Scanning and printing off on your computer is the easist / Cheapest way to do this. A lot of people say that they don't like to use the ink from a computer printer because it is not color fast, but unless you plan on spilling water all over your pages or leaving them in direct sun for days on end the computer ink from a printer is fine. Remember to use acid free paper in the printer though. Penny

I guess it depends on what you used for the background of your page. If you stuck your bits and pieces onto the 'cardstock' that comes with the album, then certainly use the back of it. I tend to use other paper for the background, nearly always a sheet of coloured cardstock. Then I slip in between the album page and the page protector. Then I do the same for the other side. I wouldn't use both sides of the coloured cardstock though, because I don't think it is sturdy enough. Looking at the finished product, it is usual to open the album and see a left hand side and a right hand side. How you get to that is entirely up to you. You may choose whatever look you want to. A matter of individual choice with what works for you. Jocelyn in NZ

I found some really great "calligraphy" pens at Michaels. I can't remember the name or brand, but they have a pen tip at either end...for a smaller and larger calligraphy look. You have to practice some to learn how to hold the pen but I really love the look much much better than my plain hand-writing (which I HATE when I journal). They provide a more personal touch (look) to the page then printing calligraphy style on the computer (which is also a nice idea). Like Jill, I usually like to matt what I journal, depending on the page. If your cousin just graduated from Med school, could you somehow incorporate something from her "soon to be profession"? Perhaps you could make (scrape) a nice looking professional business card with her name, the date she graduated, her title etc.? I'm not too up on graduating med students so maybe she has to complete her residency, but maybe you could include smaller photos of where she will work or complete her residency on the page (in the background or superimpose photos of her on top of these smaller ones)? For something a bit more comical, maybe you could get a photo(s) of her with friends or family "using" her medical tools from her black bag with a humorous title page or a funny lyric or poem? I love to matt a lot of my photos and I also love to try (try being the key operative word here)and make up poems or rhyme when I journal. I think you could have a lot of fun and still have some very elegant and "fun" pages. Good luck! Send us a link for your completed pages so we can save the ideas...I'll need one in about 14-16 years!

Thanks for the suggestions. Being that Top Gun is one of Randy's favorite movies, the "need for speed" phrase will be a good one. This book is going to be bigger than I thought when I started - it's a fun one to do. I'm still open to more ideas, too.