Today, saving memories for the future has advanced well beyond the basic photo album. Scrapbooking has given the term "preserving memories" a whole new meaning. However, as scrapbooking continues to grow and advance, some scrapbook enthusiasts are left in the dust.

Scrapbooking does not have to be that difficult. The misconception is that scrapbooking is complicated and requires a lot of creativity or knowledge of art. That is simply not true. You can be as creative as you want to be. All you need to know is what basic tools you need and the understanding of some basic scrapbooking concepts. The following is a list of the required items in order to make a scrapbook page:

Cardstock or patterned scrapbook paper (you can choose the size) Scissors Pictures Some stickers to match your pictures Markers Adhesive **

** Now, adhesives come in many forms. You can use a simple glue stick, however, it is very messy. I would recommend a glue runner or double sided tape. Either one of these adhesives are easy to use and not messy. Make sure that the adhesive you choose is acid free.

The following is step by step instructions on how to make a scrapbook page:

** you will need at least 3 pieces of paper that are color coordinating.

1) Choose your background paper 2) Choose your photos (depending on the size paper will depend on how many photos will fit on a page; usually you can fit 2-3 4"x6" photos on a 12x12 piece of paper) 3) Choose a matching piece of paper. Cut this piece of cardstock that is 1/4" wider on all sides than your photo. This will be your mat for your photo. Once you have cut this out, you can put your adhesive on the back, usually in the four corners and place it on the mat. You will need to repeat this process for all of the pictures you have chosen. 4) Next, Lay your pictures down on your background paper. Move them around until you like how they are placed on your layout. Do not adhere them down yet. 5) Next, Cut a strip of paper out and write a title for your page using your markers 6) Place your title strip on the paper. Do not adhere it down yet. 7) Your final decoration for your pages will be the stickers your bought. Before you adhere them down, you should move your title bar around and pictures until you like where they are placed. Once you have decided this, you can put adhesive on the backs of the photo mats and the title strip and adhere them down on the page. 8) Finalize the page by placing your stickers down

Congratulations, you did it. See, it wasn't that hard after all.

Repeat the process as often as you wish. Once you have completed several pages, you will want to purchase an album the same size as the paper your chose so that you can save your work and show it off often.

Amy Rodgers is the president of Sweet N Sassy Scrappin. She teaches Beginner and Intermediate Scrapbooking classes in her community as well as private in home classes. Check out more of Amy's work at http://www.sweetnsassyscrappin.com.