Month: September 2022

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Scrapbooking Tools and Tips

Scrapbooking  Tools and Tips

Why Scrapbook?

After years of family celebrations, vacations, and holidays, we’re sure you’ve made plenty of memories. Make those moments last for years to come with special keepsake scrapbooks for you and your grandchildren. Plus, you don’t need to be particularly crafty or buy expensive materials to preserve photographs, art work, and other precious documents.

Scrapbooking  Tools and Tips

First things first—you’ll need a scrapbook to get started. Your local craft store will have plenty of options, but no matter what you choose, make sure that the book comes with paper that will protect your photos and other keepsakes from deteriorating over time.

A tried-and-true brand is Kolo, which makes memory books in a variety of colors and sizes, plus, their pages, which will serve as the backdrop for your photos, are acid-free—perfect for your archives.

Stick It!

When you have your scrapbook and your photos ready, you’ll need a strong adhesive to make sure everything stays in place on the page. Skip the sticky white school glue and opt for Glue Dots. Designed specifically for craft projects, Glue Dots won’t have an adverse affect on your photos or materials. Plus, they come in an easy dispenser to keep mess to a minimum.

Pretty Papers

Create the perfect backdrop for your memory pages with customized paper. Your local craft store is bound to have dozens of paper options to choose from in a variety of designs.

The standard size is usually 12×12, so make sure your scrapbook matches if you’d prefer not to cut them down. While these papers aren’t required—most scrapbooks come with plain white or black background papers—they serve as an easy way to add color to your book.

Tools of the Trade

Once you have your book, adhesive, and paper, the last basic tool is scissors. Sharp scissors should be able to provide an even cut through paper and photos, but bigger projects may require a paper cutter. Fiskars makes a paper cutter sized for scrapbooking projects, so it won’t take up too much space on your shelf.

Put Your Own Stamp on It

One of the easiest ways to adorn your scrapbook is by using rubber stamps and lively, colorful inks. Stamps range in size from very large (for backgrounds and borders) to small (for accents). For example, to accent a page dedicated to the birth of a granddaughter, you might want to use a baby bottle or “It’s a Girl!” stamp.

Stores like Michael’s and Joanne Fabrics will have tons of stamps in different designs, from basic stars and hearts to ornate landscape settings. You will also be able to find a wide variety of colorful ink pads. Plus, many holiday stamps can be recycled for other craft projects, like cards and gifts.

Knockout Punches

Create a merry display of memories by adding accents and borders. One way to do this: Skip the scissors and pull out the puncher. Hole punches have come a long way—now they can create shapes like hearts, stars, butterflies, bears, and more. Queen of crafts Martha Stewart has her own line of punchers that will create beautiful borders on paper, from ric rac to scalloped.

Accessorize with Stickers

As you compile photos and other keepsakes (movie stubs, sports tickets, etc.), organize them into themes or events that you can build pages around. Then, when you hit the craft store, make sure to browse the sticker section for sets that match.

Jolee’s makes sticker sets for just about every occasion, from birthdays and holidays to vacations and sporting events. Look out for their dimensional collection to give your scrapbook depth.

Lay It All Out

Now that you have all of your supplies gathered and you’re ready to assemble your scrapbook, take some time to mock up the layout of each page before you start gluing things down. This will help limit mistakes and make sure your memories are preserved perfectly.
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Family Life & Living 7 Job Search Tips and Tools for Millennials

Family Life & Living

Family is the cornerstone of a complete home. Explore our practical advice, struggles and personal stories on how to harmonize your modern family life.

7 Job Search Tips and Tools for Millennials

Parents of young adults and Millennials deserve to feel proud of their kids and also give themselves a self-congratulatory pat on the back when their child graduates from college. For those graduates who are ready to start working and beginning a job search, the hunt should begin not after graduation, but in the beginning of their last semester of college. As everyone is aware, job hunting is so much more than it was when the parents of Millennials were young, and companies would go to a college campus ready to offer positions to eager young men and women, or resumes were mailed in response to want-ads in the newspapers. Looking for a job involves so much more now.

