There are some great scrapbooking books on the market that can help you get started. You can also learn a lot from online articles and message boards, but words and pictures can only do so much. Trying to learn how to scrapbook from looking at pictures of completed layouts is like trying to learn to paint by going to an art gallery.

If you're serious about getting started in scrapbooking, there are some great DVDs out there to give you the boost you need. By actually watching someone put a layout together, you can learn subtle arts and techniques you need to be a successful scrapbooker.

Scrapbookers are always searching for the special 'extra' to make their scrapbook special. Try using a stencil in all different ways to make your scrapbook your best ever. When stenciling, make sure to draw very lightly on the page with a pencil, and erase the marks after completing to make your book crisp and clean.

A very creative stenciling idea is to create a puzzle page using a stencil. Create photo puzzle pages or cut paper shaped as puzzle pieces. This type of stencil can be purchased in the store or you can make one on your own. This is a cute idea to use for a children's scrapbook.

When you're done with making a layout, what do you do with the scraps and pieces left over? Do you throw them away? Are they sitting in a drawer, file, or basket just taking up space? Why not use those scraps to add a unique special touch to your layouts? You'll not only save yourself money on supplies, you'll be reducing wate to help save the planet.

So, you're bought all your scrapbooking gear, set up a space, researched scrapbooking techniques and now you're ready to get started. Before you can start putting your first layout, you have to actually choose one. This seems like a simple task, but there are so many styles and options it's hard to know where to start. Here are some great ways to find possible layouts for your scrapbooks.

If you're looking for possible layouts, the first place you should look is online. There are hundreds of scrapbooking websites, many with free layouts and how to's on how to make them. Simple to complex, budget to expensive; there are ideas for every person and every occasion.

Everyone wants to make their scrapbook unique…to put their own special touch on every page. Here are a few tricks you can use to capture every memory and to make your scrapbook your very own.

One of the great things about scrapbooks is that anything goes. You have the ability to put anything you want in. A good start to a unique scrapbook is to become a collector of your family and friends memorabilia. Now that doesn't mean memorabilia that we always think of. Be creative. Keep ticket stubs (movies, planes, museums), cards, cartoons, receipts, newspaper articles, pamphlets or brochures.

When you get started in scrapbooking, it can start to seem very big. There are so many options to choose from for every decision involved in making a scrapbook. There are thousands of products, philosophies, and opinions. While all these options are what make your scrapbook so special and unique, they can also make getting started a daunting task. If you want to sort through all the mess and find your voice, you can find help from millions of people online who are just like you and who have been where you are right now.

You've looked over several magazines, websites and books about scrapbooking, and you feel like you're ready to go. However, in all these articles you've looked over, you realize there are a few words that you've heard your wedding photographer talk about…words that scare you a little bit…and cause you to doubt yourself with the thought, "I'm not a professional photographer…what have I gotten myself into?" These frightening words you will find aren't so frightening after all, and putting them into use will really spice up your scrapbook.

There's not much worse than looking through your completed scrapbook and finding that your book's layout is a mess. One page is crammed, the next is empty. Take the time to read the following ideas about scrapbook layouts to ensure that you are satisfied when you look through your finished product.

Every scrapbooker needs to know how to balance photos on scrapbook pages. When cropping photos, an easy way to achieve balance across a page layout is to crop two or more photos to the same size. A photo cropped to 3" x 4" will balance another cropped to 4" x 3".

There are some great ways to reuse your leftover scraps, but there may be only so much you can do with your own before all your books start to look alike. To spice up your scrapbooks and your friendships, have some fellow scrapbookers over to share and trade leftover scraps.

Scrap swapping with your friends is also a great way to keep yourself from overbuying supplies. Maybe you need a touch of pink in a layout but don't want to buy an entire package of cardstock or ribbon. Trading with your friends is an easy way to get that small touch you're looking for without a big pricetag.

We've all looked through scrapbooks before and find us reading aloud to ourselves the captions and short journal entries that accompany the photos. Scrapbooking wouldn't be as meaningful and as captivating without those short, but sweet written memoirs. Here are a few ideas to help enhance your next scrapbook with journaling.

One of the hardest parts of journaling is finding something creative to write. Next time you are having trouble, give one of your friends the photo and have them create three to five questions about the picture that they want to know about. Tell them to be creative and avoid the who, what, and where questions. If your friends are having the same problems exchange pictures and help them out.