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Rating: 
Summary: Nice resource for gift album ideas
Review: After looking this over at the store, I almost didn't buy it. Stacy does a nice job of presenting her theme album concept, but I felt like I maybe didn't really need a whole book for that one idea. I bought it anyway, thinking it might be a good class resource for the scrapbook classes I teach, and it is. I am glad I picked it up, because on a more thorough reading, I found that although some of her theme ideas were pretty predictable ("girlfriends," "holidays" and similar ideas), she does offer readers some more unique ideas as well. Two that particularly captured my attention were a plan for "My Favorite Photos," and "Random Memories" albums. This last is very intriguing, in that she suggests gathering photos that somehow illustrate a memory or concept, like "happy" or "vacation." The images are collected under these captions, resembling more the way we actually call up our memories than in the chronological fashion most scrapbooks use. Those familiar with power planning or power scrapping will not find radically new planning ideas, and those who are not familiar with scrapping may need a basic resource to cover those aspects of the hobby. I appreciated the variety of styles pictured in the examples, and think that for an experienced scrapper who wants some different angles to try, this book will provide inspiration.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the book I needed!
Review: As a fairly new scrapbooker (one scrapbook completed), I've been spending more time trying to figure out how to approach all the scrapbooks I wanted to do rather than sitting down and getting busy. I knew I liked classy, simple layouts, but I was overwhelmed by all the possibilities. This book gave me the focus I needed. I was too hung up on trying to do everything in chronological order. Stacy's idea of doing books by theme (The Places We Go, The People We Love, etc.) made me realize that we do not recall all our memories in date order! I can really get to work now. Thanks, Stacy!
Rating:
Summary: must have it!
Review: I was a little skeptical when I picked up this book. I've been scrapbooking for years and didn't believe that I could finish an album in a weekend. Boy, was I wrong! Simple Scrapbooks has so many great, approachable and achievable ideas for scrapbook enthusiasts of any experience level. I really enjoyed the ideas for different theme albums. In fact, I was inspired to create an album solely for my sons' school pictures -- it's nice to finally get them out of the envelopes from the photographer!
Rating:
Summary: Radical Thinking about Scrapbooking
Review: I'm not prepared to give up my big family albums in favor of the theme albums that Stacy advocates in this book. However, I am inspired to ALSO make some theme albums. Plus, her philosophy is very liberating and many of her ideas are exciting. Stacy assures the reader that we don't have to work chronologically. She encourages us to make a small album of our favorite pictures. I needed to make a gift album as a going-away present for a colleague. Following Stacy's guidance in this wonderful book made the project do-able in the short time that I had to get it done. And, it was beautiful and much appreciated. Get this book for the ideas and the philosophy it presents.
Rating:
Summary: A great approach--it will make you think!
Review: Many scrapbookers' albums start to look the same after a while... endless cycles of Christmas pages, birthday pages, bath pages, anniversary pages.... "Simple Scrapbooks" will help you break out of this rut and start viewing your scrapbooks as finite projects with beginnings, middles, and (can it be?) ends. Stacy Julian's thematic approach encourages you to group pictures differently (e.g., creating "Neighbors" and "Friends" albums) and to really commemorate the things that are important to your family (like holiday traditions) in your scrapbooks. Admittedly, the subtitle ("Scrapbooks you can create in a weekend") is a bit misleading--but you could definitely BEGIN any of these creative projects in a weekend, starting with a theme, a title page, and a table of contents. Later, you'll progress to quick-to-create "fill-in" pages that help your albums tell a more complete story about who you and your family really are.
Rating:
Summary: Good information
Review: Simple Scrapbooks isn't really a layout book, as it's a book about a style of philosophy of scrapbooking. Stacy Julian's thesis is that people will want to know about our daily lives when they look at our books, not just the birthdays, parties, trips, etc. They will want to see something more about us, who we were, and what we believed in. I agree with her assessment that our daily lives need to be documented in some way. In this book, she gives ideas for various scrapbooks, mostly 5x7 style, that can be done quickly. Furthermore, they focus on things like favorite books, Guests in our home, relationships, girlfriends books, etc. She has some time honored scrapbook ideas here like recipe books, and others that I haven't seen before, such as my hometown. I purchased this book not so much for the layouts, as Stacy's style doesn't appeal to me. That's alright, though, because there aren't many layouts in this book, and there are plenty of other sources for page layouts. Additionally, I don't plan to make separate small books the way she advocates, but instead will incorporate her ideas into my larger books. Instead, I bought this book for the information contained, the ways to make my albums more interesting, the general philosophy that she proposes. If you'd like to see your albums take on a new direction, then purchase this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good for beginner or expert scrapper!
Review: This book is great for those who already scrap and those who are just starting. Stacy gives new ways to think about organizing your pictures and working in a way that is not overwhelming. She provides examples and variations on those ideas. Easy to read. Note: Style aspects of making layouts is not discussed. This book focuses on how to make a complete scrapbook, organize your pictures, follow a theme, but doesn't talk too much about color composition or layout aspects. That is left to the individual scrapper - but I would recommend other works by Ms. Julian. She has written extensively with Creating Keepsakes magazine and provided GREAT articles that deal with color, layout, etc. I have been scrapping for 4 years or so and bought a copy for me and a copy for my sister who is new the craft.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: This book is so great! Perfect for ANYONE who already scraps or for someone who is wanting to learn how to scrap. This would be a perfect gift to give someone who wants to learn to scrap but thinks that it is too daunting a task to undertake. Scrapbooking has overtaken sewing as America's number one hobby and there's no better way to make beautiful albums than to use Stacy's ideas for simple scrapbooks. This will be a great tool in my personal scrapbook collection and a wonderful business tool for me to help my customers with their scrapping needs. This book is simply written, informative, very inspiring and will really get you to realize how much more you can do with your albums by using less and how to create that special feeling for generations to come! Thanks to Stacy for a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: This book is so great! Perfect for ANYONE who already scraps or for someone who is wanting to learn how to scrap. This would be a perfect gift to give someone who wants to learn to scrap but thinks that it is too daunting a task to undertake. Scrapbooking has overtaken sewing as America's number one hobby and there's no better way to make beautiful albums than to use Stacy's ideas for simple scrapbooks. This will be a great tool in my personal scrapbook collection and a wonderful business tool for me to help my customers with their scrapping needs. This book is simply written, informative, very inspiring and will really get you to realize how much more you can do with your albums by using less and how to create that special feeling for generations to come! Thanks to Stacy for a great book.
Rating:
Summary: true to the title
Review: This perfectly sized book is a great reminder that typical albums can be so boring to store photos in. Many of the ideas are perfect to capture a specific event. The examples are photographed nicely with clear instructions. This is one that I keep pickig up for new ideas.
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