Scrapbooking
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| So, you wanna be a cropper? For those just getting into scrapbooking, this is where to start. You'll find all the basic supplies that you'll need to be journaling and scrapbooking right away. With some investigation you'll find that getting kitted out is quick, simple, and not overly expensive. All supplies should cost between $30 and $75 depending on how fancy you want to get.
You'll need an album,  scissors, adhesives, pens and pencils, and a ruler to start. Those are the basics, but as you can see from the photo on the left, there are hundreds of embellishments to choose from that will add personality and style to your scrapbook album.This guide focuses on the basics, but those with expertise are certainly welcome to add to it! |
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Choosing an Album
Remember that basic binders or albums are a simple way of starting a scrapbook. However, if you want to create integrated themes and add a lot of elements to embellish the album, this will take more effort on your behalf because you'll have to buy all of the details yourself. With a scrapbook kit, a themed package of supplies is provided, including stencils, borders, decorative paper, stickers, and cardstock. This is a great way to get started experimenting with new techniques and styles. Plus, even if you don't use all the items for the current project that you're working on, you can always find a use for the extras at a later date.
Design
The design of an album has to do with several aspects, from the cover look, to the colors used, and even the materials with which the album is constructed. Each element should be reflective of the theme or aura that you want the scrapbook to have; what story you want the album to tell. - Colors
- Something in solid black, gray, navy, burgundy, or hunter green can convey a feeling of importance and seriousness. This can be appropriate for heritage books. You can also try a black book for an album with exclusively black and white photos.
- Bright colors and bold patterns are fun and universal, and great for kids. These might also be used for books that highlight a vacation to the bean or books that emphasize a child's scholastic journey.
- Pastels are best for baby books, weddings, and Easter themes. Pastels may also work well when used as a "tender moments" album.
- Cover Design
- You may opt for an album with a picture frame on the cover to give a suggestion to what the album contains.
- Designs, such as florals, are wonderful for family heritage albums, as are classic solids.
- Materials
- Leather is formal, classic, refined and long lasting. It is excellent for graduations, honeymoons, travel, and any other event that holds significant importance.
- Cloth is casual and relaxed, adding texture and dimension to a scrapbook. It can be used in a wide variety of themes and take on myriad colors or cover designs. The only drawback is that it can become dirty over time.
- Plastic is most often printed with designs and patterns. it can take on many looks, but will essentially always feel like plastic.
- Metal covers tend to have an artistic feel to them and can be severe. Excellent for making scrapbooks with black and white photos.
Themes
Choosing an album theme to get started is easy. Here are just a few fun ideas to get you started.
Size
When shopping for albums you should be wary of the size that you need. This may seem obvious, but you'll be surprised how much a 40 page album will fit in it. Seriously consider the scope of your project before commiting to an album. For small projects, an 8.5x11" album is adequate. More reasonable for the majority of projects is something slightly oversized, such as 12x12". Not only will you have more room for playing with the layout, but you will also have the most advantages for decorating with different paper when it comes to adding pages to your album.
Type
There are four basic types of albums to choose from and part of selecting one will have to do with how you want the end product to be. Is this an ongoing project? Is it intended as a gift? Do you have a particular theme planned? How much will one cost over the other? Do you like the colors, designs, theme, and paper used in the style you want?
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The simplest type to start with is a spiral bound album. It's usually inexpensive and easy to work with since they lie completely flat. The drawbacks are that you can't add extra pages, only remove them by tearing them out. They have limited capacity. |
Three-ring binders can be added to at any point simply by buying extra sheets. Make sure that they are the PVC-free kind to protect your photos. These are best for storing photos when you want to keep things simple. Check out Scrapworks Bay Box for a great product. |
Strap-bound (flex-hinge) style are easy to add to or remove pages from. Simply lift the metal buckles to release the pages, insert or take out what you want and clip the buckle back into place. These albums are great because you can work directly on the pages. |
Post-bound albums are similar to strap-bound albums in that they can easily be added to or subtracted from. Simply use standard scrapbook pages to create your design and screw them in to the binding. These are one of the most popular and versatile of all album types. |
Scissors
It's good to have a few pairs of scissors for different tasks. A straight edge pair is essential for cropping photos, making cut-outs, and more. Having a large one is good for some things, but also, a small one that can cut fine details is also handy. You might also want to invest in pinking shears or paper punchers. Creative punchers, sometimes called paper shapers, can decorate page corners or create paper cutouts useful for decorating empty space and enhancing your album's theme. Make sure to keep them in good shape by punching them through wax paper to lubricate them and aluminum foil to sharpen them when needed.
In addition to scissors, having a cutting mat is great when you scrapbook often. It helps keep the surface of your working surface safe from cuts. Plus, with a cutting mat you can use an exacto knife or a cutting knife to get very straight lines with a ruler. It is a good alternative to investing in a paper cutter.
Adhesives
There are several different types of adhesives that you can use to adhere photos and objects into your scrapbooks. Here are the most popular kinds.
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Tape Runners
Apply these directly to the backs of your photos and then press onto the page. Safe and easy to use. |
Double Sided Tape
This and photo splits are designed to apply on photos or other items. They create a solid, smooth grip. |
Photo Corners
These corners act like pockets to hold your photos in place. They come in different designs, colors, and shapes. |
Glue Sticks
Glue is a permanent adhesive, meaning that once a photo has been placed, it's going to stay that way. |
Templates and Rulers
Rulers are practically essential. They help you cut straight, clean lines and they are also useful for lining up your page design. Templates are basically stencils and other pattered plastic pieces that can be used to create cut outs, page corners, embossing, and embellishing. They are also helpful for designing your page. Template guides with eyelets simply lie over the page, keeping it flat so that you can punch or mark the page as needed.
Check out these useful products:
Pens and Pencils
Pens and pencils are necessary to mark the page before cutting or placing anything. Chalk or pastels can also be used, but you'll have to be very careful with them since they are prone to smudging and smearing.
Writing implements are useful not only for writing, labelling, and captioning, but they can also be used to draw patterns, designs, or symbols. If you are really artistic you can draw themed pictures instead of pasting cut-outs or stickers on a page. Colored pens are especially fun on black paper. Also try gold and silver pens for special occasion albums.
Additional Tools
External Links
Here you can add your favorite links to how-to pages, DIY projects, and any other useful pages that you know about. - DIYnet.com -- Hundreds of projects for all seasons and events!
- Lifetips.com -- Several user posted articles about scrapbooking, supplies, paper, and more.
- Momscape.com -- How to choose a scrapbook theme.
- MyCraftBook.com -- An excellent starting place with hints about themes, layouts, cropping, and embellishments.
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