PAGE STATS
Technique: Preserving Memorabilia
Style: Kidsy
Designer: Paris Dukes

Scrapbooker Paris Dukes faces a dilemma common to parents everywhere: What to do with all that artwork your kids bring home from school? How can you preserve those memories without getting overwhelmed?

Paris’ Tips: Some school things are “everyday” and some is precious or significant. Paris keeps all of her daughter’s artwork, school programs and other school things for each year inside a big plastic memorabilia box labeled with the year.

That’s great for storage, but when it comes to displaying these memories, Paris has a few tried-and-true options. “Consider framing some of the very precious artwork,” she suggests. “Scrapbook some items. But don’t feel you have to display or save every drawing or school paper your child brings home! Recycle the “everyday” stuff after a few weeks.”

Paris scrapbooks a few pieces of her daughter’s school things each year, generally choosing which items are representative of Natalie’s age, interests or school activities. Paris will scan pieces and print them at a reduced size, or make color photocopies of pieces to scrapbook. “If the item is very large, take a photo of your child holding the piece or standing next to it,” she suggests. And for all those report cards and programs? Make pockets on your scrapbook pages to hold lots of memorabilia.”

On this layout, Paris reduced a few of Natalie’s art pieces, then cut along the pre-printed ribbon on the background paper to tuck items underneath. A few school-themed embellishments and simple journaling and this page is done.

How to make this layout:

•Make reduced color photocopies of artwork and mat them on green textured paper.
•The “ribbons” are pre-printed onto the blue paper. Paris used an X-acto® knife to cut slits along the ribbons, then slipped the artwork underneath and glued them down. Accent with paper clips.
•Add school-themed cut-outs from the Busy Scrapper collection in the same manner, cutting slits along the ribbon and adding paper clips. Add the “my artwork” cut-out with foam tape.
•Print out “gotta have” and other journaling on white paper and mat on solid orange paper. Add to the message board.
•Cut out alphabet tiles to spell “art”. Add with foam tape.

Supply Listing

•Paper Pizazz® Busy Scrapper’s Solution for School Pages
•colored paper clips
•foam tape
•X-acto® knife and cutting mat

Paris Dukes is a talented scrapbooker, cardmaker and paper-crafter. She’s also a working mom, so she counts on creative collections like the Busy Scrapper’s Solution for great papers, embellishments and layout ideas.