I think every month I think up a new tool I "must have" to help me make my finest scrapbook page yet. You know what I mean? I bet you do it too. A new gel pen, a die cut, a sticker page, a template, a cutting edge - limitless. I know there is some man that must sit in a room all day thinking of new tools to invent so that we will just have to have it and scoop out the necessary dollars to purchase it.

So - let's take a moment and share our favorite scrapbooking tool. The one you can't leave home without? Or just have to purchase and put in your "toolkit"? Scrapbook season is upon us as the days get cooler and nights grow longer. It's a great time to invest in those tools. And share it here with us so we can get one too.

Can you think of anything that shows your personal style better than your scrapbooks? Okay, maybe if we lived in Paris and dressed in designer fashions on a regular basis our style would shine through our wardrobe. As for me, I doubt that'll happen in this century.

But, my personal style shines in my scrapbooks and I love it! I just got in from a two day scrappin' retreat, and I'm fully rested even though I didn't sleep much. My soul is rested! And, I have a few more scrapbook pages to share as well.

I like walking around at these things and observing everyone's style. Some scrapbooks are clean and sparse, some are busy and colorful, others have a lot of journaling, and some look like they came out of a college art class. And you know what? They're all "okay"! It's part of the game. Show your style. Let your family history scream who you are on the pages. Isn't it fun?

If it's been awhile since you scrapped - sit down today and do a page. You deserve the break and your family deserves to know your style!

Some friends of mine hesitate and stay away from scrapbooking because they have some mistaken idea of what the word "scrapbooking" means. If you can relate to this, then read on, my friend.

Scrapbooking is whatever you want it to be. It does not have to mean elaborate albums with glossy photos, beautiful handwriting, and all those stickers and embellishments. It can mean whatever you want it to me. And to make it even better, it can change - you're never stuck to one idea.

If you are brave enough to just get your little cute feet wet, please try this site: www.ellisislandrecords.org

You can search your family names to see if any of your relatives passed through Ellis Island at one time or another. I was fascinated with this. My husband has a rather unique last name - we are usually the only ones in any given phone book with this last name. I put it in the Search and it popped out over a hundred listings! Fascinating.

So what does this have to do with scrapbooking? It's simply an idea to get your feet wet and create a little spark in your heart. You don't have to do a huge historical study to scrapbook - you might want to just list all of the people who came through Ellis Island with your last name for a fun page. Or this simple act might just lead you to other websites or places as you begin a search for history on your own family. Just have fun with it. That's what scrapbooking is all about - fun! There is no "correct" way to scrapbook. So - don't let that little lie keep you from the fun. Enjoy! Your child will thank you when she grows up.