Archive for Scrapbooking Tips
Tips For Beginners
Posted by: | Comments- Make it personal: Include journaling on your layouts to tell about the photographs and help you remember what was going on during that time period. It helps make your piece unique.
- A quote says it all: Adding the perfect scrapbooking quote to your page can capture the moment and help set the theme. Include your child’s first words, funny saying or simply include quotes from family members. Looking for a place to start? Visit HSN’s phrase gallery.
- Add dimension: Use various die cuts on your scrapbook layouts to add dimension to your pages. Some creative ways to use die cuts include:
- Shadowing letters by using one color of paper for the letter and another accent color in the background to create a shadow.
- Layering different parts of the die cut image, such as flowers or layering clothes on top of a person.
- Decorating and coloring die cuts with markers, chalks and glitter can add pizzazz to your shapes.
- Don’t stop with pictures: Pictures are only the beginning when it comes to scrapbooking. Broaden your horizons by scrapbooking favorite family recipes and passing them along to a daughter when she goes off to college, or consider scrapbooking your child’s first drawing or poem. It will be keepsake they will also cherish.
- Save your junk mail: Scrapbooking adhesives can get mess and spreading liquid adhesive evenly over a large area can be complicated. An easy way to simply this is to use the plastic credit cards you get in the mail with credit card offers. The stiff, even edge will help you spread the glue evenly and scrape off any excess.
- Keep your scraps for scrappin’: Don’t throw out your paper scraps. You can use them to cut out shapes with hole punches, use them in die cutting machines to make shapes, or trim them with decorative scissors to make innovative borders, paper weaves or striping.
- Picture-perfect letters: Lining up your letters straight is always a challenge. A simple way to get picture-perfect letters every time is to line up your letter or alphabet stickers on a piece of wax paper using a ruler. The letters won’t stick to the wax paper so you can then carefully peel them off while adhering the letters in a straight line to your title bar or scrapbook paper.
- Tell a story: Scrapbook pages should tell a story. To ensure your page tells the right story, follow these 3 steps:
- Photograph size: Enlarge the key photograph so that it becomes the focal point of the layout. Images that are too small may get lost on the page.
- Matting color: Select colors that complement your photo so your focus remains on it. Experiment by varying the widths of the mat, leaving an uneven mat for journaling, or using patterned paper to enhance the general theme of your layout.
- Accenting: Adding embellishments to your layout is a smart way to instantly convey the theme or message of a layout. Make sure that the enhancements don’t overshadow the focal point—remember that your photos, recipes or image should be the most important part of the layout.
Most importantly, have fun! Scrapbooking is great way to share your memories with friends, families and other crafters.
Some Quick and Easy Rubber Stamping Instructions
Posted by: | CommentsMaking up scrapbooks can be a fun and interesting hobby for adults and children alike. One great aspect of that hobby is that there are many different ways to express your creativity; if you get some good rubber stamping instructions and keep them in mind you’ll find that they make for an interesting touch with your pages. This means that on top of stickers and other embellishments you can use just about any type of stamps to liven up your pages. So let’s look at some quick and easy rubber stamping instructions to see how you can apply them to your scrapbooks.
Rubber Stamping Instructions for Themed Books
Are you making up a book that has a particular theme, such as for a certain vacation, a wedding, and so on? Usually when you do this each page will show a particular timeline or be organized in some helpful way. Some easy rubber stamping instructions for this type of book is to use the rubber stamps to add continuity to the pages. In other words, use the same stamp or ones that are very similar on each page so that they look as if they are all tied together. For something as special as a wedding you might even consider getting a personalized rubber stamp made up with the bride’s and groom’s names and the wedding date; you can use this stamp on every page to really tie all the pages in with each other. Vary these rubber stamping instructions for your own pages; put each stamp in the same place on each page or move it around for some visual interest. You can do the same for other themed books – a vacation book might be a stamp of a car or a sunset; a child’s school theme may be a stamp of the year they graduate or a little brick school house. When you vary these rubber stamping instructions for your own themed books you’ll see how doing this type of thing on each page really makes them feel professional and planned rather than haphazard.
