & Notepaper
Watercolor and acrylic paintings
Mixed media
Shadow boxes

 I’m having fun doing the illustrations for my William (Buffalo Bill) Mathewson book utilizing scrapbooking techniques.  The original will reveal more of the actual three-dimensional aspect.  Yet the copies, which I’m making for family members (William Mathewson, the first Buffalo Bill, is an ancestor) and possibly to sell, still will show something of the unique effects. 
How have you used scrapbooking techniques in other projects?

Even though crafters today have web sites and blogs, they still could use scrapbook or photo album of their wares, particularly if they’re selling the items they make.  We used them before the days of the Internet and electronic technology.  They’re not obsolete, but still serve a purpose.

Include photos of your various items with prices and ordering information.
Provide information about your workshops and classes with photos.
Simply have a record of your crafted items; this adds interest for anyone who enjoys your work.
Include press releases, news clippings, programs, in addition to photos of your work.
Use this as a record for your …read more

Preserving your family heritage through art and crafts, along with writing, provides great enjoyment.  I’ve long been interested in learning my family stories and have developed workshops to teach others how to do this.
Along with writing them down you can:

Make quilts and wall hangings with photos, related scenes and activities, or fabrics from family clothing.
Develop scrapbooks about family events.
Preserve documents along with photos in collages, books, and on fabric.
Write books that relate family stories and add illustrations.  I’m working on a picture book about my Uncle William “Buffalo Bill” Mathewson.
Develop fiction stories inspired by those of your family.  The life …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com
 More projects this week from the Arts Bloggers that you won’t want to miss.  If you don’t have time now, tuck them away for future use.
Heather at A Creative Journal  links to the amazing 1000 Journals Project, in case you’ve missed it so far.
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork wonders what you think of the proposed Orphan Works Bill in the US Congress and how it will affect artists, writers, and artisans. 
The incredibly talented Judy Coates Perez has done an artist profile for Layers Upon Layers! 
If you have a die cut machine and some pretty cans, you can make your own …read more