The one to talk to about scrapbooking is Dana (www.2frogs.net). She does WAY more than anyone I've ever met (she's good too), and she has a business selling scrapbooking stuff, too.

I've just been reading your blog for a couple of months and enjoy it it immensely. As far as pictures, letters, documents go, don't laminate anything.
Use acid free paper.
My first scrapbook was an "all about me". I started with my baby pictures and went through college graduation. My next one was a 50th anniversary one for my parents. My current one is just for Christmas gatherings.
I have a friend who is doing a heritage album (she has already completed at least a dozen album, she's much more dedicated/motivated than I am). She is currently working on the one for her paternal side of the family, then she'll do her maternal side of the family.

Happy New Year, Sweetie!

You know, I need to do the same thing! I have boxes and boxes of pictures, but no time to do anything with them! I've been saving them for my retirement project,,,

I could type a river of words on the subject and you'd really be no better off... ;)

I'd do it simply; go to Michael's, get a couple of post bound scrapbook albums, 12 x 12, with refills.
Unless you're making an "our Christmas" thing, the larger albums have enough room to post pictures as well as journal on each page, and are easy to work with.

Be sure to pick up a pack of brightly colored papers, mixed with patterns and solids.

One or two archival quality pens in colors you like. A black, maybe gold or silver for darker pages...

Adhesive squares for the pics and paper bits.

Adhesive alphabets come in very handy for titles... Or templates that can be used over and over... I do both.

Later you may want a cutting system to do shapes... there are several out there... ugh, there's so much! ;)

For layout ideas just google 'scrapbook'. Every large scrapping site has scads of ideas!

Something I started doing... I had sets of pictures in piles waiting, so I bought some 10. photo albums at Wal-Mart to keep them in until ready for that particular project. Keeps them safe, and on display as well.

Also, if you find something you like on a cropping superstore's site, check eBay for it as well... ;)

I could yak all day about scrapbooking...! If you post the pages you make, I'll do the same! Show us, k?

:)

Oh my gosh- I had no idea there was so much stuff out there. I went to Joanne's and was flabbergasted by the sheer amount of stuff - then I looked on line and about passed out!
I had no idea ...

Surprising isn't it. I ended up spending sixty dollars trying to come up with a page for my parents 50th anniv. memory book. I ended up cutting up as many photos as possible and placing them around a photo of our house.

A young lady from our art department went on a three month tour of Ireland, the UK and parts of Europe. Back then they didn't have this fancy stuff. She got a magnetic photo album, stuffed photos and post cards on a page, smoothed the plastic over the glue/magnetic and wrote over the top of them. :) Sadly I'm sure the glue has dried up by now and the photos falling out.

When we closed my grandmother's home, back in '77, there were tons of old photos. None of them identified who the people were and their possible relationship to my grandmother and the family. So, no matter how simple or complex, identify people so your work stays in the family. Above all...have fun.