by: Vera Raposo

Imagine sitting down and looking at all of your beautifully completed albums. Tea in hand you relax because you have finally finished exactly what you set out to do. Here are some ways to help keep you on track with your goals:

•Better Photos: Work on taking better photographs. Plan out the story of your day. Get pictures of the place you're going, keep in mind what you want to show in your albums.

•Details: Pay attention to details. Watch out for other people in the background that you don't know.

•Get Close: Think to yourself, "What am I taking a picture of?" when you look through your viewfinder. If you're getting a full body shot of your baby, then don't cut out part of her foot or hand.

•Rarely Crop: Do your best to take photos that you won't need to crop later. Cropping can be fun, but it can be time consuming.

•Enhancements: Don't spend tons of time adding enhancements like stickers and die-cuts. Not only does this take time but it also distracts away from your pictures. Don't let the "extras" distract, they should only enhance. Keep it simple and you will enjoy looking at your pages.

All in all scrapbooking is your own hobby and you can organize your albums any way you'd like. But paying attention to little details can help keep you more focused on the task at hand.

When you implement these little ideas you'll be alot better off because you won't stress as much getting your albums ready to scrapbook. You'll be much better organized at the cropping table.