Mama Picks: the best resources for scrapbookers (and another giveaway!!)

I have a list in the back of my mind that holds the tasks that I really want to get to, but continue to put on the back burner. Here is a peak at that list:


1. Vacuum out the car (especially the car seats).
2. Organize receipts for taxes.
3. Clean out all our closets.
4. Get rid of old magazines.
5. Do something with all my photos.


The list goes on and on, but it is #5 on that list that has been lurking in my mind lately. It seems like this time of year with all the holidays, traditions, family gatherings and festive moments breeds great photos. I see these great photos, and I swoon over them. And then, I get busy and they sit inside my computer waiting for some exposure in my home and in our photo albums. Here is my confession: I love scrapbooking! I love taking photos that are precious to me and journaling next to them and creating a book that will be cherished by me and my kids in the future. However, I cannot seem to motivate myself to actually stay caught up on this endeavor! My daughter is 5 years old and I am still working on her first year of life in her scrapbook!


We would love to hear from other mamas on this topic. Whether you are a scrapbooker or not, do you have a system in place that gets your photos into books, albums, or frames in a timely manner? How do you stay on top of it? What are your tricks?


For those of us that do scrapbook, here are some tools that have motivated me to jump back in and attempt to get caught up. I have scoured my friend, "The Internet", and tracked down what I think are some pretty snazzy products that are sure to inspire creativity and motivate us to get those photos onto the pages that will catalogue your memories before they are as distant as the babyhood that quickly transitions to toddlerhood and then preschoolhood...




Clip it Up
Clip It Up is a unique and simple solution for organizing, storing and using all types of scrapbooking & craft products and embellishments. Stickers, ribbons, brads, rub-ons and many other items are right in sight and at your fingertips. Since one Clip It Up can hold hundreds of different items, you can quickly access your collection and make your scrapbooking more efficient, fun and creative. I love this because it gets all of the crafty stuff that I have out of my storage boxes and drawers and into one spot, where I can see it all at once. For me, when I have a small window of time to be crafty, I want to maximize that time. So often, it seems like just as I get everything unpacked, my window is up. Having these items organized and on display is amazing!

Clip It Up’s handle and light weight make it completely portable. Set it on a table, move it to a countertop or floor, store it in a closet or take it wherever you go. The optional cover is easy to pull on and off and helps protect your products.

Here is another thing I love about this product - it can be used to clip up photographs so that it becomes a place to display all your photographs that you love. I am using mine to display all my Christmas Cards right now, and my kids are thrilled with how it can spin to display all our loved ones.


Cocoa Daisy Cocoa Daisy is an online scrapbooking supplies store, as well as a melting pot of inspiration for scrapbookers! They offer new and exciting scrapbook products as well as products that wouldn’t necessarily, at first glance, be seen as scrapbook products. Their best seller is the main "kit" that is offered monthly. This always includes a wide variety of products from different manufacturers. Each kit includes at least 10-14 sheets of patterned paper, 4 cardstocks, an alpha, a stamp, ribbons and several different embellishments. Additionally, they also have at least one project kit a month. The beauty of the project kits is that they include everything you need to complete that particular project as well as detailed instruction. The project kits are great for customers who would like to do something crafty but don’t necessarily want to have to come up with the idea on their own.

Additionally, for women looking for “scrappy” ideas, they have a monthly newsletter that always includes a project to help give that inspirational boost for women looking to jump in!

I think the beauty of these scrapbook kits and all the coordinating papers and embellishments is that they take out the guesswork for scrapbookers and allow us to spend our time jumping into our creativity instead of wasting time on trying to find the right products. With just the basics – a paper trimmer, adhesivies, craft scissors, and a kit, a scrapbooker of any level is ready to dive in!

Studio Calico

Studio Calico is another online store and huge resource for scrapbookers. They also offer amazing kits and add ons to these kits each month. Their newsletter is amazing! Last month's "Fountain Square" kit for November was one of the best kits I have ever seen!

It contained 5 Cardstock / 9 Patterned Papers / Journaling Cards & Labels / Map Flowers / Chipboard Borders / Rip Strips / Mini Stamp Set & much more!!! But, their December kit (see on the right) is pretty awe inspiring as well. Visit their site to see the beautiful textures, patterns and embellishments that they put together in these kits to really set their customers up to create amazing works of art without having to shop for these items piece by piece!

For those of us who are just starting out as scrapbookers, or trying to dive back in, I think a well-put-together kit (like these ones offered by Cocoa Daisy and Studio Calico) is the best place to start. Instead of having to spend hours trying to find product you think you know how to use, it’s much easier to buy a kit that coordinates, has all the staples (alphabet, cardstock, patterned paper, embellishments), and a community to answer questions that come up along the way. At Studio Calico, you get both of those things, and in addition to that, customers can view their online gallery each month and see what our designers have made with the current kit, plus what other members have made. Also, each month, Studio Calico offers a free online class for customers to get tips on design, technique, and scrapbooking ideas.

Fancy Pants Designs

Fancy Pants offers a whole line of products that are truly fancy and inspiring. They also have an idea gallery that is sure to provide a creative boost for any mama needing a push to get started!

Glue Dots

Glue Dots are my crafting adhesive of choice! They pretty much have you covered for whatever you may need. They have "craft" dots that are great for heavy objects like foamies and popsicle sticks. They have "memory book" dots that are ideal for scrapbooking. They have "mini" dots that can attach little googly eyes or jewels. They also have "removable" dots which can be removed from most surfaces. This one is ideal for hanging decorations or art on the fridge or other places that you want to be able to edit without leaving a mark. Glue dots retail all over the place so they are easy to find.

American Crafts D-ring Binder Albums

These albums are highly recommended by the professional scrapbookers like Ali Edwards and Becky Higgins.

These albums have page inserts that fit into the D rings. The bonus to using this type of album is that you can change the order of your pages just by snapping open the rings, and moving them around. With the "post-bound" albums, you have to unscrew the fastener, take all the pages out and then load them back in one-by-one. That task is enough to push any sleep-deprived mom over the edge!

Speaking of Ali Edwards and Becky Higgins - these two women are so inspiring in their creativity that even when I have fallen off the scrapbooking wagon, I try to visit their sites at least weekly just to soak up their creativity! Becky offers some of the greatest kits on her site, such as her School Years kit (allows you to chronicle each year of your child's schooling process from preschool up to 12th grade in a very simple and efficient way) and her Baby kit (same idea for your little one's babyhood from birth through the entire 1st year of life). They are resources that can give you boundaries and inspiration!

So, those are the resources that are inspiring me. I have learned that I have to find the balance between traditional scrapbooking and using digital methods for a more quick method of chronicling my family's experiences (like Shutterfly and Blurb).

I would never put all these resources out there without offering a lucky mama the chance to see some of these resources for herself! So, please leave us a comment for your chance to win the "November kit" from Studio Calico (it is so lovely!) and one of the Glue Dots products! Either leave us your tip or favorite scrapbooking resources, or leave us a confession of your "photo chronicling" woes!

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, December 15th!