Hobbies: The ABCs of a custom-built scrapbook

Have you shopped in an office-supply store lately? On my last visit, I discovered a few items that were meant for school but converted nicely (and inexpensively) into the construction of a customized scrapbook.

When wandering the aisles of my local Staples, the first thing that caught my eye was a school notebook - wire-bound, lined paper, encased between two sheets of pliable plastic. The plastic was clear with a frosted design printed over the top. I discovered that the plastic was easy to cut with scissors or a craft knife as well as a paper trimmer.

Cutting holes with a standard hole punch was also simple, as was die-cutting a square window out of the front cover. No matter the method, cutting the plastic covers was not difficult, and they afforded great protection for the scrapbook pages that would sit inside. One 8-1/2-by-11-inch notebook generated the front and back covers for two 5-1/2-by-8-1/4-inch scrapbooks for under $5.

I've moved around a lot and find that I enjoy looking back at photos of the different places where I've lived, worked and played. I decided to create a "LIVE, WORK, PLAY" scrapbook that features photos of my current home, studio and community. It's important to place them in a scrapbook with journaling entries in order to remember many of the details, like my old phone numbers, favorite flowers in the garden and special pieces of furniture, like the bookcases my dad built.

The first page shows through the plastic cover, so I chose a tiny print that would complement the frosted design on the plastic. I embellished the print with a bright red poppy layered onto a white square. This one is hand-cut, but a sticker or die cut would also work nicely.

The first few pages define the theme of the book, including a title page and a table of contents that describes the three sections inside: "HOME," "STUDIO," "BEACH." The interior pages are shorter than the covers and title page, which allows the green dividers to show, which brings me to my second office-store find -- self adhesive plastic tabs.

They are available in several colors as well as printed with alphabet letters or the months of the year. The part that sticks to the page is clear and practically disappears on the white paper. The fact that they are made of a durable plastic and are self-adhesive is clearly an improvement over the paper ones we used to stick in our old-school notebooks. The plastic tabs are perfect for dividing the album into sections like chapters in a book.

Once the covers and interior pages are cut and holes punched, it's time to bind the album. I ventured from the office-supply store to the feed barn for my binding. Bird-leg bands are available in multiple colors and sizes, cost pennies and are made of durable plastic. They work like simple key rings and are pliable enough to wind through the plastic covers and all of the interior pages in one twist. It's just like threading keys onto a key ring, substituting the scrapbook pages for the keys.

It's important to include information in the scrapbook that can be handwritten or printed on the computer. Facts like the interest rate on your home loan or your monthly rent will probably surprise you when you look back at it years later. And feelings about the time spent in each location are also important to include. Photos of a favorite spot to sit and read, to grab a snack or to watch a sunset are sure to bring a smile long after you have moved on.

Contact Sandi Genovese and find free video demonstrations of more photo projects at www.scrapbookshowgram.com.