Chronological Achievements

• If you have children, a scrapbook can easily become their favorite reading material because every page is devoted entirely to their interests and accomplishments. Unlike family photo albums that contain snapshots of everyone, a child's scrapbook not only focuses on him as a distinct individual but is also a project that he can do by himself or with your assistance or supervision. To that end, each young person in your household should have her own book, and its content should be a balanced mix of what she thinks is important to include as a keepsake (school Valentines, hair ribbons, drawings) and what you think is important to document as significant milestones (report cards, school pictures, honor roll certificates). In addition to deciding what kinds of memorabilia should be collected and preserved, you'll also need to take into account those items that are too large or that don't conform to a flat presentation format; these will either need to be displayed in a different way (for example, a shadowbox) and/or photographed for inclusion in the book. It's also a good idea, when you have any type of scrapbook that contains irreplaceable elements like old photographs and school or government documents, to scan them and store the copies in a separate place.
  
  

The Family Tree

• If you're into tracing your family roots, a genealogy scrapbook will serve you well in displaying all of your findings. In addition to a "tree" showing how everyone is related to one another, you'll also want to include photographs (old and new), resource links and data (which will make it easier for future generations to "pick up the trail"), correspondence and a time line to put everyone's lives in the context of history and popular culture. At websites such as dMarie Time Capsule (dmarie.com/timecap), you can locate such things as the top newspaper headlines of any date going back to the early 1800s, popular songs, popular books and, in the case of birthdays, the names of celebrities who share a relative's date of birth. Intersperse these with regional information on what was going on in the towns and cities to which your ancestors traveled. For relations who are still living, tape record and transcribe their recollections about their lives and other members of the family.
  
  

Special Themes

• Whatever you are passionate about could make a good subject for a scrapbook. For instance, if you love collecting recipes from relatives or gourmet magazines, organize them in a three-ring binder with divider tabs for soups, main courses, desserts, exotic drinks and so on. Likewise, you could start a scrapbook with all of the restaurant business cards, matchbook covers, menus (many of which can be retrieved off the Internet if you can't prevail upon an owner to give you one as a souvenir) and even your own reviews of the cuisine. Other ideas for themed scrapbooks are theater programs and ticket stubs, autographs, maps and brochures from trips you've taken or postcards you've bought or that have been sent to you by friends and relatives.
  
  

Wish Book

• Most scrapbooks are a compendium of events that have occurred in the past, but there's nothing to stop you from embracing an altogether different approach that looks ahead to the future. This suggestion was inspired by the 2006 comedy "Last Holiday" in which Queen Latifah's character kept a book of possibilities, a scrapbook wish list of all the things she ever wanted to have but which she believed had absolutely no likelihood of ever coming true in her lifetime. These include meals she'd like to eat, places she'd like to go and even the sort of dream wedding she'd want to have. Think about the sort of dwelling you'd like to live in, the kinds of parties you'd like to throw, the dream careers you'd like to pursue, classes you'd like to take and books you'd like to one day read. Incorporate clippings and photographs from magazines, newspapers and brochures. Date each of the entries you put in your wish scrapbook. Where feasible, include a projected time frame for meeting your various goals. Refer to your scrapbook at least three times a year to see how far you've come in making your various lists come true. Ask yourself what obstacles are standing in your way as well as what kind of sacrifices need to be made and risks taken in order to move closer to the respective finish lines. Write yourself pep talk letters as well as notes of congratulations and include these in the scrapbook, too. The more you can focus on what you want to have happen--and visual aids are a powerful tool for this--the better the chances of turning your wish list scrapbook into a "been there, done that" record of your life.