Searching for Scrapbooking Ideas
The whole idea of your scrapbook is to give it that personal touch. Something that you can look at again and again, and it will empower you with a melange of memories and happy events. Great scrapbooks make you smile, laugh, sometimes they will even make you cry. So, that is a good place to start when you are looking for the perfect idea for your next book.
New Baby
This could be of your own child, or it could be a grandchild or niece or nephew. Anyone would be delighted to be presented with such a treasure of their growing years. Maybe you could plan ahead and think of it as a gift to be presented to them on a milestone birthday, say their 18th or 21st. Or how about a wedding day or graduation gift? You can add in your own thoughts, hopes and wishes for the child, along with photographs, the hospital bracelet, doctor appointment cards during the pregnancy, congratulation cards, the list is endless.
Family
You can focus on your history of family and heritage. Take some time to research your family tree. Note any family achievements or anyone who has gone onto success in their chosen field. Do not forget the passing of exams and add in any family beliefs or traditions. Ask others to provide photographs from special occasions and family get together.
Military
Especially in the current world climate, with so many brave young men and women putting their lives on the line for their country, it has never been a better time to put together a scrapbook to honour the courage and selflessness of our armed forces. You can include copies of documents, awards and recognitions, details of medals won and newspaper articles. And you are sure to find a whole multitude of photographs from training camps, foreign countries and of military uniforms.
Pets
They give us so much of their love and bring so much happiness into our lives, so what better way to conserve the life and love of your pet than through a scrapbook. Make sure you add lots of personal memories, your favourite thing about your pet and tall their funny little habits. Of course, it goes without saying that you will include photos, and if you are of an artistic nature, how about some hand drawn sketches of your pet.
Wedding
Could there be a happier subject? What a superb way to commemorate such a special day, be it your own or that of a friend or relative. You can include details of the run up to the wedding, the day itself, and even the honeymoon. A wedding scrapbook is sure to become a most treasured possession.
As you can see, there is plenty of subject when you put your mind to it. So go on, give it your best shot and start your personal creation today.
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Things You Must Know About Scrapbooking Albums
Scrapbooking albums should be PVC and acid free. You only have to look at an old PVC photo album to see how they allow the photographs to deteriorate over the years. A professional scrapbook album will help to prevent this happening.
When you start looking at the different albums that are available, you will be astounded at the wide variety of materials and themes on the market. There are such covers as chipboard, cork, cloth covers and different fabrics. Embroidered patterns and pretty much every colour of the rainbow are produced, so there should be something out there for everyone. Disney characters are a popular choice for a cover, and you are bound to find your favourite character proudly displayed on the front of a cover somewhere. You can even find albums with covers in the shape of words; perfect for your themed scrapbook ideas such as Beach, Team, Travel or Wedding. These are easy to find, along with other, more general words and sayings which can be adapted to suit your own particular project.
Scrapbooking albums are available in a host of different sizes. The sizes quoted refer to the size of the pages inside.
The most popular of these is the 12 x 12inch, large square album. These are perfect for large layouts, ensuring plenty of room to spread your designs across.
Next you will find the 8.5 x 11inch album, also known as the A4 size. This size is fast growing in popularity, and a lot of people prefer these to the more traditional, square shaped album. This size is still large enough to display your large photos and other items, and gives you enough room to add frames, decorations and borders.
Then there is the 8 x 8inch album, a perfect size for both beginners and seasoned scrappers alike. The smaller sized pages provide an easier space to fill which may not prove as daunting to the beginner for their first few creative attempts.
You will also find 6 x 6inch albums and other mini albums in varying sizes. These are ideal if you want to create a gift for a friend or relative.
Most 12 x 12inch scrapbook albums come with 10, double sided pages which allow for 20 layouts, and most are designed to allow you to add more pages if required. The pages of your scrapbook should have page protectors, and it is into these that you insert your layouts and decorations. Again, you will be able to purchase more of these if you add to the page number. Albums are usually of either D ring style (like an office or school folder), or Post Bound, where you can unscrew the binding to insert more pages.
Whatever your choice of album, you will be guaranteed that your creation will be a unique a special memento which will delight for years to come.
You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies
Techniques You Can Layout Your Scrapbook
Here are a few tips and how to give you inspiration and to keep you from making too many irreversible mistakes.
Photo Content
Scrapbooking magazines are filled with glossy pages of beautiful layouts which have obviously taken a great deal of time and effort to complete. You will often find that these are centered around one or two photos per page, and whilst this is a great focal point, you may well find that you have so much that you want to include that this small amount per page is not enough. So a good compromise is to create a stunning cover page using this technique and then have the following pages with more content.
Title pages
Following on from the point above, this will be where you can make the most of your creative abilities. Make a focal point of one picture or card, and embellish the page with as much decoration as you wish.
Never use originals
Unless you are prepared to commit your beloved photos and memories into your scrapbook for life, then never use the original. Have copies made of your photos from negatives; scan or copy any other ephemera. If you colour copy of photos onto photo paper, they come out as clear as the originals and will look great in your scrapbook.
Cropping
This is a very useful technique to ensure that you make the most of the available space in your layout. Often a photo may have a great subject which is surrounded by a lot of boring background. Cropping the excess gives the photo or picture far more impact on the page, and also means you will be able to insert more photos per page layout.
