A few years ago, my daughter had a scrapbooking birthday party where we took a group of her friends to a local scrapbook store and the owner taught them how to create scrapbook pages of their very own.  I was already a scrapbooker, so we had many supplies at home already, and each child received their own scrapbook as part of the party, so when my daughter received the Totally Me!  It's a Girls Life 12 x 12 Inch Postbound Scrapbook Kit from one of our friends, we put it aside for a while.

When we recently found this kit in her closet, my now ten year old daughter wanted to use it for her current scrapbooking pages.  Upon opening the box, we were happy to find more than just an album inside.  Included are:

- one 12 x 12 inch postbound album in a pink checkerboard pattern decorated with flowers on the front.
- 15 sheets of white paper
- 10 sheets of colored paper
- 6 sheets of patterned paper (such as hearts and flowers)
- 25 page protectors
- 24 printed die cut accents
- 100 punches
- 720 stickers
- 24 die cut photo frames
- 1 template
- 35 colored borders
- 10 title die-cuts
- 50 captions
- deckle edge scissors
- acid free glue stick
- acid free gel pen
- lettering guide

For those who need help getting started, there is a one-page instruction sheet included with seven simple steps to follow.  First, organize and sort your photos by holiday, activity or event, and then choose a few of your favorites.  Then "crop" your photos, which means cutting off excess backgrounds and keeping "only the most important parts."  You can simply cut a square or a rectangle, or use the plastic template that is included to create a circle, oval, heart or star shape.

After selecting your photos, choose a background page (white, a color, or a patterned piece) to put them on, along with one of the pre-cut border frames to go around the photo, if you so choose.  Place the photos on your paper and rearrange them a bit to get the exact look you want, before using the glue to adhere everything.

Personalize the page by using the borders, stickers and pre-cut words such as "Happy Birthday" or "Vacation" to help explain what event your pictures are from.  Journaling is a very important part of making a scrapbook and this includes labeling who is in the photographs, along with expressing your feelings about the day they were taken.  It can be as simple as writing down the who, what, where and when of the event, or you can write a few paragraphs about your experience.

When you are done, ensure that the glue is dry, put the finished page into the page protector so that the plastic will keep it clean as you enjoy looking it over time and time again.

The album itself seems fairly sturdy and will last while you look at your creations over and over again.  The front has a frame attached to it where a 3.5" x 5.5" photograph or paper with the title of the album on it can be inserted.  This is a post-bound album, which means that a metal post goes through pre-punched holes in the page protectors as well as the covers to create the book.  To add or take out pages, unscrew the posts and then screw them back together when you are finished. 

I like that this set comes with a variety of background pages as well as embellishments to make each scrapbook page uniquely yours.  There is one sheet of purple alphabet stickers included, as well as a large sheet of miniature heart and flower stickers in a rainbow of colors.  All of the other embellishments need to be glued on, and the colorful border strips need to be separated from each other since they are on a perforated sheet.  The title die-cuts are printed in a variety of shapes, colors and fonts, and even though the other die cuts are primarily hearts and flowers, they too are printed in a variety of colors, sizes and styles.

All of the items are acid-free, which is important to ensure that your photographs and creations will be preserved for years to come.  The included glue stick will probably not last through the completion of the album, but any acid-free glue will work, and many of the standard glues that I have bought for school have been acid-free.

Totally Me! is a Toys R Us exclusive brand so that you can only purchase this item at their stores, which may be a con to some since you have to shop at that particular store for it.  It is currently listed on their website for $15.99, which is a very fair price for all that you get in this set.

While scrapbooking is not only for girls, this set is decidedly so.  My son has been known to scrapbook a few pages here and there to commemorate holidays, trips and other special occasions, but he would not be interested in using this set.  That being said, not all girls would like this set either because it is very pink and girly, but for those who do like hearts, flowers, pinks and purples, this is perfect.

The box includes all that you need to get started in creating a scrapbook, although if you have other scrapbooking items, mixing and matching them is always fun.  The Totally Me!  It's a Girls Life Scrapbook Kit makes a great gift for somebody who loves to scrapbook as well as for somebody who has never done that craft before, since it includes everything you need to put a scrapbook together, except your very own pictures.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 15.99
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens