Not that you need an excuse to spend more money, but if you want some ideas to take advantage of this outdoor season, here are my picks for layouts and good photos.

Patterned Paper

I love this paper by Cosmo Cricket. I love the fun, bright colors and the happy shapes. It just feels like being outside.

Telephoto Lens

If you have kids in sports, a telephoto lens is a great lens to have. We bought our lens when Blake was in baseball and suddenly we were able to get good shots from way across the field.

These are the kinds of things that inspire me–good colors that match my mood and the season, and great photos. I hope you’re all enjoying the summer and bright outdoors.

I have a feeling this book will be my choice for Best Scrapbook-related Book for 2008.

Photo Freedom is the book I’ve been waiting for since I read Stacy Julian’s previous book, Big Picture Scrapbooking. In that one, Stacy described her philosophy of focusing on the pictures, stories and memories, and letting go of the pressure to scrap every photo and be “caught up.”

She introduced a system called, “Library Of Memories,” which she developed for the flow and management of photos. That system allows her to live her scrapbooking philosophy.

Since then, many of us have been trying to figure out how that system works. In Photo Freedom, Stacy shares the exact details of her system.

Stacy’s Instruction on her Library Of Memories System

She shares the details in a way that is fun and easy to learn. Sharing the details of any system can be tedious, but not with Stacy.

She made use of visuals–mouth-watering visuals–to give much of her instruction. She gave just enough information, but no more than necessary to get how it works.

I blew through the book in one night and then began it again the next day.

Stacy’s System Can Help Improve Your Scrapbooking

A fun part of the book is a section that showcases some of Stacy’s layouts. It outlines exactly how her system enabled her to develop her stories (or identify patterns) and put pages together in less time than it would without her system.

Not only is it fun to see her layouts and read her stories, it also clarifies why Stacy’s system works so well. It simplifies the scrapbooking process, helps you identify some fabulous stories you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise, and allows you to find the photos you want much more quickly than a standard chronological system.

A little time up front to implement her system will save more time later.

Who Is This Book Good For?

I recommend this book to all scrapbookers. Because we’re all different, I never recommend a book just because I like it. I recommend books based on how you scrapbook. When I review a book, I state who will most likely benefit from the book. Rarely do I think one book will benefit all scrapbookers. Photo Freedom is one of those rare ones.

Stacy’s system is so flexible that anyone can adapt it to their own situation and ways of thinking. One of the best things about Photo Freedom is that Stacy dedicated a section of the book to showing how thirteen different scrapbookers incorporated and adapted the system to meet their own needs. Even if you want to continue scrapbooking and storing photos chronologically, you will likely find many parts of her system that will help you.

What if you already took her Library Of Memories class? Even those who took her class in the past are saying they understand it more having read the book. Plus, Stacy has added some new features to the system that are quick and easy to implement and will make scrapbooking certain pages faster than ever.

My Recommendation

Basically, what I’m saying in review of Stacy Julian’s book: Buy it. Just go buy it. See for yourself. It’s fabulous.

There are three types of books on scrapbooking:
1) Idea books: most people buy these for ideas to “scraplift.” Actual text or explanation is minimal.
2) Technique books: you buy these to learn new and tricky techniques. The focus is on step-by-step instructions with samples.
3) Concept books: these are heavier in text than the other two types and range in topics from design to organization instruction to scrapbook philosophy.

601 Great Scrapbook Ideas is an idea book. It is a thick book with more layouts than you’ve probably ever seen in one place before; six hundred and one layouts, as a matter of fact.

Expectations From An Idea Book

There are two things you should expect from an idea book for it to be worth your money. It should have fresh examples of topics most people scrap: birthdays, holidays, toothless grins, graduation, and all those other life events. This is the reason most scrapbookers buy idea books.

I realize this is a generality, but unless the book specifies a different type of audience, it is marketing to its average demographic.

I also expect the layouts to be scraplift-able; meaning, you could figure out how to replicate the layouts, since that is why people buy the book. Because there are no instructions, the layouts shouldn’t be too complicated.

Does 601 Meet Expectation #1: Layouts On Subjects We Typically Scrap?

There was one thing I was looking for to know whether 601 met my first expectation for an idea book that targets the typical scrapbooker. I wanted to know if the Christmas layouts had normal Christmas photos, as in, multiple photos of that morning when the lighting is imperfect and the “models” have just woken.

I turned to the Christmas section and saw the usual perfect single photo layouts featuring one gorgeous child gazing at the tree. Sure, they’re beautiful pages, but is it the kind of layout most of us are putting together after Christmas?

I turned the page and found three layouts with multiple photos showing children with their presents on Christmas morning…exactly what I was looking for. Plus there were multi-photo layouts on other topics regarding that holiday. I was surprised and happy to see a normal Christmas that was well-represented, as were Halloween and vacations. In fact, every holiday I checked had both single and multi-photo layouts.

This books isn’t where you’ll go for a lot of multi-photo two-page spreads with 4×6’s. There are more single page layouts with only one or two photos and those layouts with multiple photos used pictures that were cropped down.

But, the layouts cover almost every topic you’ve ever seen…even teenage boys and no-kid layouts make a strong appearance in this book.

Does 601 meet expectations #2: Are layouts scraplift-able?

The layouts in 601 don’t require step-by-step instructions for unusual techniques. They are simple to replicate yet interesting and diverse in style. The editors chose the right layouts for this type of book.

Do I recommend this book?

This is a great resource for those scrapbookers who need help coming up with layout ideas. If you struggle to put a page together on your own, then 601 Great Scrapbook Ideas by Memory Makers is the book I would recommend for you. You won’t find such a comprehensive book of layouts anywhere else.