Photographing memorabilia just got easier with this inexpensive light box project from Digital Scrapbooking Magazine.

Constructed from wire cubes, cable ties, plain paper and clip-on lights, it's a simple project anyone can make:

DIY Light Box from Wire Cubes

Whether it's meant to showcase pet pictures or organize summer travel photos, planning an entire scrapbook album can be daunting. Cut through the chaos with free printable scrapbooking planner pages from TheSqueakyPage.com.

The Scrapbook Planner form helps clarify and focus your album, while the two-page Design and Layout Guide makes room for sketches and notes. These forms are in PDF format, so you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print them:

Scrapbook Planner

Design and Layout Guide

I have been running, screaming from the thought of scrapping. I have always known, that like my passion for quilting, it would be an all-consuming obsession. But three weeks ago the occasion presented itself, like an unsolicited opportunity to drive in the Daytona 500, and it was time to strap in and pull the buckles tight.

My 17 year old son has achieved an outstanding accomplishment, and the only acknowledgment that will do is a memory book - one that will fill him with pride, and motivate him to stay the course and go on to even greater victories.

I needed to get up to speed - and FAST.

The first few layouts were easy. Flip through the photos from the last 15 months and select the best - the ones that highlight the special moments, the hard work, and the memorable activities. Add inspirational quotes that express the things we hope he has learned from and will remember, the lessons that will forever guide his future.

Then it happened. That one, single photo of a fun moment in time that was pure Thomas. And, nothing to go with it, the other shots stunk. I was stumped. Becca calls it Scraparalysis. I did what she advised. I simply took the big step and pushed through it. And, lickety-split, we have a winner! It is destined to become one of my favorites.

Click the "read more" link below to see how simple the digital technique was.

That feeling in my chest is there. My mind is racing. The palms are sweating. What is happening to me? Scraparalysis!

Now what do I do? I know! I will go to my local scrapbook store for inspiration. Fifty dollars gone and a bag full of goodies. I sit down and stare at them. Is that panic I feel? The state of overwhelm is growing.

Hmmmm. OK, a new idea book or magazine. That will cure this condition. I just need a few more ideas. Oh, look at page 52. What a cute layout. I can scrap lift that one. Nah, I don’t have pictures that are good enough. I am missing a stamp they used. Can’t do that one.

I could go on but I suspect by now some of you are nodding in agreement. How many times does the perfectionist monster take over when we sit down to create or even when we are just thinking about it. We believe more thinking, more studying and more waiting will cure our creative paralysis.

Click the "read more" link below to find a cure for scraparalysis.

We love, love, LOVE this ultimate scrapbooking studio from KevinAndAmanda.com. While it's heavy on purchased scrapbooking organizers (and is the result of a talented workworking dad), the L-shaped workspace, efficient use of kneehole space, and ample paper storage options are a scrapbooker's dream.

Don't miss the creative stacking of computer peripherals into a small footprint!

Amanda's Scraproom

Let's face it: if I didn't scrap on the road, I wouldn't be scrapping. But because I do, images like this one are possible the day after they occur--and the fun of scrapbooking them from a hotel room makes my vacations even more meaningful. Yesterday, I was living this encounter with the Pacific Ocean.

Today, I scrapped it--while on vacation:

by the sea layout

I'm a busy writer, webmaster, and wife-mother-grandmother. Regular crop times don't appear in my dayplanner, and my work expands to fill the time available--and then some.

How do I get any scrapbooking done? I scrap on the road, when I travel for business or on vacation. It's not for everyone, but it's one way for some of us to participate in the hobby even when our daily lives are too busy to scrap.

Here's how I manage to finish each vacation with almost as many layouts as I have days away from home.

Organized Scrapbooks is ready to party for National Scrapbooking Day! Join us this Saturday, May 5th, in our forums for a day of fun, friendship, tips and a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

National Scrapbooking Day Virtual Crop!

This first-person scrapbooking tutorial (from A Cherry On Top Scrapbooking Shoppe) shows that you don't need a pricey "organizing system" to cut clutter in the scrapbook room. Before and after photos show how it's done; we like the author's creative use of pegboard, hooks and bins!

Organize your scrapbooking space ... for less than $50!

It's taken me eight hours to come to terms with an article I read in this morning's Wall Street Journal. Slugged

Dowdy Craft Business Gets Martha Stewart Makeover

(offered online for subscribers only on WSJ.com), the article concerns Martha Stewart's entry into the scrapbooking business.

Not that it's news to anyone who's frequented the local Michael's in the past week; papercrafting supplies have undergone an earthquake to make room for the new "Martha" aisle, while fliers litter the store, announcing the debut of her scrapbooking line.

But it's newsy enough to make the front page of the Wall Street Journal: an article that asks, "What does the domestic-arts maven see in a dowdy industry where merchandise is sold in cluttered stores stacked floor to ceiling with pipe cleaners, Styrofoam balls, glue sticks, beads and fake flowers?"

The story, to me, is the point of view that outsiders bring to our craft. "Dowdy" is just the beginning.