Click here for complete instructions & product list.

Simple Scrapbook-

Create a simple scrapbook with cardstock and minimal embellishing.  Add in journaling where you can so you don’t forget who’s in the pictures, where they were taken or when.  If you want to be able to see the handwriting on the back of some of the photos (my great grandmother had the best handwriting, no way can I cover that up!) try making a copy of the back of the photo to include in the book or use photo corners to hold the photos in.  They can slide in and out of these without leaving any adhesive on the photo.

Embellished Scrapbook-

Use some of our fun altered art embellishments and vintage paper collections to dress up your old photos.  Graphic 45, Tim Holtz, Webster’s and 7gypsies are just a few of my faves.  Click here for more heritage scrapbook page ideas.

Frame a Scrapbook Page-

If you only have enough pictures for one or two pages, frame the scrapbook page instead of creating an entire album.  This also makes a wonderful gift (my grandparents loved this 60th anniversary gift I made for them)!

Home Decor Tray-

Another great way to display heritage photos is in our 7gypsies printing trays, such as this 4×6 spaced tray made by our Sterling Heights store.  We have various sizes of trays so they’re ideal for anywhere from 1-16 photos.  This is the perfect way to display your treasured photos that may otherwise be hiding in an attic.  Many heritage photos are odd sizes and it can be difficult to find a frame to fit them…this tray is they perfect way to display them!  Check out our site for more tray ideas!

The day we brought Lucy home, we walked into the kitchen to find a surprise waiting for us on the counter. My sister left a basket full of dog treats and toys for our puppy to find when we got home. While the gift itself was so thoughtful, my favorite part, hands-down, was the handmade card she tucked into the basket.

Isn’t it cute? I especially love the clever ear flap. On the back side, she wrote a sweet little note to Lucy, too. My sister is very creative, but doesn’t really scrapbook or make cards all that often. She doesn’t have boxes and boxes overflowing with supplies like some of us do. Instead, she used just a few sheets of cardstock, some stickers, and a marker and turned them into a unique, special card that I will keep forever.

This card just reinforces to me that you don’t have to spend hours or use tons of supplies to make a handmade card or gift. Just taking the time to make something–no matter how simple or elaborate–really speaks volumes and shows someone you care. My sister could have easily picked up a generic card at any store, but instead, chose to create something much more personal. Plus, her card is so much cuter than any store-bought card, at least in my eyes.

Next time you need to give a card, give a handmade one–it will be worth it, I promise!

My MOST favorite patterned paper in the collection is the one with buildings all over it!  Yuuuuummmmy…

You can try out this technique in our Vintage Holidays card workshop (make the Santa card shown in the video) or our 10 Tags workshop (make the lightpost tag and the banner tag shown in the video).  The card with the lightpost and the card with the blue snowflakes can be seen in our Holiday card showcase.  Make sure you’re stopping in to check out Tim’s technique!

I like how the flower was positioned off the edge of the card. However, instead of using a flower embellishment, I stamped a flower for my card. I simply stamped each petal (any flower stamp would work!) on white cardstock using a brightly colored ink, cut the petals out, and assembled the flower on my card. Add in some letter stickers, a rub-on or stamp, a cute button, and my card is done!

These markers have two points to them, a fine point (ideal for detailed stamps or drawing & writing things you want to emboss) and a wide, circular,  flat point (great for coloring in larger spaces on a stamp or creating a polka dot background).  The markers come in a set of 4 colors and we have them in a Pastel, Primary, Earthtone and Metallic set.

These markers are great for those times when you want to stamp your image with more than one color of ink and you can’t with your big ink pads.  I also love that these markers are pigment so the ink stays wet long enough for you to emboss.

If you want to see these markers in action, stop by our store today, Saturday or Sunday for a demo on these markers, plus see more ways to add color to your stamps!

Last time I visited my parents, I brought home a large bin full of old school papers, yearbooks, various event programs, report cards, and pictures. Back when I graduated high school, not a lot of people scrapbooked, or at least they didn’t in my hometown. My mom did, however, make me a simple album to hold my various awards, each year’s school photo, and a few photos here and there, but everything else just got packed away in a bin.

It was really fun to go back and look at everything. I realized that even though it’s only been 11 years since I graduated high school,  some of my memories–especially those of my elementary school days–are already starting to get fuzzy. It took me a minute to remember my 1st grade teacher’s name.  While some of my school projects I vividly remember, others I don’t really remember doing. Even class photos–some of my elementary school classmates I have a hard time remembering their names!

It was then that I decided to make my own school scrapbook. There’s no rule that says you can only make school albums for your children. Your own school days memories are worth remembering, too. It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been since you were a student!

Here’s what I’m going to do:

• Place all my band programs, awards, and other papers that are 8 1/2″ x 11″ or less inside 8 1/2″ x 11″ page protectors. That way, the pieces are accessible and can be pulled out of the protectors and looked at more closely if needed. If I have specific memories about certain pieces of memorabilia, I will add some journaling to a piece of cardstock and adhere it to the outside of the page protector (kind of like a label), or even just stick it right down inside the protector.
• Larger memorabilia, like art projects, I will either copy and reduce using Archiver’s color copier (the copies are archival quality!) and stick inside page protectors, or take a photo of the object. Some of my report cards and other papers are already starting to fade, so I’ll probably make copies of those, too.
• I’m going to use pocket pages for my 4×6 photos and smaller memorabilia. If I have certain memories I want to remember, I’ll write them down on a piece of cardstock and stick that in one of the pockets. I especially want to make sure I write down my teacher’s name for each grade, memories that especially stick out in my mind, stuff like that.
• I also have a pile of classmates’ wallet-sized senior photos/school photos that I’ve hung on to and never known quite what to do with. I’ll adhere them to 4×6 cardstock pieces (two photos per piece), label with names, and slide them inside my pocket pages, too.
• I’ll embellish some of the pocket pages using self-adhesive embellishments, rub-ons, or strips of patterned paper. There are so many cute school products at Archiver’s that I’ll have lots of fun options!
• I’ll mix all my page protectors and pocket pages inside a binder. I may divide them by grade, or maybe I’ll put all my art projects together, band memories together, etc.

My goal for this project isn’t to make an elaborate scrapbook; instead, I’m focusing mostly on making sure my memories are recorded. If I have time, I can always go back and embellish the pocket pages more, or add some extra creative touches here and there, but if I don’t, that’s OK. Simple is OK. The most important thing is that I organize and write down my memories now, while I still (mostly) remember them!

If you’ve ever had trouble peeling self-adhesive gems from the package and placing them on your project, the QuickStik is here to help! Each QuickStik has two ends. One end is a plastic scraper-like tool that is perfect for gems. Just slide the scraper under the gems and lift up to release them from their packaging and transfer them to precisely where you want them on your project. It works great whether you want to place one gem, or a whole row of them! The other end features a putty-like substance that can help you pick up small pieces of paper, die-cuts, etc. easily. It’s so handy–everyone needs a QuickStik!

Check out this adorable mini card, complete with a gem for a little “bling” (and yes, a QuickStik was used to place that gem):

Click here for full instructions and product list.