Basic supplies:

• Photographs and/or Memorabilia
• Album with Acid Free and Lignin Free Pages
• Page Protectors (1 for each album page)
• Permanent, Waterproof, Fade Resistant Writing Utensil
• Photo-safe Adhesive (permanent or non-permanent)
• Acid Free and Lignin Free Paper
• Embellishments (Acid Free and Lignin Free Stickers, Die Cuts, etc.)
• Scissors

Begin by cutting (cropping) your photographs. Cropping your photos allows you to take out people or things you wish you didn't get in your picture, plus it allows you to add more photos to your pages. This will decrease the number of total pages in your album, thus it decreases your total cost of the album.

Tips on cropping photographs:

• Do not worry about making mistakes or ruining a picture. You always have negatives and as an amateur photographer you may find that cropping your photographs makes them look more professional. You can read more about taking "Smart Photos" on our website.
• Keep objects in your photos that may be of historical significance like a family car or pet.
• Polaroid photos can safely be cut 24 hours after developing.
• Cut photos into squares, circles, triangles, hearts, balloon shapes, etc.
• Try cutting around the outline of an object in your photo.

Adding photo safe paper to your album can make your pictures pop to life. The following tips will help you create nice looking album pages that make your photos the main focus of your album page.

Tips on choosing paper:

• The simplest way to ensure a nice looking album page is to choose colors that coordinate with your photos.
• Choosing 3 colors allow you to double mat your photos if desired and overlap photos on your page.
  • One paper color can be for the background and the other paper two colors can be used to mount photos and create designs.
  • Make one or two of the papers textured or printed leaving one that is mostly solid.

Using photo-safe adhesive mount paper to your pages and/or photos.

Tips on placing paper and photos:

• Matting photos is a clean way to add paper to your page.
• When matting photos or embellishments use a mostly solid color paper right behind your photo then use a printed-paper as a second mat or background paper.
• Double matt photos or stickers.
• Use long strips of paper to make borders for a title or as matting for stickers.
• Place your photos starting from the center of your page and workout to the edges until you find a layout that you like.
• Overlap photos to create interest and save space for more photos.
• Place a matted photo in the top right or left corner and add a long strip of paper underneath to create a border.

Using a permanent, waterproof, fade resistant pen/marker to journal your thoughts on the album page. This is the second most important part of your album making next to your photos themselves. Writing allows you to add important information and feelings to your photographs.

Tips on writing:

• Include who, what, where, when, and why.
• Use tiny stickers as bullets for a list of facts.
• Write in paragraph form as telling a story.
• Write captions around the outside edge of your photos.
• Make titles to introduce your page.

Using stickers, die-cuts, eyelets, and more add to the theme of your page.
Tips on using embellishments:

• Complete this step last to ensure your page focuses on the memories and not the decorations.
• Overlap stickers and die-cuts on a piece of photo mounting paper to create a border.
• You can place borders at the top, side, or even across the center of your page.
• If your background paper is printed, use a solid die-cut for a section to journal.