Rubber Stamping Instructions for Larger Elements
You might have some very large rubber stamps that you’re going to use as your main element; this might be a stamp of a flower, school bus, and so on. Some common rubber stamping instructions for these bigger stamps are to avoid putting them in the exact center of the page. This can make your scrapbook pages look a bit contrived and not very personal. Practice putting them off to one side or in a corner and then adding elements around them. Other common rubber stamping instructions for these larger stamps are to use complementary stamps around them; this might be smaller flowers or bees for the large flower stamp, or stamps of schoolbooks for that bus, and so on. If you don’t want to use too many stamps on a page just be sure to tie in that large stamp somehow with the other elements of the page rather than leaving it dangling on its own. The rubber stamping instructions you would use for these large stamps are the same for other items you use as the page anchor – frame it, or use ribbon and other material to highlight it, put some wording around it or under it, etc.
Rubber Stamping Instructions for General Use
Maybe one of the most common problems with rubber stamps is that once you put it on your paper, you immediately regret where it is or how it looks. Some good rubber stamping instructions to avoid this problem is to stamp a blank sheet of paper and then cut out that stamp with the smallest amount of border as possible, and then use this as a mockup of where the real stamp would go. These rubber stamping instructions are used for many elements you add to a scrapbook page – lay out your entire page before you adhere or glue anything and put your wording on a separate piece of paper and use this mockup on your page also before you add the actual words. When following these rubber stamping instructions you’ll have a lot less regret once you actually put the real stamp on your actual page. By following these rubber stamping instructions for not just your rubber stamps but for all your page elements you’re going to have a lot less regret once you do make up the page for real! You can take away items, move them around, and work with them until you’re happy with everything and then start gluing and using the real stamp.
Making Rubber Stamping Instructions Right for You
When you’re reviewing rubber stamping instructions you don’t want to follow anything and everything absolutely to the letter. One of the best things about scrapbooking as a hobby is that you can make things personal and unique to you. If you want to put your large stamp in the middle of the page, then ignore the rubber stamping instructions that say to put it in the corner! You need to create a scrapbook that works for you and that is an enjoyable excursion when you make it.
Remember that when we say these are “rubber stamping instructions” that doesn’t mean that they’re actually instructions; consider them as just guidelines and use them as a stepping stone for how you want to make up your own scrapbooks. There is no right way or wrong way to make scrapbooks and this is just part of the fun of the hobby! This is something to keep in mind especially when you’re working with children who don’t always follow the “instructions”!
But if you do use these rubber stamping instructions as a guideline for your scrapbooks you’re likely to see that the pages look professional and presentable. You’ll have a lot less regret when you do actually put the real stamp on the page and will no doubt enjoy looking at the books over and over again.
Tips for Creating and Using Scrapbooking Titles
Posted by: | CommentsAre you searching for some interesting and useful scrapbooking titles to use on your albums and pages? It’s always good to add some journaling to your scrapbooking pages. Even if the photos and mementos are self-explanatory, using titles and wording can break up the pages and add visual interest. They also tend to drive your point home – is your picture fun and exciting, was the family on vacation, and what other emotions are you trying to convey? These things are typically brought out by scrapbooking titles and other journaling. You can also use them to tie together different pages of a scrapbook, to remind you of dates and other particulars, and so on. But creating and using scrapbooking titles is not an exact science and involves as much artistic ability as all the other aspects of your page. Let’s look at some simple and quick tips for creating and using scrapbooking titles so you can understand this.
For one thing, scrapbooking titles should not be overly complicated or very long. If they are, they will detract from the pages themselves. You may want to add some words and journalinging to the page but be cautious about how much you use as a title. Usually scrapbooking titles are just a few short words, and even one word itself can be sufficient. If you have more to say other than a word or short phrase, save that for a paragraph you add elsewhere on the page and do not make it part of the title itself. When a title looks very busy it will distract from the actual memento on the page. Take a step back when you add a title and see if it seems more distracting than anything else. If so, take some words away or choose different words.
You can also use just one word for your scrapbooking titles. Take a look at some scrapbook pages you see online and elsewhere and notice how sometimes just one word like Fun, Vacation, Sweet, Puppy, Love, Friendship, Family, Graduate, or Celebrate can work so well by way of scrapbooking titles. There’s no need to write out everything in the title itself, so consider using just one important word.
To make your scrapbooking titles more visually appealing, consider putting them on different areas of the page other than just across the front or top. Many put their wording up one side of the page or even along the bottom. This can make the page much more fun and also makes your scrapbooks look like scrapbooks rather than actual books. This might also be useful depending upon the size of your photos. For very large photos, you need to work your scrapbooking titles around them so going across the top of the page might not work. Knowing that you have some options can help you to work those titles into your pages and work them around your photos as well.
