Visit any site that sells scrapbooking supplies or that is dedicated to this hobby and you're likely to see sample scrapbooking pages left by the owners of the site and all those who visit.  Some are obviously very professional looking while others perhaps not so much.  If you're visiting these sites to get some inspiration or tips and pointers from these sample scrapbooking pages, what is the best use of them and how can they help you create your own pages?

The first and maybe most important thing you want to remember is that you shouldn't copy these pages exactly.  The entire point of scrapbooking is being able to express your own creativity and unique personality in your pages, and if you make things that look exactly like these other sample scrapbooking pages, you've lost sight of the point of your hobby.  It's like a painter recreating some other masterpiece.  How does that express his or her own personality?  A painter maybe inspired by another piece of work, but copying it exactly is pointless.  So when you look at sample scrapbooking pages that appeal to you, just try to pick apart the parts of the page that you like.  Is it the wording or lettering style?  Is it the simplicity of the page, or the layout?  Is it the color or theme?  Try to develop a critical eye when you browse those sample scrapbooking pages and you'll find that you can see the parts of them that appeal to you and that you can use for your own pages.

Another use for sample scrapbooking pages is to see how the scrapper may have used certain templates or supplies but made them their own.  You might recognize some templates that they've used that you've seen in the scrapbook supply store.  Did they lay out the page exactly as the template suggested, or did they move some things around, add some things, or take away some things?  What personal touches do you see on those sample scrapbooking pages that really dress them up and make them unique?  You can get some ideas on how to make your own template pages more personal and original to you.

And being original to you is the whole point of browsing those sample scrapbooking pages.  Copying exactly what you see or just using templates you buy in the store isn't going to give you any type of unique and original scrapbook.