Oh, what excitement a scrapbooker gets to enjoy when designing a scrapbook! Because, the choice of theme for a single volume or a whole set is unlimited. The opportunities for creativity are boundless.

There are as many scrapbooking themes as there are scrapbookers.

One common theme is perfectly understandable: the baby book. A baby book scrapbook is filled with all sorts of memorabilia about the baby from even before birth to well into childhood. You can record that first decisive pregnancy test. Mom can snip the baby’s bracelet from the hospital. The first shoelaces and a piece of the last diaper may be on one page, the streamer from a bicycle or a photo of the first camp vacation away from home on another.

A scrapbooker’s life may be filled with people and places that cry out for journaling. An exciting trip to Greece can be recorded with photos of that beautiful green-blue sea. A cruise to Mexico can be remembered by a napkin, a multi-colored ribbon or a pressed chili pepper. A wonderful time spent at a bed and breakfast in New England can be kept forever by a pressed maple leaf or picture of that glorious sunset on the Atlantic.

A scrapbook may revolve around a single person who played an important role in your life. A photo of a favorite teacher can sit above a paragraph recorded from class. A pair of knitting needles from grandmother may begin and end a journal dedicated to her memory. A cherished friend may be immortalized in pages filled with letters or memorabilia of happy outings.

Or, a scrapbook may embrace the whole extended family in a heritage theme. Pictures of a funny uncle may start the page that ends with a letter from a favorite aunt. A CD can sit in a sleeve. Remove it and hear the voice of a sister when she was 15 or a father when he was 80. For digital scrapbookers, add a video to the collection and get the whole family in the act at Christmas.

Make a scrapbook that captures the many colors of your moods as you wend through life. Color a page gray for that somber day when you had quiet thoughts that kept you subdued but pondering. Use it as a background for the leaf you collected that day or the poem you wrote. Make a bright yellow and blue page for that day when all was sunny. Fill it with a photo of your best friend. Snip a piece of fur from the tail of that loving dog who shared your joy.

Music, events, personal triumphs and tragedies, shared experiences and private moments. Every possible form of human history is appropriate for a scrapbook theme. Let your creativity loose and fill journals with the mementos of the rich tapestry of your life.