Many people find it challenging to capture boy traits on scrapbook pages. I think that one reason we get stuck…most scrapbookers are women! We were never little boys. We know pinks and purples and flowers. Until we had little boys! Now being mothers of little boys means that we are perfectly qualified to scrapbook little boy pages. We KNOW what little boys like even if we haven’t lived the boy life!

A good place to begin is with the colors and patterns of the paper that will be the foundation for the design. Blues and greens are naturally associated with little boys, but you do not have to limit your layouts to these colors. Keep in mind that selecting colors in a bold and bright hue adds more sense of masculinaty than shades in a softer hue. Browns, earthtones and natural colors are very complimentary for boy pages. Monochromatic color schemes with various shades also work well.

Once you’ve established the colors, embellishments are the next step. And what could be more boyish than dirt, bugs, outside and things with wheels? Boys typically do not go for the cute and cuddly look that you tend to use on girl pages. Try working with embellishments, patterns and colors that draw on the strength and character of your boy.

I have listed some embellishments that I have found to work very well on my boy pages. You do not have to limit yourself to certain kinds of embellishments.

Embellishments that Scream All Boy
*Lumpy or textured pages are perfect for masculine layouts—they're especially perfect for lending a rugged, outdoorsy look.
*Eyelets and rivets
*Metal
*Mesh
*Stones (which can be made from clay)
*Staples
*Slide mounts
*Tags
*Clay

All Boy techniques:
*Paper tearing
*Crumpling
*Sanding
*Walnut inking
*Chalking


And, of course, no layout is complete without journaling. Whether stickers, die cuts or computer-generated words are used, they are an important design element. When creating your pages don't forget the importance of your own handwriting ! Do you have a sample of your mothers or grandmother's handwriting? Even if you just write one sentence in your own handwriting and the rest of the journaling is computer generated…. by using your own handwriting you are certainly going to adding more of yourself to the page. When using computer fonts…remember
bold fonts will say all boy better than curly whimsical fonts!

Don’t miss these page ideas to capture your little boy:
What characteristics make your little boy who he is?
What physical characteristics make him stand out in a crowd?
Favorite toys (snap pictures of them)
Who is his hero?
Who are his friends?
Source of please
What I want to be when I grow up.
Pages from your perspective about how you feel about your little boy.
Have your little boy sign his name from year to year so that you can document his handwriting as he grows.
Take a picture in the same spot every year, preferably somewhere that you can see the growth each year.
Wrestling time with Daddy
Helping around the house
Ask your little boy to tell you what he loves about: you, his siblings, his home, school etc. Then make a page about that with his story as your journaling.
What special things do you do together?

The possibilities for boy pages are endless! So relax and enjoy capturing your little boys life and the world around him. Afterall, the most important part of each page you create is the memory that it captures and the story that it tells.