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Think about your last vacation for a minute. Wasn't it great fun? Wouldn't you like to go back there right now?

The next best thing to actually going back is having a scrapbook to look over and help you remember all those fun things.

Last year we took a trip to Hawaii. It was an anniversary trip, one of those trips of a lifetime, if you will.

It was a cruise-and-stay vacation that included a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands and some extra time on Waikiki.

We took pictures and had a wonderful time. And when we returned, our daughter, who has been "into" scrapbooking for a number of years, sent us a blank scrapbook and urged us to put together a book about our trip.

What a great idea. But neither my wife, Pat, nor I had ever scrapbooked before.

Pat and Laura, our daughter, attended a scrapbooking class together on working with photos and how to use some of the basic tools. That got us started.

After that, we gathered everything we had collected and set up our "scrapbooking corner" with a card table by a window on our porch.

I've actually had fun going to scrapbooking stores, finding materials and helping create this scrapbook of our trip to Hawaii.

Pat has the artistic ability and I have an eye for layout, learned from years of designing newspaper pages. That helps us both contribute to the design of each page.

We usually work an hour or two each week on the book. I write the dialog and try to have it ready before we sit down to work. Writing on the computer helps make it legible and allows me to set the type in different sizes and shapes.

Looking back, we were not as prepared for the idea of putting together a scrapbook as we might have been. We took plenty of pictures, but not enough for a scrapbook. We didn't collect as many things as we might have. But, it wasn't something we had thought about beforehand.

The fun in scrapbooking is the remembering. Putting together each page is like reliving that day of the vacation all over again. And, of course, you can rekindle those memories again each time you sit down and look through the scrapbook.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com

Scrapbooking tips

Here are a few things to think about before your trip and when you return about preserving your memories.

Before you go

As you plan your trip, you can start planning your scrapbook as well. How will you preserve your memories? If you plan to take a digital camera, make sure you know how to use it. If it's new, take a class. Learning as you go doesn't work.

Take plenty of disks. On a two-week trip, you will use several. And sometimes you can't find the disks that will fit your camera in the wilds of Africa or wherever you are. The same is true for those still shooting film. Take more film than you think you will need.

Make sure everyone in your party has a camera, even if it's just some throw-aways.

Think about how you will chronicle your trip. A daily diary or journal is a great way to preserve the memories. Just make sure you have the discipline to keep it up. Share it with your traveling companions and write on alternate days.

Look for scrapbook items ahead of time. Browse scrapbook stores to see what they have for your destination. Things like stickers, background paper and other items. Start building a file or a drawer of materials.

Make sure you get plenty of brochures and plan-ahead travel books and booklets. Not only will you use them in planning your trip, but they contain material you might want to cut out later.

As you travel

While building a scrapbook isn't your main objective, try to keep it in the back of your mind when you are seeing the sights or visiting various attractions. Pick up brochures, pamphlets etc. If you eat at a restaurant you really like — someplace quaint, perhaps — you might want to pick up a matchbook cover or paper coaster.

Ticket stubs and even store receipts are good things to collect. Keep a plastic bag that you can easily pack in your suitcase to deposit such items each day. That way you won't have some in pockets and others loose in your handbag or suitcase that can lost or mangled.

If you have tour guides you thoroughly enjoy, be sure to take their pictures or at least write down their names. They become part of your memories.

Pick up those hotel magazines that tell about the area you are visiting. If for nothing else you might see an ad for an attraction, store, hotel or restaurant you visited. Logos make great scrapbook items.

When allowed, grab a bit of the landscape. If it is illegal to pick up leaves or flowers, then don't do it. If not, bring home a little. A plastic bag with a little sand sealed inside won't hurt anyone — just make sure it is sealed well.

Have other people take pictures of your entire party. Tour guides and waiters don't mind. It helps them get better tips. Just make sure you don't get into that classic situation where the stranger you ask to take your picture runs away with your camera.

When you return

After you get your pictures back and sit down and go through them with your entire traveling party, keep the photos together and put them aside for your scrapbook.

Remember all those little things you collected? As you unpack your suitcase, put them all in one place with any scrapbook items you found before your trip, along with the photos, so everything will be collected and ready when you decide to begin scrapbooking.

Take a scrapbooking class if one is offered near you. You will be amazed the things you can learn to do with your scrapbook. There you will get the tools you need and how to use them. You will learn how to work with your photographs and collected items.

If you don't take a class, pick up a scrapbooking magazine. You can get some tips. And it's good to have a friend who has been scrapbooking help you get started.

Before you start, pick up some tools. Scrapbooking stores have everything. The discount stores have some things.

Tools you will need: scissors, straight scissors for sure, but design-cut scissors will be helpful. Tape, double stick, especially. Glue, the paper glue sticks work well. A straight-edge cutter is very valuable.

Corner-preservers keep your pictures in place. Some plastic spray will also keep some items from coming loose. A laminator is also helpful.

These are just a few of the tools you will need – that's why the class is so important.

Pick out a scrapbook that is large enough to fit your needs. Also decide on the style you want. There are several to choose from.

As you work

Try to set aside a few hours each week to work on the scrapbook. It's not a chore and doesn't have to be finished all at once, but set a deadline for having it completed. Otherwise you might never get back to it. Working slowly makes your book better and that "second vacation" longer.

Make sure you have plenty of table space and light. A table by a window is nice. Keep your materials in an organized manner right by your table. Have places for tools, glue, etc.

When you work on the book, keep your clutter picked up. When you cut paper, throw the small pieces away. Keep pieces you might use again with your materials. Keep drinks and food away from the area. Make sure your hands are clean. Food smudges on scrapbook pages aren't keepsakes.

Continue to drop by scrapbook stores to find additional items that might work in your book. Stickers, backgrounds, borders and frames are always available.

Write some dialog to go along with your photos and collected items. This is where your journal comes in to help you remember what happened. If you can, print your messages from your computer.

Make sure your area is close to spotless when you finish for the day. That way you will have a clean work place when you start again.

Work together if possible. Having two people work on the book is more fun, because you can talk about the things you saw and did. The memories come alive again.