Written by: Jaclyn Popola

If there's one thing that continues to impress and inspire me through the years, it's looking at other people's scrapbook page designs. If you are one of the lucky ones who can pull ideas out of the top of your head, then I envy you. The rest of us need a little inspiration, a little push from time to time. Fortunately, there is no shortage of material to get your creative juices flowing. "Creating Keepsakes", "Paperkuts" and "Memory Makers" are monthly publications filled with layouts, embellishment techniques, tips for storage and organization, and much more.

However, I like to peruse the brilliant displays over at Two Peas in a Bucket. This website features a group of staff scrapbookers whose pages are consistently captivating in the Creating Garden section. The Peanut Gallery is a larger, communal area where anyone can sign up and post images of their scrapbook layouts to receive specialized feedback from other members. Featuring something for everyone, the site also has Photography and Stamping sections, and a message board and resource center where everyone can communicate. I have found sites like these invaluable when it comes to picking up new techniques and following the latest trends. The Digital Scrapping section is great for buying digital kits, and you'll spend much less money if you scrapbook digitally on your computer instead of on actual paper.

Anyway, when you start perusing the amazing scrapbook pages featured on the site, make sure you have a sketchpad and pencil in hand. You're going to be overwhelmed with bright, beautiful colors, top quality photographs and intricate designs. Inspiration is sure to hit you, and I've found it's helpful to jot these ideas down. If you see a layout you like, draw a rough sketch of it, either using colored pencils or labeling the page with arrows to remind yourself of which colors were used or whether the title was made of stickers or chipboard. And don't worry about "copying"; it's called "scrap lifting" and is generally accepted in the scrapbook community as long as you give credit to the original scrapper if you plan on posting the image somewhere online. Remember, it's not a competition--we're here to help awe and inspire each other so that we can all produce beautiful works of art for our children and their children to enjoy for years to come!