Diane, I actually recommend making 2 albums, one for you, and one for her. let her pick out the pictures she wants in her album and make copies of those pictures for her. Let her work beside you when you do yours. Let her write out as much as she can in her own handwriting (write it out for her in her own words to help with spelling if needed, and let her copy it on journaling mats- email me your addy and I will send you some of different colors) Buy her a 7x7 sentiments albums. Perfect size for her. Ask her why she picked the photos she did, and have her tell you what she remembers of that day/event. She will treasure it forever. Plus, it is a wonderful bonding experience, and it will help her and you talk about it, which can be so hard to do. It is ok to be sad and to cry, that is part of healing. It took a long time before I could look at my album without crying at all. I did this with my little sisters after I made mine. They were 11 when our brother died. To this day (they are 14 now), they still pull out their albums whenever they miss him. It has such a healing effect. Alot of tears were shed when we made them, but now looking back, that time together was priceless. I was able to help them "capture" those memories and most importantly the stories that went with them. I hope this helps. Feel free to email me anytime :) for help with your album. I know I will forever be thankful to the person that suggested it and helped me with mine, and I will continue to help others do the same. Kathy

I love this thread and glad to see it back! I am kind of hit and miss at doing crafts. I have done lots of the glass garden totems, I posted some pics here of them some time ago. And I do make jewelry as my hands allow these days. Right now I have been named Project Manager for our Garden Club and I come up with crafts and projects we can all do for fun and also to sell at our yearly sale. This is one of the more recent ones I taught them and I made for the sale. They are fall leaf covered candle holders. Super easy.

The fiskars shape cutter is good. Coluzzles are nice. Scissor sets. Paper sets...there a lot of stuff out there... But to be honest, a lot of scrappers are 'particular'about what they use...colors, brands, etc. I know that I am...It may be best to get her a gift card to like Michael's or your LSS.

I'm going to my second organized scrapbook get-together at a place that sells supplies this weekend. They charge $10 and supply a table, meal, soft drinks and snacks. You can use their equipment like punches, stamps, etc., but have to use your own paper, scissors, stickers etc. Of course, you are free to wander the store and buy more stuff. A friend and I got together at her house last month. We shared our equipment like cutters, etc, but we each had our own paper and supplies. I'd invite everyone over and have a simple snack like cookies and cake and coffee. Ask your friends to brink snacks to share also. Have everyone bring their equipment and personal supplies that they would need. I wouldn't be worried about being to formal or organized about it. Just have fun.