Scrapbooking has quickly become a creative yet safe way to preserve treasured photos and keepsakes. Scrapbooking can increase the longevity of photos while at the same time beautifully displaying life's greatest moments to share with future generations of family and friends.

Following are some simple steps and helpful hints for beginners to make their first scrapbooking venture a success.

Collect photos. Put all photos into one place. Be sure to check junk drawers, files, closets and old and new albums.

Organize. Organize all of the photos in the order they will be displayed in the scrapbook. The most common way to organize is chronological, but they can also be organized by events such as holidays and vacations. Store them in archival quality photo boxes.

Acid-Free and Lignin-Free. Any decorative papers, stickers, pens or scrapbooks used in scrapbooking must be acid-free and lignin-free to keep photos safe and from turning brown with age. Any adhesives used to adhere photos to scrapbook pages must be acid-free to prevent them from damaging and aging photos.

Shop. It is very easy to go overboard when purchasing scrapbooking supplies for the first time. Buy the basics before anything else: a scrapbook and page protectors, colored cardstock, patterned paper, a few colored pens, decorative scissors and adhesive. Stickers, diecuts or other embellishments can be added, but beautiful layouts are possible without them if the budget is tight.

Layout. The first page of a scrapbook should be reserved as a title page. The next two-page spread is where to begin. Each spread should have a theme. Decide what pictures to display and lay them out.

Crop. If the background of a photo is not important, the photo can be cropped (cut) in a shape so the focus is on the subject. When cropping, use plain scissors as opposed to decorative ones, which tend to take the viewer's eye away from the photo.

Mat. After deciding on a layout, adhere all the photos, paper and stickers to the scrapbook page using a roll-on adhesive. Think of a catchy title and apply it to the page.

Journal. Journaling is one of the most important parts of scrapbooking. Write about what is happening in the photos. Include names and dates and explain what funny things happened.

With experience, scrapbooking can be a fun and relaxing hobby. Not only will great-great-grandchildren see what their relatives' lives were like, but they will also see the creativity that runs in the family.

Adam Daniels offers a Free Video on How To Scrapbook For Fun and Profit at http://www.ScrapbookProfit.com/