Starting Your Own Scrapbook Club

Before I discovered the world of scrapbooking, I was inexplicably drawn to my local office supply store. I loved to stand in an aisle surrounded by the different colors of copy paper. And the pens!

At the time, I thought this was really strange. (So did my family). And then I discovered that there are a lot of people who share this fascination. I realized that there is an entire industry that caters to my obsession with patterned paper and coordinating embellishments.

Then I discovered that these people also form clubs where they get together, share ideas, and eat chocolate. What could be better?

Scrapbooking clubs are the quilting bees of the modern era. When you join - or form - a scrapbook group, you create a regular time to meet with creative, loving, and family-centered friends.

Carving out a regular time to meet is an ideal way to create and maintain these meaningful friendships. Plus, as everyone gets together to work with family photographs and poignant memories, conversations tend to be deep and meaningful, too.

You can start your own scrapbooking club by asking yourself these questions:

--> How often do you want to meet?

How frequently do you want to hold group meetings (or crops)? Weekly, twice-monthly, monthly?

It's best to get a consensus from group members as to which day works best, as well as which time of day. Will you need child care - and how many people will be pitching in for the sitter? How many people do you want in your scrapbook club?

The group dynamic varies greatly if you have 12 people, versus 30 or more. Decide in advance how many people you think will comprise an ideal group. Do you want an intimate gathering of friends - or the energy of a larger collaboration?

--> Where do you want to host the crop?

You can start out at your home, if you have the space. Or you can ask if the scrapbookers in your club would like to rotate houses.

For larger groups, consider churches, community centers, or conference rooms. Often churches and businesses will be very receptive to providing space for this type of gathering. Scrapbooking is a fun, family-oriented activity, which places of worship and community centers generally

love to embrace.

--> Do you want to charge membership dues?

If you have to pay for your scrapbooking space, you'll probably want to recoup those costs. If you are going to provide instruction (or food or a babysitter) - simply charge reasonable dues from each member to cover your costs. Many scrapbookers are accustomed to paying for this

type of scrap space.

--> What will you serve?

You can serve food - or not. I like to keep things really simple. I have a simple basket of cold Evian bottles - which I stock up on when there's a sale.

The best foods to serve don't leave anything behind, so stay away from anything that would make it necessary for guests to wash their hands with each bite. If you're going to serve finger food, use toothpicks. And - for the chocolate fix - M&Ms are wonderful because they really do

melt in your mouth and not in your hand.

--> How structured would you like your meetings to be?

Some scrapbooking clubs will invite Instructors to teach a variety of more advanced techniques. Check with your local scrapbooking store and direct sales consultants to see which classes might be available.

Tip: You - or one of your club members - might want to consider becoming a consultant yourself in order to supply the group with product and training in the latest techniques (direct sales consulants often receive this training from their teams and from the company themselves,

ie. http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm ) Then you can earn a profit and the club can earn and share the free hostess rewards. Free scrapbooking goodies for all! Or you can schedule your crop around a monthly scrapbooking club kit, ie.: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/scrapbook-club It's fun to see the different projects that each club member comes up with, using the same supplies. Plus, some monthly club kits(like the one cited above) come with idea sheets and an artist/designer gallery of club creations.

--> What is the best way to set up the meeting space?

Make sure the lighting is adequate and that each guest has enough table space. You can set everyone up on your dining room table, or - if you have the space, create a more elaborate configuration. One idea I found on the Two Peas in a Bucket (http://www.twopeasinabucket.com) message board is to create a square from 2 8-foot tables and 2 6-foot tables. This configuration will comfortably accommodate 8 scrapbookers.

It's fun to have some community tools on one table, too. I have the basics: trimmers, Coluzzle, Silent Eyelet Setter, a mini sewing machine, etc.

I also like to bring a selection of my favorite idea books and scrapbooking magazines, especially those that feature seasonal project ideas.

And place a small gift bag or paper lunch sack in the center of each table for little scraps. This goes a long way in helping to keep each workspace organized and clutter-free. You can also set a relaxing (or energizing) mood with your choice of soft background music.

--> How will you find club members?

If you don't already have a group of scrapbooking friends (or you want to find more), simply announce your group in the community.

Word of mouth is the best way to do this. Ask your scrapbooking friends to bring their scrapbooking friends to the club meetings.

You can also post flyers and announcements on community bulletin boards in libraries, grocery stores, community centers, etc.

Check to see if your local newspaper will run a free ad in the Community Notes section before each scheduled crop. For example: "Free Scrapbooking Crop. All levels of experience welcome. Instructor/designer on hand to answer questions and provide instruction. Come have fun and meet new friends. Time and location. Your contact info."

You can also send email invites to all your friends. Evite.com (http://www.evite.com) is a great tool for keeping track of invitees. Simply pitch your crop night as a "girls' night out" (or "mom's night out") where you'll get important things done (and it never hurts to let

them know you'll have chocolate on hand.)

Have a great time meeting new scrapbooking friends and inspiring one another to complete cards, layouts, and gifts-from-the-heart in your new scrapbooking club.

About the author:
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape?s Scrapbooking Playground. Subscribe to her free twice-monthly scrapbooking newsletter, featuring best-of-the-net design ideas, advanced techniques, and money-saving specials on supplies ? here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking

The Core Principles - Are you using them?

There are a few core marketing principles that you should be practicing on a regular basis. If not you could be making a big mistake.

Your clients are your biggest source of revenue. They buy your products and services and they recommend you if you have done a good job. Cater to them and use them as your sales force. Almost all businesses offer discounts or special offers to those who have never tried their product or service but very few ever offer loyal customers anything. Go against the flow and watch how your customers will talk about you to their friends. There is no better marketing than referrals from happy clients.

Who are your clients? There are many mothers who have children and are not the least bit interested in creating scrapbooks. You must learn who buys your products and services and why. In the scrapbooking business the why could be, they don’t have time to do it themselves, they love the thought of a beautiful scrapbook, they want to preserve their family memories for future generations, etc. Use the information you collect to see who your ideal buyer is, what concerns and motivates them. Once you know this you can create marketing tactics that will bring you sales.

No matter what business you are in you must demonstrate value to your prospective clients as well as your existing clients. They need to feel confident that you will provide what they are seeking. You should always be marketing a solution or a value or both. Many businesses simply give a list of the services and products they provide. As a scrapbook designer you can appeal to the emotional side of sales. Most people buy on emotion and not on logic.

To be successful you must always be gaining new customers. It is the lifeblood of your business. Do you have a strategy which helps you achieve qualified prospects on a regular basis? One of your business goals should be to improve your lead generation methods and motivate prospects to give you their contact information so you can market to them.

As with any business you should be creating relationships and not just selling your products and services. Gaining a new client is 10 time more difficult than selling to an existing client. Not only that but as previously mentioned your existing clients will be much more likely to promote your products and services for you giving you a steady stream of qualified leads.

If you want to grow your business find ways to stay in touch with your clients, send them a birthday card, send their kids a birthday card, send them an occasional “just wanted to say hello” message, educate them by articles on your website or newsletter. You can come up with lots of ways to stay in touch and this will keep you and your business in their mind.

Marketing is not difficult but it does require a concentrated effort for a sustained period of time. Testing your methods to see what works and what doesn’t is important as well. Try new things and don’t be afraid of something failing for there are many other methods available to you.

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Free Scrapbooking Catalogs - 5 Tips To Use One To Create Your Own Scrapbook

Well, it's time for another general house cleaning. This is the time when you stumble across those valuable sentimental items you want to keep forever. Pictures of you and your best friends, family gatherings, and those great shots of the kids doing the fantastic recall happy times you never want to lose. Then the idea strikes: How can I keep these in a safe place?

This is the perfect time to start building a scrapbook to preserve and protect your favorite memories. Scrapbooking is a fast-growing hobby - so fast, in fact, a new industry is growing up around it. Scrapbooking is a great way to express your individual personality and creativity while creating something your whole family will treasure and enjoy for years to come. It takes time and effort, but it's so worth it!

If you're a novice at scrapbooking, you may want to try some free scrapbooking catalogs for your first efforts. You can find free scrapbooking catalogs in local stores and on the Internet. They are full of useful information that will give you a lot of great ideas for your scrapbooking projects. Even better, they outline the basic steps in scrapbooking so that beginners will be able to create beautiful pieces right off the bat.

If you have a shoe box full or a big stack of photos, why not get them organized? Sort them by event or occasion or by specific people. This way, you'll get your photos organized and stimulate your mind to think about how you might want to present them in a scrapbook. A very helpful addition to your photo sorting task is attaching notes to each one. Your notes describe the photo, its context in time and place and its importance to you.

This is a critical step everyone who scrapbooks goes through before they begin a project. Inventorying your materials and pondering the best way to assemble them prepares you for your project and helps you decide what materials you need. And if you can't find a retail supplier nearby, you can order your materials through the catalog or the company's online store.

Free scrapbooking catalogs are a great tool for shopping without getting in the car. They will describe the following steps in more detail, and they will give you images of the kinds of supplies available including decorative papers and paper sets, stick-on borders and alphabets, ribbons and trims, cut-outs and die-cuts, frames, felt flowers and paper blossoms, rubber stamps, glitter pens and cuts, and colorful acid-free pens.

