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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 photo albums.  It was fun this year to make copies of some of these school photos to send to high school friends in a “round robin” letter exchange we have.  That encouraged my friends to send around school memories, in letter and photo form.

What do you do for back-to-school scrapbooking?

• Create scrapbooking pages using your usual techniques
• Incorporate photos into a journal
• Make a back-to-school or school days memories book or booklet for yourself or as a gift for grandparents.
• Make an altered book of school memories.
• Have the children draw pictures of their school days and incorporate it into a booklet.

How do you do preserve school memories…yours, your children and grandchildren?

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Scrapbooking Back-to-School Memories

Image: sxc.hu

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 and Kansas.
• Creating altered books with family stories and memorabilia
• Designing shadow boxes with family collectibles

I enjoy incorporating scrapbooking techniques with family history and being creative with my stories and illustrating.  I even teach classes on this to help others find the pleasure I do.

Where have you found some great resources for scrapbooking?

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Scrapbooking Your Family Memories

Image: sxc.hu

•  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?

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Versatile Scrapbooking Techniques

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• 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 family of this portion of your life.  Even your clients will find it interesting to learn something about you.
• Compile a book of the shows where you display and exhibit.

How can you display your photos and clippings?

• Use a scrapbook and incorporate scrapbooking techniques to add interest.
• A photo album will work well in many cases.
• Create a journal type book, with writing  and sketches about your wares and events.  These can be  media clippings or something you do.
• Keep a photo album/scrapbook of each item you make with notes about it.

What suggestions fo you have for creating scrapbooks that will add interest and promote your crafts?

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Promoting Crafts With a Scrapbook

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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 of  Great Great Grandmother Cynthia, who lived during the Civil War era, would make an exciting novel.
• Create a shadow box with mementos such as buttons, beads, jewelry, and awards.  For instance, I’m putting together a collage of my uncle’s military metals and memorabilia.

Do you have any techniques you’re using to preserve your family heritage?

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Crafting Your Family Heritage

 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 embellishments from aluminum cans. Just don’t cut yourself to ribbons while you’re making them! warns Katelyn from Stamping Mad.

Noreen Crone-Findlay, of Hankering for Yarn, has posted pics of some of the ways that she organizes and figures out storage solutions for her yarn stash.
Advice from Eileen at The Artful Crafter: If you save precious photos on your computer, you need to know about Carbonite online backup subscription service. 

Chloe, from Tangled Thread had finished the memorial textiles created in honor of her grandmother. 

Peggy, at Junk Creation is being very creative by reusing a sour cream container as a planter and scrapbook all in one.

ENJOY!  And share your creative ideas with us.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Journals, Memorial Textiles, Scrapbooks & More from the Arts Bloggers