*al·ma·nac - n.1. An annual publication including calendars with weather forecasts, astronomical information, tide tables, and other related tabular information.
2. A usually annual reference book composed of various lists, tables, and often brief articles relating to a particular field or many general fields.
While there may not be any layout ideas based on tide tables in The Scrapbooker's Almanac by Elizabeth Dillow
, it certainly is one reference book that I'll be consulting repeatedly over the course of the coming year.I was immediatly excited when I first heard about this book simply because of it's unique format which is, of course, divided by month and offers YEARS of ideas based on some well-known as well as some little-known dates on the calendar.
The book holds 103 layouts and other projects created by the author herself as well as 5 other contributors: Laura Kurz, Michelle Larsen, Anna Aspnes, Margaret Scarbrough, and Mary MacAskill.
The best way that I could think of to give you just a teenie taste of all the scrapbooking inspiration goodness in this book is to share my favorite idea from each month. Some of these ideas are straight from the book (put into my own words) and others I took what to book offered and put my own little spin on it.
January:
National Get Organized Month - Who couldn't benefit from a little organization (or reorganization)? I recently reorganized my scrap space and it has already made a difference in my productivity! Don't stop at simply organizing - scrap the organizing process or the end result on a layout to remind yourself why this creative space is so important to you in the first place.
February:
Ansel Adams' Birthday - Create a porfolio of your best photographs from one year. Adams said, "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop."
March:
Youth Art Month - Create a layout featuring your child's artwork. I have been wanting to do this with Kaitlin's art for quite some time. (Maybe I'll finally get it done next month!)
April:
National Teach Children To Save Day - Create a layout based on your child's current perceptions/attitudes towards money. Share the story of how you are trying to shape those attitudes and help your child grow up with a healthy attitude towards the almighty dollar (or whatever your currency might be).
May:
Get Caught Reading Month - Create a layout of your favorite books, your child's favorite books, or what reading in general has meant to you in your life.
June:
Nature Photography Day - Go out a make a point to photograph nature...then scrap 'em.
July:
1st US Zoo Opening - I have been promising to take my daughter to the Omaha zoo for a couple years now...haven't done it yet. This July is it!
August:
Julia Child's Birthday - I am no gourmet, but I do have some favorite 'easy' recipes that are always crowd pleases. I need to make a mini-book highlighting these family favorites.
September:
Google's Debut - Create a layout listing every Google search you complete within one day, week, or month. What would your google's say about you?
October:
National Book Month - Create bookmarkers as gifts for family and friends.
November:
Life Magazine Debut - Create a "Day in the Life" layout following the photography style of Life Magazine.
December:
New Year's Eve - Create a layout listing your accomplishments for the year.
Remember, I only shared one little prompt from each month...and your favorites might be entirely different from mine, but they'll certainly have you looking at the calendar in a whole new way.
4 1/2 STARS
YOUR RATING:
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WANT TO READ MORE AND/OR PURCHASE?
Visit the The Scrapbooker's Almanac by Elizabeth Dillow
page on Amazon.com to read other reviewers opinions and find out more about the book. You can also read more of my reviews or visit my aStore for other recommendations. Upcoming Review:
Scrap Simple: Using Minimal Design to Create Beautiful Scrapbook Pages by Hillary Heidelberg
