Designing scrapbook layouts plays a key role in the appearance of your pages and it's worth spending some time organizing your layouts before you start. How you choose to layout your photos on a page is entirely up to you. You can use your imagination and be as creative as you like. But if you're stuck for inspiration, there are loads of free scrapbooking ideas to be found online. There are also loads of products designed to make creating your pages quicker and simpler, including pre-packaged scrapbook kits and digital scrapbooking software.

There are loads of scrapbooking layout ideas for you to try out. Give some thought to how many photos you want on each page. Do you want one central picture as a focal point, or several photos on each page? Many scrapbookers like to crop their photographs to highlight the main details and so they can use lots of smaller pictures together. It helps to keep your page layouts simple and consistent. For example, try using just two or three colors of paper and stick to using the same style of frames and borders throughout. Journaling can help add to the story the photos tell, so remember to leave space to insert your notes or any scrapbooking quotes you'd like to use.

Using a themed scrapbooking kit can be a convenient and effective way to plan your layouts, as you'll get a pre-packaged selection of coordinated materials such as cardstock, stencils and frames. This can save you considerable time as it saves you having to purchase all the individual accessories separately. Kits come in a huge variety of themes, making them excellent for creating albums of special events such as wedding scrapbooks. There is also a massive array of scrapbooking embellishments available these days, from sets of stickers to add color and style, to easy to use paper piecing patterns. Or you could use computer software and templates to arrange your digital photos.

Planning your scrapbook layouts gives you the freedom to experiment with different looks and add your personal touches, and can be lots of fun!

Caroline Smith is an author and regular contributor to free-scrapbooking-ideas.com - An online resource packed with free ideas for scrapbooks, including tips on scrapbook layouts and scrapbook paper for every scrapbooking enthusiast.