Sketch your ideas
You will probably find that a great idea comes to you at the most inopportune of moments. Be prepared for this and keep a notepad with you at all times so you can jot down a quick sketch of your idea, the title, picture, placements, embellishments and decorations etc. Inspiration can strike at any time and you will never know when a great title or saying will com up that you may like to use one day.
Scrapbook Journaling.
This refers to the text or words in your scrapbook that describe the events pictured. Rather than writing directly onto the pages of your scrapbook, it is far better to do this on a separate piece of paper and then fix it into your book. In this way, you can also choose to design your text on the computer and take advantage of all the different fonts available. Not only can you use the ones that are pre-installed on your computer, you will find thousands of different fonts available on the internet for free download.
The layout of your scrapbook is as personal to you as the contents themselves. Try experimenting with different backgrounds, frames, borders and quantity of items per page. You will be amazed at the different effects you can create with the most simple of changes. Let your creativity flow, and make sure you have fun.
You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies
Secret To Efficient Scrapbooking
There are so many accessories out there for you to help embellish and enhance your scrapbook display. From refill pages to expanding posts, there is a multitude of what, to the novice scrapbooker, can look like a confusing array. So let us take a look at the basic essentials you will find the most useful when you first start out.
Large paper trimmer.
This is probably one of the most useful investments you will make for your hobby, and you will utilise it over and over again. Buy a 12 inch trimmer as this will prove large enough for the usual, square size 12 x 12 albums, and can also be used for cutting smaller sizes as well. A paper trimmer will enable you to cut multiple sheets of paper at the same time, as well as guaranteeing that your cuts are perfectly straight, which proves a difficult task to perform with a pair of scissors.
Scissors
Do not skimp on these. Buy the best pair you can afford as they will become one of your most common scrapbooking tools. Look after them and keep them sharp, thus keeping them in tip top condition for cutting out fine detail.
Adhesives
There is a myriad of different ways of sticking your treasures into you scrapbook album. From glues to tapes to photo corners, for the novice you will probably have have no idea which is the best to choose. It is well worth taking the time to study all the various products on the market to find out which suits your particular needs. Even if you are seasoned scrapbooker, do not be afraid to try and experiment with new adhesives and tapes.
Small paper trimmer
If your funds allow for it, it is also worth investing in a small one of these as well as the large. They prove invaluable for cropping small items, such as photographs and cards.
As your scrapbooking skills increase, then there are plenty of other accessories available on the market that you may wish to invest in. Items such as circle cutters, punches, templates and a die cutting machine may all be on your list for future purchases. As you become more proficient at your craft, you will be able to work out which tools are worth spending your hard earned cash on, and which you can do without.
There are also plenty of other embellishing accessories available to purchase. Items such as rubber stamps are a cheap and easy way of adding colour and fun to your scrapbook. You will find pretty much every design under the sun available, animals, shapes, funny cartoons, there is bound to be something which will suit your particular project.
Refill pages will be fairly essential if your project is a large one. Or you may find that it keeps growing as you create it. If you think that you might need to expand your album, it is always a good idea to buy an album which has the option to add pages when necessary.
There are hundreds of other accessories which you can purchase to embellish and decorate your scrapbook. In fact, half the fun is sifting and sorting through all of these to find the perfect ones for your particular needs.
You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies
Choosing the Scrapbooking Adhesives
Choosing the wrong type of adhesive for your scrapbook is one of the most common mistakes people make when starting out. All the adhesive manufacturers are competing for your hard earned money and they will make the same claims. But not necessarily every one of them will provide the sticking experience which you require. Sadly, not all adhesives are made equal!
So, let take a look at the essentials you should consider when searching for the perfect glue or tape to use in your creation. Firstly, you need to realise that whatever adhesive you use, it is one of the very most important product in your scrapbook, asides from the contents, of course. Obviously the last thing you want to use is anything which might cause damage to the items, or one which would not stick things securely. After all, your scrapbook is set to become a memory to be treasured for a long long time, and passed on down through many generations. So the adhesive you use needs to be man enough for the job.
Your adhesive needs to be acid free. Ensure that it is clearly labelled in being so, otherwise you risk damaging your precious contents. Do not even think about using a glue you purchased for your child to use at school. What you need is something that is specifically designed for scrapbooking.
Do not use a glue stick. Although some of these might be acid free, they really are not the best way of applying your adhesive. Glue sticks are usually cheap and the glue of poor quality. As the glue dries it has a tendency to become brittle. This means that your photos and cards will not stay well stuck for long.
If you think you may need to remove a photo or other item from your scrapbook at some point in the future, do not use a permanent adhesive. A good way to stick photos is to use photo tabs. These are small squares of double sided tape which are specifically designed for using with photos.
Try out different tape runners. These are hand held devices which dispense tape quickly and of the desired amount. They really are the most efficient way to stick items into your scrapbook. You will find plenty of these on the market, so try out a few to see which type works the best for you. With tape runners, you can choose between permanent or a repositionable adhesive.
Vellium tape is great to use when you need to stick something but the tape is going to show. This tape becomes pretty much invisible once it is stuck down.
So, as you can see, there are plenty of different products on the market. You will probably end up using a combination of different ones, and will need to do some research and evaluating to find out which ones work best for you.
You can find a great scrapbooking embellishments at Scrapbooking Embellishments find scapbooking supplies at Scrapbooking Supplies