Scrapbooking Together

If you're looking for an activity to do together as you gather with relatives for the holidays, scrapbooking is one alternative that can be fun and engaging. All you need to start is photos, glue stick, some construction paper or cardstock, scissors, a pen and some stickers. It can be as simple or creative as you want to make it.

Sitting around a table and pasting pictures onto some cardstock can be a way to reminisce about holidays past and fond memories. Using stickers to accent the page helps to spice up what would otherwise be a normal photo album.

Journaling about the photos brings the scrapbook full circle for others to enjoy looking at and reading about the events and people depicted in the photos. You can punch holes in the edges and string ribbon through them to create a small photo journal to give as gifts.

This can also be a way to entertain those nieces and nephews who are old enough to participate. Most children will enjoy pasting pictures onto construction paper and putting stickers on to decorate. They can write their own thoughts about the pictures and have a great page to show others. This gives us points into the "Cool Aunt/Uncle" category. Make sure there are duplicates of any photos used in case they are damaged beyond repair.

For the particularly ambitious, home-made Christmas or Holiday cards can be done on cardstock in a similar fashion. This allows for some creativity in the card with personalized journaling and photos. Got a great picture of yourself doing one of your favorite activities? Why not paste it on a card to send out to relatives, showing the hobbies and fun you are having?

Scrapbooking is not for everyone, but can be a simple craft to do with friends or family to highlight those great pictures from the past year for future memories. You can even journal and scrapbook those New Year's resolutions!

Photo Originally uploaded to Flickr on November 4, 2006 by Olivier B

Technorati Tag: Childfree, Family, Scrapbooking