Tibbrix is right, the moldings would have to come off of the wall in order for the wall to look right with the bookcases in front of it, unless the bookcases are a bit longer than the wall and you have a way of covering the end - where you would see the wall gap behind the bookshelves. You could place a convenient pedestal and narrow tapestry there, I suppose. The only other non-destructive way of using the bookshelves in the dining room is to use them to create a fourth wall. If the three bookshelves are not as long as the opening into the dining room, you can create a secluded - but sunny - space in your home. Simply place the shelves, book side in, as if there was a fourth wall in the room. If you do not like looking at the back of the bookshelves, consider getting stain-grade plywood to attach to the back and stain it to coordinate with the flooring and put a few coats of polyurethane on it. A hanging rug or tapestry or quilt are also possibilities to cover some of the space, or you could make a montage of family photographs or other artwork. Or do artwork on the wall. If you are into any particular genre of music, you can get album cover art to mount. Or posters. Only lack of imagination limits you. Inside your new room, there is no reason to remove the dining table. You can add a pair of comfortable reading chairs with lamps and a side table, yet still have the dining table on the other end of the room. The room looks plenty long enough for the table to go in the other direction. You can also take a leaf out (if the is one to remove) and put it and a couple of chairs in the basement. You can also set two dining chairs in a little conversation area away from the table, maybe around a tea table. Then you may use the dining table as a dining table, or for doing jigsaw puzzles, playing games, or for some less-messy projects that you don't want to have to put away each day. Add a couple of area rugs to define spaces, raise the chandelier if it is too low, and put it on a dimmer if it is not already dimmable. Now the room is more usable and comfy.

I just saw a scrapbook party idea in PARENTS magazine that you should check out! It gives ideas for games, a cake, favors, invitations, thank-you cards, etc. Looks like a lot of fun!

I've attached a link to an article I found for getting started. I got started after being invited to a scrapbook party for a chain supplier. I made up two pages there, but the lady wouldn't sell me the full size paper without going to more of her parties so I didn't buy her scrapbooks. (They are nice, but very expensive.) I found out that I could buy basic templates, paper, scissors, etc. at Wal-Mart. I pretty much did my own thing for a while, but I look for ideas now and you can buy idea books. Do a web search, there are several on-line places that sell supplies. I get most of mine from a local scrapbook store. I did try out the twopeasinabucket site recently. It had more variety than I have locally, but they were out of a lot of the paper colors that I wanted. As far as a basic scrapbook, I've migrated to a scrapbook comparable to a 3 ring binder. I use the acid free protector sheets to store my pages. This works well for me because my two year likes to look at the pages and touch things. I try to include things in my books that are acid free lignin free, but there are exceptions. For the baby books, I have pregnancy tests, hospital bills, hospital wrist bands, locks of hair, etc. The locks of hair are in little clear envelopes that are made just for scrapbooking. I could work around the acid, lignin content of the other things by photocopying it or taking pictures, but I want originals. Check out the article and have fun. Here is a link that might be useful: Getting started

Lots of good ideas guys! I'm cheap by nature and can't bring myself to spring for a lot of the pricey scrapbooking toys. That said, there are lots of ways to work around it. You can create your own supplies from non-traditional sources - as was suggested. You can share with friends - if you buys a big stack of papers or embellishments or whatever you can split 'em. You can go to crops at your local store - most of them have a work room of some kind and let you use their tools. A great way to olay with all of the fun die cuts and stuff without purchasing some of the big ticket items. You can swap the stuff you are bored with - online or in person. You can steal ideas from the pricey items and try to make your own. All of the precut chipboard embellishments are great, but they aren't anything you couldn't make yourself with some cardboard, and exacto knife and a little time. Lots of things outside of the scrapbooking aisle are acid free and archival quality. Check out your office supply store, Big Lots, the Dollar Store, etc... And never throw anything away :) Decorative scissors were all the rage a few years ago, then everyone seems to get sick of them, now people seem to be using them again - just in different ways. There was a ton of talk on another forum I read about the old kid's toy "Spirograph" and how it could be used for scrapping. What else is collecting dust in the basement that could be moved up to your craft room? Here is a link that might be useful: craftfetish blog