Have you tried scrapbooking instead of picture album. It is so much fun and can turn into a family project. I am in the process of doing a scrapbook for my two children then one for each of my grandsons.

I have seen some with just stickers in them and also with a lot of writing around the picture. I decided to combine both, but I also make the scrapbook tell a story. All of the stickers I use on my page, has to do with the picture. If it is beach pictures, then I use sand buckets, umbrella, flip flops, towels etc. If I come across another page for the beach I try to use something different that has to do with the beach. Fishing pictures, nothing like adding some fishing poles, fish, a small boat etc. The ideas come into your head, once you get started.

I also bought a sticker making machine. It didn't cost much and you can create your own stickers. I go online and find click art and save them. Once I got what I want, I put them all together in a program, then print them out, and then run them through my sticker machine. They are just as good as the ones you buy in the store, if not better.

Something else to make a nice and fun page, I use tiny colored popsicle sticks for picture frames around the pictures. Sponge letters look great and I also use a lot of the sticky letters instead of writing. All my headlines are in sponge letters, or fancy letters. I also got little swimsuits and dresses for the special occasions my daughter went to when she was growing up.

There are a lot of background scenes you can get offline, but you got to be careful, some of them are only the size of the paper in your printer and if you are using the 12 by 12 paper, you will have to print two pages out and match them up to make a page. I don't use the background. I only use soft pastel colors. I am not one to use loud colors and I don't like a lot of stickers on my pages, or a lot of pictures. I use up to six pictures, and they are all cut down to a different shape, too many pictures and stickers can make you page look junky and unattractive. None are square like you get them when they are developed. I also use the scissors that give the different fancy cuts, no straight cuts. They make it more interesting.

I also found, when you start to scrap book you need to find a place that you can lay your stuff out and it won't be in the way. Otherwise, you will get tired of cleaning up everything every time you get into it, and if you are like me, you will lose interest in it for a while.

One other thing, before starting the scrapbook, make a cd of all the pictures you have, that way, if you are making this as a gift, you will still have the pictures to look back on.

HAPPY SCRAPBOOKING!