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Have you ever found a very old family photo album, perhaps in your grandparent’s house, and had no idea who the people in the photographs were? Sometimes no one remembers who they are, and a part of your family history is lost forever.

One of the most frustrating things about finding old photos or old albums is the lack of information in them. Often there is nothing to identify the photos. No names, no dates, no locations.

One way to keep that from happening with the albums that you create is to take the time to journal in them. Today, creating photo albums has become an art form known as scrapbooking. These scrapbooks are more than just photos on a page. They are family histories, meant to be handed down from generation to generation.

Journaling is important for several reasons. First of all, it will provide valuable genealogical information for future generations. Secondly, journaling is a way for you to make sure the stories of your life and your family’s life are persevered. Also, it allows those with whom you share your albums to look through them without having to have you narrate through the entire album. They can take their time to browse through the album, enjoying the photos and reading the captions and stories.

What do you need to journal in your album? You need to have acid free, permanent pens that are created for scrapbooking. It’s important to choose these types of pens because they are photo safe. They will not damage the surrounding photos as time passes. You may want to have pens in a variety of colors or just black. The colors you use, however, are not as important as getting the words on the page.

At the very least you should write identifying information associated with your photos. This would be people’s names and who they were in relationship to you. It could be as simple as “My cousin Jack White, “our neighbor Bill Smith,” or “my co;worker and good friend Jill Jones.” Identifying people with a little more information than just their names will be helpful to those looking through your albums. Other important identifying information would be dates and locations.

In addition to identifying information, many people choose to go further in their journaling. They tell stories that go along with the photographs. These can be short paragraphs that highlight what was going on or entire pages of written memories.

If you’re new to journaling and unsure how to fit it into your album, try some of these tips:

Lists are great to put in an album instead of just straight paragraphs. For example, if you are doing an album for a toddler you can make lists of their favorite things-food, books, toys, tv programs, songs, etc. and sprinkle them throughout the album where there are blank spaces.

Ask others to write in your albums. Get your kid’s dad to write his point of view of his fourth birthday party. Have a friend you took a trip with write her thoughts on the trip.

Use poems or quotes that are appropriate to fill in some blank spaces. Have a little white space left on the page of Halloween pictures? Find a cute pumpkin poem to fill it in.

Whether you choose to simply write in the important identifying information or go a step further and tell stories with your albums, journaling will make your albums more personal. It will also leave future generations with valuable information that they will be grateful for.

You have seen several of your friends’ scrapbooks. You have also developed a growing interest to make one of your own. You finally decide to make some moves and go to the scrapbooking shop and grab some supplies. But once you enter the shop and see what is in store for you, you found yourself totally lost with hundreds of items to choose from. The same feeling of being lost also happens to other starters like you, believe it or not. Surely, you don’t want to end up picking up some items you just thought you might need but you really do not. You want to have specific list of scrapbooking supplies you can use.

To help you out on this, here are some of the scrapbooking supplies must haves to start you with your scrapbook making:

Album-When selecting an album, consider the size and the theme you want to achieve. A definite size would help you plan the overall look of your scrapbook while the theme would help you choose the style of album you need. Try to find a large album if you want a good space for elaborate decoration; of course, this would depend on the theme you want to adopt. A small album is also okay if you prefer a manageable space. Sometimes, scrapbook enthusiasts have small and large ones but as a beginner, you may want to start on one size and improve from there.

Album refill-You may want to include album page refills the moment you buy your album. This is because album refills do not have standard sizes and you may not see refill that matches the size of your album in the future. Grab some packs so that you would not have to worry about finding one when you need them. Make sure also that when you buy an album, refills are available. Pick refills from the same album manufacturer you have bought.

Adhesive-There are several types of adhesive. There are also several brands of adhesives you can buy. Pick one or two that would match the exact need of your scrapbook. Glue Dots, Mod Podge, Triple Thick, EZ, 3D Dots, and Xyron are some of the brands you might want to pick.

A Pair of scissors-It is always advisable if you have a separate scissors for your scrapbook. This will let you keep it as sharp as possible. Your mom does not want you to use the kitchen scissors is another good reason why you should have your own pair of scissors exclusively for your scrapbook.

Papers-Different kinds of papers would let you have a beautiful scrapbook. But if you select one, make sure that the colors you pick match your chosen theme. You may want to go to scrapbooking shop and get different types of paper sold in sheets. This will give the pages of your scrapbook some variations.

Journal pens-If you buy journal pens, consider the permanent marking, fine tips, and acid;free ones. Acid;free pen is a must because it will keep the album clean and free from chemical reaction that would cause the pictures and the album to deteriorate.

Additional supplies:

Acrylic paint-For more vibrant look of the pages of your scrapbook, colored pens and papers may not be enough. You may want to add some acrylic paint on your shopping. You can buy them in batches or individually.

Rubber stamps-Rubber stamps could add more color and style to your scrapbook. Rubber stamps come on different shapes, sizes, and styles. Choose some that would enhance the look of your scrapbook.

Rub;Ons-To free yourself from cutting or writing texts on to your scrapbook, rub;ons are nice alternatives.

Die Cut Machine-To have a perfect cut every time you make some texts, purchase a die cut machine.

Scrapbooking kit-a clean and exclusive compartment of all your scrapbooking supplies is a must. Thus, you may want to have your own scrapbooking kit.

These are some of the things you could have as you start your own scrapbook. Make sure you have the primary things before buying other supplies that are more expensive.

Gook luck and happy scrapbooking!