01 of 07

Be Prepared for a Lot of Work

For a lucky few, jobs are easy to find and they graduate on Friday with a new job waiting for them on Monday. For most graduates, however, graduation is just the beginning of one of the toughest times in a young person’s life – finding the right first job. In this situation, it’s important to look at finding a job as if it actually is a job. Keeping a schedule, getting up each morning at a reasonable hour, tracking contacts, following up with inquiries, even pounding the pavement a bit – all of these things can not only help with the job hunt, but they can keep a young job seeker from feeling aimless and disappointed. Just like getting into college, finding the right job takes time, focus and enthusiasm. 

02 of 07

Find the Best Job Search Sites

There are so many job search sites online, and it’s difficult to determine which ones are the best. These are some of the highest ranked by a variety of sources.

Glassdoor.com
Indeed.com
JobIsJob.com

 

Also check out niche job search sites, which can take a job seeker directly to jobs that are specifically for their particular skills or interests.

03 of 07

Find a Mentor

Finding a mentor ideally begins long before graduation. Through internships, volunteer work, part time jobs or with professors, finding someone to give advice and guidance is invaluable and can make the difference between finding a good job and the right job. Mentorship can be either a natural development between two people or, in some cases, students can request someone they admire to mentor them. Either way, finding guidance and help for the job search is a great way to improve the chances of getting a job that is fulfilling and exciting.

 

Search for role models you can look up to and people who take an interest in your career. But here’s an important warning: You don’t have to have mentors who look like you. Had I been waiting for a black, female Soviet specialist mentor, I would still be waiting. Most of my mentors have been old white men, because they were the ones who dominated my field.

04 of 07

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

The first thing any new job hunter needs to do is create a LinkedIn profile. Take the time to make it as clean, intelligent and positive as possible. The next thing to do is clean up their social media profiles. College was a lot of fun, but employers don’t need to see your spring break or sorority mixer photos. Take down any images that are less than flattering or present a party image to employers.

LinkedIn is also an excellent source for job listings.

Get a professional head shot for all of your job search profiles. If you don’t have the funds or access to someone to take a good head shot, find a photo of you that you particularly like, crop out anyone else and fix it up with a site like PicMonkey.

05 of 07

Take A Risk

If there was ever a time to test the waters in the job world, it’s now. Graduating from college with a degree doesn’t automatically mean a young adult is certain of what they want to do for a career. Trying out something that interests them but perhaps doesn’t pay as well as they’d like is better done when they are just getting started, than a few years into their careers when they will have established expenses, perhaps a family, and not as much wiggle room to take a risk.

For some young adults figuring out what to do can be more difficult than finding a job. There are unique careers that may fit the bill for an undecided job seeker.

06 of 07

Go Where the Jobs Are

Finding a job can be much easier if college graduates are prepared for the job market they are heading into. Research should begin before a college major is declared, even before the search for a college begins. Heading to college with a specific career in mind, one that is growing and has increasing opportunities, can take a lot of the stress off of finding a job upon graduation. Some of the hottest current job markets include data scientist, computer systems analyst, financial planner, physical therapist and social media manager. Whether a major is declared as a freshman or a young adult graduates with a degree not knowing what to do next, looking for where the most jobs are available is a good way to start the job search.

07 of 07
Be Prepared for the Interview
All of the job hunting in the world can’t make up for a poor interviewer. Being prepared to answer the expected – and unexpected – questions can mean the difference between “Thanks for coming in” and “Let me introduce you to my boss.” Know your audience – if you are interviewing for a corporate job, dress conservatively, even if you think the environment might be a little more relaxed. if you are interviewing at a start-up or small, family owned business, approach the interview with a more friendly and warm demeanor. Do your research before the interview and you’ll be prepared for anything, and hopefully you’ll get that job offer!