I started out as a stamper. I remember being amazed at how a line art drawing could produce such beautiful results. I started out simply stamping and coloring in and progressed to more advanced techniques. And then I was introduced to Scrapbooking via a home party. But I was a stamper! How could I combine the two?

I began incorporating my rubberstamps into my scrapbooks and you can too. You can use rubberstamps as backgrounds, titles, decorative accents, decorative borders and any way you can think of. For me using rubberstamps in my scrapbooks provided an additional creative expression to pass down to my children. Of course, rubberstamp styles and techniques have changed over the years and even some stamps are available specifically for Scrapbooking. Here are a few ideas for incorporating rubberstamps into your scrapbooks:

* Stamps as backgrounds-Randomly stamp all over a sheet of 12x12 cardstock to create your own custom background combining color combinations to coordinate with your photos. Idea: stamp various leaves in beautiful fall colors randomly on a sheet of 12x12 cardstock. A perfect background for photos of your kids playing in the leaves!

* Stamps as titles-Many stamps would make great titles all by themselves. A stamp that says "Happy Easter" would make a perfect title for an Easter layout.

* Alpha stamps as titles-There are plenty of alphabet stamp sets in various fonts. Pick your favorite or two and stamp a title. Or simply stamp the first letter in a journaling block. Stamp the letters a little staggered for a fun look and then you don't have to worry about stamping a straight line. Another idea is to stamp out the letters to compose the word or phrase you want and then punch out with decorative punches. Circles, squares, tags, flowers and other decorative punches for a whimsical touch to your pages.

* Stamps as decorative accents-stamps of children in Halloween costumes make a cute accent to your Halloween pages. Or how about a stamped snowman for the "playing in the snow" pages?

* Stamps as decorative borders-stamp around the page, along one side, as a border on a photo matt or journaling box. For example, on a baby page stamp baby theme images like a bottle, pacifier, teddy bear, etc. as your border.

If you have rubberstamps and have been wanting to incorporate them into your scrapbooks, I hope the above ideas will help get the creative juices flowing! You can even use the same ink brushed, sponged or stippled to add a distressed or shabby chic look. So what are you waiting for? Try stamping in your scrapbooks today!