Another important point to remember about scrapbooking titles is that while you want to use a nice, eye-catching font, you don’t want it to be so fancy that it’s unreadable. This is a common mistake made for wedding pages and other pages that use a romantic type of font. These can be fancy but when they’re so fancy that they can’t be read, you’ve lost the purpose of your scrapbooking titles.
You can use your scrapbooking titles as a way to pull pages together in an album. If you have the same title or something similar on every page in the same font and same location, this can really make your album look polished and professional. As an example, if you’re putting together a wedding album choose words for your scrapbooking titles that are appropriate for weddings, such as Love, Marriage, Dating, Lovebirds, From This Day Forward, I Thee Wed, With This Ring, and so on, and then use a different word or phrase in the same font on the same location for every page. As you flip through the pages of your album, these scrapbooking titles help to pull it all together and make it look cohesive and fitting.
The fonts you use for your scrapbooking titles are important for other reasons as well. If you have fun pages such as those for vacations or pets or children playing, you want to use fun fonts. There are many places online where you can download all sorts of fonts, so don’t use just what’s on your computer already. Run off your wording on clear adhesive paper and use this for your scrapbooking titles. You can also get many stickers and die cuts for lettering; it pays to shop around to find a variety of items and styles when it comes to your fonts so take your time with this.
Can you forego scrapbooking titles altogether? Yes, of course you can. Sometimes pages are better on their own without wording at all, especially if you’re using papers and embellishments that are fancy and colorful. If you add scrapbooking titles to papers like this you may make your entire page look too busy overall. Try your page without the title and see if it looks better that way; you can always add it if you think it’s too bare without the title.
Go online and take a look at how other scrappers use their scrapbooking titles on their pages. You’ll probably notice how many of them use these different tips as we’ve outlined here. Try to pay close attention to what catches your eye and use these ideas for inspiration. You don’t want to copy anything completely because you want your pages and your scrapbooking titles to be unique and personal, but you can use other pages for inspiration for your own albums. Note if they put the title down one side of the page rather than across the top and see how their font or lettering matches and complements the pages, and use these ideas for your own scrapbooking titles.
History of Scrapbooking
Posted by: | CommentsWhere Did Scrapbooking Originate?
If you’re someone that’s asked the question, Where did scrapbooking originate, the bad news is that there is no real definitive answer. Putting keepsakes and mementos in albums or other safe places is something that has been practiced probably since the beginning of time. Imagine Caveman Mrs Grog hiding away the dinosaur tooth from her husband’s first successful hunt and scratching out a symbol she thought represented him, so that her sons and daughters could remember what a great caveman their father was – and you have the world’s first scrapbook. Okay, it probably didn’t happen quite that way, but when talking about the question of where did scrapbooking originate, you might want to fast forward several million years.
More of a Male Hobby
Believe it or not, when considering the question of where did scrapbooking originate, you need to pay homage to men like Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain, both of whom were known to keep their favorite mementos in decorated books. Wanting to remember souvenir and reminders was actually more of a male hobby for many years. Mark Twain actually received a patent for a self-pasting scrapbook in 1873.
Where Did Scrapbooking Originate as It’s Known Today?
The history of modern scrapbooks as they’re typically referred to now began in 1976 in Utah, when a woman named Marielen Christensen began designing creative pages for her family’s photo memories. She kept these pages in 3-ring binders, and after assembling over 50 volumes of these memories, was invited to display her albums at the World Conference on Records in Salt Lake City.
The interest that Marielen generated led to her actually traveling to demonstrate her techniques and materials, and eventually to her opening the world’s first scrapbooking supply store in Spanish Fork, Utah, in 1981.
Where Did Scrapbooking Originate Online?
Of course it’s impossible to say who opened the first online scrapbooking supply store, as many scrapbook supplies were probably used from simple craft supplies at first. However, these online supply stores generate tremendous success, as they are easier to operate and manage and have such low overhead.
So chances are you didn’t realize all those interesting facts when you began thinking about the question of where did scrapbooking originate, but there you have it. From a caveman’s dinosaur tooth to important historical figures to modern-day websites, scrapbooking is a hobby that grown to worldwide success and is obviously here to stay.
A Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking Terms and Supplies – And Everything Else!
