Memories Deserve More Than A Shoebox ^TM

Monogram Mania

by Lindsay Teague

Sometimes, something little can say a whole lot. Take a monogram for instance: a single letter represents a whole theme, a name or a title. It’s no coincidence that I am writing this article today with my “Laverne” shirt on. You know the kind - with the letter embroidered on the upper left. Monograms aren’t only showing up on shirts though; you can find them on purses, jewelry and even jeans. It’s no great surprise that they’ve expanded beyond the fashion industry into scrapbooks across the world.

Monograms can add that extra touch to your scrapbook pages to take them from drab to fab! Look around you; inspiration is everywhere-- fashion, advertising, company logos and now, your favorite scrapbook products. Every day, new products containing monograms are popping up. These puppies are hot, so make sure you hoard as many as possible!

Here are a few ideas to help you on your way to monogramming bliss:

 - Enlarge the letter you need in your favorite font. Then, print and cut it out. Now you have a custom embellishment in that perfect color and proportion.

 - Grab a pre-made monogram and embellish it with ribbon to add a touch of femininity. Hint: to make it masculine looking, embellish with twill or jute.

 - Shabby up your monogram by crumpling it, inking it or sanding it.

 - Make your monogram truly unique by painting it and stamping the full word right on top of it.

 - Use a monogram not only to represent a first name, but a last name as well. Do a page on what your last name means to you.

 - Print your monogram letter in a variety of fonts and print it onto a transparency. Now you can overlay it on a picture or a portion of your page.

 - Go to your local fabric store and pick up a package of those iron-on letters for fabric. Use your heat-embossing tool to attach it to your page. This will give the illusion of the letter being embroidered to the page.

Take a look around your world and notice all the different ways monograms can be used. You’ll be amazed by what you see. Use that as inspiration for your next masterpiece.