Making scrapbooks is very popular these days and a great way to combine photos and stories in a creative, fun way. Scrapbooking memories is a good idea if you do not have that many family stories about your subject person, but plenty of old photos. It is NOT a good idea if you’ll have lots of siblings clambering for a scrapbook, too. Of course, you could tell them to make their own. If you think there will be a lot of family members wanting to put their hands all over your album, it might be a good idea to record memories in a more durable format, or at least use acid-free sheet protectors.
Scrapbooking can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. Hobby stores, like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, carry all basic supplies. A friend might lend you some equipment if this will be a one-shot deal for you. Beware – scrapbooking is addictive! Make sure you will be able to find time for this hobby before you start buying loads of equipment and supplies.
You will probably want to attend a Scrapbooking Club at least a few times, or take lessons from a friend or hobby store. There are plenty of websites online to help you learn basics, such 
as www.genealogy.about.com or the articles on http://www.scrapbookinghow.com/. One bit of advice is to stick to a color scheme in order to coordinate and make the book flow well, and if you are a beginner, keep the format and layouts simple. Be sure to use archival quality (acid-free) papers and pens and photo-safe glues or adhesive tapes for fastening down the papers.
For those with little time and just a few tidbits of information, you can create a simple, but nice, photo album of memories. Use an archival quality photo-safe album, the kind where you can slip photos into their slots. Type or hand-write on acid-free paper the stories or captions explaining the photos and insert the paper, cut to size, into a photo sleeve. I use some scrapbooking techniques on my own family photo albums to jazz them up a bit – cutting photos into shapes, making collages of little photo cutouts, adding cutouts from used greeting cards, etc. Double-sided tape holds the items in position.
Whether you are a beginner or an old pro at scrapbooking, creating a heritage scrapbook will be a sure delight for you and your family.
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