Posted by: | CommentsWanting to start out with the fun and creative hobby of scrapbooking is a great endeavor. Scrapbooking is a pursuit that can not only preserve and honor your memories and photos, but it’s a pastime that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. The youngest of children can help with scrapbooks, and there’s no better way to spend a rainy Saturday. So if you’re looking for a basic beginner’s guide to scrapbooking, especially when it comes to the terms, the supplies, the page designs, and everything else, you’ve come to the right place. While this article is of course not an exhaustive or all-inclusive beginner’s guide to scrapbooking, we can definitely get you started and help you with your first page design. After that, you’ll be designing your own albums in no time! So if you’re ready, let’s begin.
The Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking Terms
No beginner’s guide to scrapbooking would be complete without reviewing some of the basic terms used by those who pursue this hobby. Like any sport or field of business, scrapbooking has some terms and words they use just among themselves. The most common that you should be familiar with are scrapper, crop, template, embellishment, and focal point. These are not very difficult terms to understand and remember, and this little beginner’s guide to scrapbooking can explain them quickly. A scrapper is someone who does scrapbooking as a hobby. You may hear someone be referred to as an experienced scrapper. A crop is like a quilting bee, where many scrappers gather to share their designs, work on new scrapbooks, and swap tips and hints. These can be arranged online or in person, such as when a host or hostess reserves a block of rooms at a hotel for a weekend and scrappers get together like a business conference or retreat.
Most beginner’s guides to scrapbooking will also include samples of templates, embellishments, and focal points. These refer to the actual page elements of your scrapbooks. A template would be a pre-made page available at your supply store or online. It may have a photo frame and some wording already applied to the page. Templates are good to work with for those just starting out who may be a bit unfamiliar with how to pull all the elements together. As any good beginner’s guide to scrapbooking will tell you, embellishments are those “extras” on the page that are used for decoration. They may be something store bought, or may be things you think of yourself, such as buttons, yarn, and so on. Your focal point is just that – the most important part of the page. Usually it’s a picture, but it doesn’t always need to be. For example, you may have ticket stubs and a program for a night at the opera or a play. You may have sheet music for your child’s recital, and so on. When reviewing any beginner’s guide to scrapbooking you’ll notice they use the term focal point quite a bit, and it’s important to remember that it may or may not be an actual photograph, so don’t get confused.
The Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking Supplies
One of the best parts of the hobby of scrapbooking is that you are not bound by just what you see in a supply store or online. If you have things around the house that you want to add to your pages, you can certainly do that, and many experienced scrappers have great results when adding buttons, yarn, scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon, dried flowers, and so on.
But for a basic beginner’s guide to scrapbooking supplies, let’s cover some of the standard supplies you’ll find in your store so you know what they are and how they’re used. Your page is obviously the most basic, and supply stores carry an endless abundance of scrapbooking pages. Usually the problem is not finding something you like, but making a decision on just which sheet to choose! Most scrapbook pages have wording added to them, and any beginner’s guide to scrapbooking can give you tips and hints on how to add these words, whether it’s just one single word (such as “beautiful” or “love” or “sunshine!” or something else) or a paragraph or two. Supplies for wording can include stickers of letters or the words themselves, stencils for words, special pencils and markers for scrapbooking paper, and so on. Any wording that you want to add, you’re sure to find some supplies for it.
Papers and wording are the basic supplies. So, what else is there?
A Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking Embellishments
Embellishments are those extra touches that are meant to be used as decoration for your pages. They can be metal eyelets, stickers of virtually anything, stencils in different shapes, rubber stamps, borders for your focal point, dried flowers, cutouts, and so on.
There are some beginner’s guides to scrapbooking that will tell you to stick with the embellishments that come in a kit with your paper so that everything coordinates and complements, and of course this can be good advice. However, don’t limit yourself to just these pre-made kits. Again, if there is something you have from the home or from that special occasion you’re trying to remember, include it. A picture of your grandmother knitting embellished by some yarn, or of your grandfather all dressed up embellished by material from his favorite tie, these things can make your scrapbooks really personal and unique, and very special. So while a beginner’s guide to scrapbooking may be used and referred to as a guide, don’t think that there are any hard and fast rules or right and wrong answers for your own albums.
So hopefully this article has helped you somewhat with wanting to begin the exciting hobby of scrapbooking. Remember, the beauty of this hobby is that your creations are truly and uniquely your own, so let your imagination run free and you’re sure to have some amazing pages that will be treasured forever. That’s really the best advice you’ll get from any beginner’s guide to scrapbooking.
