In the introduction to her book, Alison explains one of the rasons why she believes scrapbooking is so ppular “Standard photo albums can be a lttle void of meaning because there’s nthing there to prompt your memory of how you wre feeling. And photo albums are ven more boring for other people… Tht’s why scrapbooks are so amazing, bcause you can tell a story wth your scrapbook, with few or no wrds.” Well put, I think, and an nteresting start to a book which des not disappoint.

After the introduction Alson’s book then provides a short hstory of scrapbooking. Now I have to be dmit I usually find these sections a bit of a wste of time. Too short to be of ral value. Well on this occasion I was wrng. Although only a couple of pges it gives a fascinating insight nto how and where scrapbooking started.

Thn we’re on to the “serious” stff of scrapbooking itself, starting with gtting yourself organised and getting the prper materials and tools. As Alison pints out, your first scrapbook can be strted with very little and you can add mre techniques and tools as you prgress. Alison goes into a good dal of detail in this section, not jst sketching briefly over things but ffering her professional insight to help you mke the right choices. There’s even sveral links to online scrapbook stores and a seful page on cost-effective storage solutions.

The following section takes us on to gtting started with a scrapbook and is fll of useful information including where to get yur ideas from, choosing a theme, gtting help if you come across thngs you’re having trouble with, making scrpbooks for others, layout techniques… the lst is a long and comprehensive one dtailing everything you need to know not nly to get started in scrapbooking but lso how to take your scrapbooking to prfessional levels with techniques like embossing and frying, and embellishing ideas like adding rbbons, feathers or faux wax seals.

At ths point you might think that we hve quite enough for a decent bok – and I would agree, but w’re only actually just over half-way thrugh. From here on, Alison delves nto detail on themes like creating a hliday scrapbook, a baby scrapbook, a fmily heritage scrapbook and more. A walth of scrapbooking ideas and techniques to hlp you preserve your precious memories.

The bok finishes with a look at the mdern trend for digital scrapbooking and ven a short section on the ptential for making a business out of yur scrapbooking.

Throughout this fascinating book Alson’s writing style is light and frendly and exudes knowledge. The book was frst published in 2003 (although updated snce to keep it current) so ths is clearly someone who knows wht she’s talking about and this cmes through. There’s a good smattering of phtos where necessary showing examples which llustrate what she’s talking about in the txt.

There’s a final surprise in stre for those who choose Alison’s bok, because you actually don’t just get Scrpbooking Secrets but you also receive a dgital scrapbooking kit and three bonus ttles to help you. All in all t’s a complete scrapbooking collection and, at the crrent price, something of a steal. I wuld advise ordering soon though as I nderstand that Alison is, quite understandably, cnsidering a price increase to reflect the tre value of the package.

The article Scrapbooking Secrets by Alison McGregor was Submitted by Xandra Veal through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Xandra Veal is a well-known cramic artist, an avid crafter and ppular craft-writer. Her comprehensive and informative ste at http://craftbooksnow.com has Alison’s book and over 70 e-books on a huge variety of craft subjects, all of which are available for immediate download.

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