Words will be words
Baby's first word, names of people in a picture, a poem, quote or caption gives that personal touch to your page. Text can be handwritten or typed using different fonts for an individual look or design. Using text for captions below the pictures or making funny thought bubbles are great for humorists (like me).

Tags are a "must-have"
Very popular items these days are hanging tags, as shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B


Hang tags are very popular due to their versatility. Roll over picture for a larger image.

They look very much like price tags yet they are so versatile, you can design, color, and vary the content on your tag to match any theme. Use them for writing a funny or poignant poem, a riddle or joke, or any other interesting tidbits of that occasion. Plus, these tags are great for personal dedications.

Page embellishments
This is an art in and of itself. Here's where you can get really creative and show your personality. Embellishments add that unique and personal touch to the pages in your scrapbook. These are often used to highlight the central theme or main focus for each page. The great thing about embellishments is you can use anything!

Odds and ends around your house can immediately spark an idea for your page. Use leftover items from previous craft projects such as ribbons, beads and stickers.

I always can find interesting things at garage sales like pins, fabric, silk flowers, lace and all kinds of little trinkets. Unique memorabilia is what makes the page come to life, so make sure to garnish your scrapbook pages with them.

Here's an important tip: Don't be a clutter-bug! Too many embellishments on a page will turn your scrapbook into a mishmash. Keep one theme per page, and have all pages relate to the others within the scrapbook.

No matter what you want to put in those pages, the most important thing to remember is that laying out the basic arrangement of your pages first will save time and heartache in the future.

Scrapbooking is just as much about the process as it is about the finished product. So above all, have fun and have a scrapping-good time making them!

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.