Great Finds: For Scrapbooking Moms

Scrapbooking has fast become one of the best ways for new moms to celebrate their baby’s lives and their family journey.

To help you get your thoughts and pictures pulled together and onto your scrapbook pages we have gathered together some must-have products for new “scrapbooking” moms.

Big Picture Scrapbooking

If you do nothing else, read this book. It will help you organize your thoughts as a scrapbooker. The Big Picture is not only for new moms but all moms! The author, Stacy Julian, helps you to see how, through scrapbooking, you can really celebrate your life and the lives of each member of your family. Say goodbye to the demands of chronological scrapbooking and say hello to enjoying the journey. Focus your time on taking pictures and capturing moments the big and the small.

Get Organized

Get organized now so you don’t have boxes of photos to go through later. The Croppin Companion is a great tool to help you get pages organized. Take a few minutes here and there to organize the materials and photos you will need for your pages and store the items in the individual 2 sided planning folders. Then store them the Cropping binder until you are ready to create your pages. This system makes it easy to work a little at time, perfect for any new mom! The binder is prefect when you want to head out to enjoy an afternoon of scrapbooking with some new moms. You will have everything you need in one place.

Get a PIP!

Finding time to scrapbook can be a challenge for any busy mom, especially a new mom.  Most times we run out of time during a scrapbook night with the girls or when the baby or toddler wake up from a nap. Stopping and starting can leave us with a stack of unfinished layouts and little piles of photos, stickers and other embellishments.  No matter what your stage of parenting or scrapbooking may be – the Page in Progress system is the answer to your unfinished pages.  It’s simple - Plan your page in the nifty layout box and when you have to stop simply add a few magnets (included) to your layout to keep everything in place.  You can put the box on its side, stick it on a shelf, put it in your scrapbook bag – the magnets keep everything in place.  When you come back to your page all of your ideas are still in place and ready for you to continue on.  You have to love that!  By Cropperware

Say goodbye to eyelet noise

If you have ever punched a hole for an eyelet or brad you will have likely used a small hammer and hole punch. While these products work well, a new mom with a sleeping baby is not likely to get much accomplished if the baby wakes up at the first whack of a hammer. The Crop-A-Dile is a whisper quiet setter, easy to use and the most amazing tool we have found. The only downside to this tool is you are limited to the outside edges of your sheet as it can only reach into the edges of your layouts.

A solution to this is the Scraparatus.

The Scraparatus, an equally amazing tool, can put a hole in any location of a page, and while it is not as quiet as the Crop-A-Dile it is a great setter. If you use the buffer foam that comes with the kit you will find the noise is reduced. This tool not only punches holes and sets eyelets, but it can also cut out diecut shapes. The starter set comes with a few samples but the company also sells fun sets including letters, winter, fall, and celebrations. This is a must have for any scrapbooker!  scraparatus.com/

Go Digital

Digital scrapbooking is a great alternative to traditional paper scrapbooking. With a host of cool products online and off new moms can take a pass on paper scrapbooking without giving up the creative elements we see on pages today. Canadian Parents Smilebox is a quick and easy scrapbooking tool. Not only can you create cards and slideshows but new moms can put together creative and beautiful albums to email and print! Many of the layouts can be printed in 12x12 format too!

If you want full control over the elements on your pages consider Scrapbook MAX! The starter CD offers hours of creative fun and lots of digital elements (embellishments, paper, etc.) and page examples. Elements from any source can be added to the software for those who want to grow a digital library. www.scrapbookmax.com

Scrapbook Your Pregnancy

If you just found out you are expecting you will enjoy tracking your pregnancy in a Tummy Talk scrapbook. When your little one arrives you will have finished their first scrapbook! This all in one album, scrapbook, and keepsake journal lets you document every step of the way. The cover feels like suede and the books come in a variety of colours including pink and blue! If your baby has already arrived, grab all of your notes and journals and fill in the pages while the information is still fresh in your memory. www.tummy-talk.com