And you'll find all the tools you need in free scrapbooking catalogs: paper cutters, scissors, organizers, brads and clips, and the ever present acid-free glues. These days, you can even find special pieces and embellishments to use on the Internet when you decide to make your first web-based scrapbook!

To get a free scrapbooking catalog, look for one of these three outstanding companies who'll mail you a paper catalog: A.C. Bailey Designs, Times to Cherish, or Creative Express. Of course, there are dozens of online catalogs you can browse while you're surfing the web.

No matter what free scrapbooking catalog you use or what supplies you need, there are some basic first steps involved in scrapbooking.

1. Gather Your Photos and Memorabilia

If you're like most of us, you have photos and other mementos scattered all over the place - ticket stubs in coat pockets, receipts stuffed in pants pockets or purses, invitations stacked with your old bills, confetti from that great New Year's Party, buttons from political events, and many other precious items.

Gather these mementos in one place. Search closets, drawers, the attic, even the garage to find them. Now, just pile them up on a table and start spreading them out so you can see what you have. As you go through them, put them in individual stacks of items that are related to each other. You may have enough treasures to build several scrapbooks!

2. Sort Your Mementos

After you have separated the items into related groups, you'll want to sort through them to figure out which ones to use in a scrapbook, which ones to throw away, and a logical order for the ones you want to keep.

There are several ways to group your photos and memorabilia: by family or family member, by how you're related, by friend or groups of friends, by clubs or associations. Those are a few approaches for sorting by people.

But you can also sort by events and times. Perhaps you have a bunch of memories for a specific wedding, anniversary, or the birth of a new baby. Maybe you want to group them by a time in your life like your college days or your first job. You can also sort them chronologically, showing the passage of time in your life.

3. Label Your Items

It's important to add some information to each piece you plan to use in your scrapbook. Short notes may simply remind you when and where photos were taken or the date and place where a ticket stub was used. You may want to write more about the event or person, though. Detailed notes can be used to give depth and meaning to the items you mount in your scrapbook. Clip or tape your notes to the item for later use.

4. Store Your Treasures

Now that you've got them organized and labeled, you may need a break before starting your scrapbook. This time, you'll protect them from further damage by keeping them cool and dry. You can use any number of organizing systems - bookshelves, filing cabinets, bins. Whatever is most appropriate for your space and the way you operate is best for you. One note: when you use plastic containers or bins, avoid PVC plastic. It's corrosive and can damage your photos and delicate pieces beyond repair. And remember when you prepare your storage space that there are three elements to protect your treasures from: light, humidity, and heat.

5. Plan Your Scrapbook

Now the time has come. You've got your photos and memorabilia nicely organized, and you know what you want to include in your scrapbook. It's time to give some serious thought to your presentation.

Think about the type of scrapbooking album you'll use. The amount of photos and keepsakes will determine the size of your scrapbook. Albums come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The smaller square ones (6x6") are portable and easy to handle. But they won't give you as much space for creative touches and embellishments. The larger ones, usually 8-1/2x11" or a foot square, give you plenty of room to decorate the pages and insert larger mementos.

Now you know what you want to include and what album type you'll use to present your memories. It's time to think about your theme. The theme will determine page layout, color scheme, and the types of embellishments you choose. Themes vary widely. You'll want to think about your memento group and the common thread that ties it all together.

Is your material related to a holiday season? A baby?s first years? Your family's history and heritage? A specific person's whole life? A period in your life? A favorite sport or family activity? A special relationship?

As you can see, the themes you can choose are limitless. The important thing about YOUR theme is that it's personal and meaningful to you. When you've decided on a theme, it's time to get your supplies, and that's where the free scrapbooking catalog will come in very handy.

You can select and coordinate your paper and your decorative touches. You can find or make a scrapbooking template that will be the basic design for each page. You can choose from a wide range of embellishments. You can spend a fortune or stick to a set budget. This may be the most fun part of the scrapbooking project, so enjoy!

See how great it is to use free scrapbooking catalogs?

Abhishek is a Scrapbooking expert and he has got some great Scrapbooking Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 73 Pages Ebook, "Scrapbooking Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Fun-Galore.com/821/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

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Book bound construction with 2-up bi-directional pages. Archival photo safe, acid lignin and PVC free. Inside cover pocket allows easy access for cover photo. Clear side-loading pages have a space for journaling. Clear protective cover keeps fabric clean. Great for storing extra photos not used in scrapbooks. Holds up to 200 4 x 6 inch photos.

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About Canon:
Originally based in Japan, Canon has grown to become one of the world's premier companies specializing in imaging and optical products, from high quality cameras, to photocopiers and computer printers. With their extensive product line and digital solutions, they continue to help businesses and consumers worldwide to capture, store, and distribute information.

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