Leanne
02-03-06, 12:34 PM
An awareness for keepsake preservation has recently emerged. "Memory books", popularly known as scrapbooks, have captured the interest of young and old alike in many parts of the world. You, too, can enjoy constructing and presenting your own easy-to-make time capsules.
Rather than let snapshots of the precious moments in your life fade away in some obscure box gathering dust in the attic, lay them out in beautifully handcrafted pages that will forever showcase your joys and history.
Here’s how to get started with scrapbooking:
1. Buy the basic supplies. Visit your nearest crafts store, stationery or cards shop, or go to an online vendor to see what scrapbooking materials are available. Starter kits come reasonably priced, complete with easy-to-follow instructions. Buy only “acid-free” supplies because the acidic ingredients in many paper and adhesive products adversely reacts with the chemicals in photographs. Here’s a list of the basic scrapbooking supplies:
* Binders or albums
* Sheet protectors – transparent plastic sleeves that should made from polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyester -- not with PVC or polyvinyl chlorides
* Acid free paper – choose a variety of colors, designs and textures
* Adhesives – choose archival quality, acid-free, and photo-safe; available as glue sticks, glue-line dispensers, double-sided adhesive tapes, and photo splits and corners
* Pens for journaling -- choose acid-free, waterproof, odorless, and photo-safe
* Sharp scissors
* Other accessories -- fancy-edged scissors, paper punches, paper trimmers, circle cutters, stickers, rubber stamps, and templates.
2. Organize your photos and embellishments. Decide on a theme that will coordinate color, shapes, and style. Choose background and accent colors and textures. Consider framing and matting.
3. Crop your photos if there are extraneous backgrounds or unwanted elements within the picture.
4. Prepare your embellishments or decorations. Cut graphics and colored paper, draw, or use stickers and rubber stamps.
5. Scribble some words. This is called journaling. Add personal notes about the pictures and events you want to remember. Include names, dates, and anything that will add interest or highlight to the page.
6. Layout all the items on the background paper you’ve chosen, then carefully glue them in place.
7. When the glue has dried, slip the finished page into the sheet protector and bind them in the album.
There you have it – a scrapbook you can proudly show off to your friends and relatives.
The allure of a good sale can tempt us to spend money on items we think we want but might not use. We'd be better off paying full price for essential scrapbooking items we will actually use than spending our entire budget on the latest fads. It's important that you buy the right tools the first time around. It will help you save money and, ultimately, it will make your scrapbooking experiences more enjoyable.
It's more important to get a good product than it is to get a good deal. Start your scrapbooking experience off on the right foot and make sure that your collection includes the basics. Here are a few supplies that every scrapbooker should have:
The "Essentials" List
1. Album
2. Page protectors
3. Paper
4. Cardstock
5. Paper cutter/trimmer
6. Vellum & Transparencies
7. Scissors
8. Exacto knife
9. Self-healing cutting mat
10. Adhesives
11. Ruler
12. White plastic eraser
13. Glue eraser
14. Lettering/Font CD
15. Black pens
16. Colored pens or pencils
17. Grease pencil
18. Photo corners
Let's talk about a few of them here:
Page Protectors
Page protectors shield your layouts from everyday wear and tear while holding them securely in the album. On average you will need about 35 page protectors per 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" album. Only use non-vinyl, archival-safe protectors to avoid deterioration of your photos and memorabilia. Page protectors have openings at the top (top-loading) or the side (side-loading) so you can slide your completed layouts inside them. Side-loading protectors open at the spine edge so layouts can't slip out if the album is dropped or turned upside down. Whether you purchase clear (shiny) or non-glare protectors is up to you. Both offer advantages: clear protectors help your layout colors look true and vivid while non-glare protectors are easier on the eye.
Cardstock (a heavyweight paper)
Cardstock provides a sturdy foundation for your layout photographs, memorabilia, and embellishments. It is versatile and affordable and comes in a variety of colors and textures. Every scrapbooker will want to have a supply of black, white, natural and kraft (the color of a cardboard box) cardstock on hand at all times; these are staple colors used regularly in layouts. For all other colors, I suggest you begin scrapbooking with a varied selection of hues until you get a feel for your own personal style and color preferences. Buy multi-packs they allow you to sample a variety of cardstock colors in coordinating hues or as monochromatic collections without paying the high cost of single sheets of paper. You might be surprised to learn that the colors you'll use most in your layouts won't necessarily be the colors that grab your attention at first glace.
Rather than let snapshots of the precious moments in your life fade away in some obscure box gathering dust in the attic, lay them out in beautifully handcrafted pages that will forever showcase your joys and history.
Here’s how to get started with scrapbooking:
1. Buy the basic supplies. Visit your nearest crafts store, stationery or cards shop, or go to an online vendor to see what scrapbooking materials are available. Starter kits come reasonably priced, complete with easy-to-follow instructions. Buy only “acid-free” supplies because the acidic ingredients in many paper and adhesive products adversely reacts with the chemicals in photographs. Here’s a list of the basic scrapbooking supplies:
* Binders or albums
* Sheet protectors – transparent plastic sleeves that should made from polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyester -- not with PVC or polyvinyl chlorides
* Acid free paper – choose a variety of colors, designs and textures
* Adhesives – choose archival quality, acid-free, and photo-safe; available as glue sticks, glue-line dispensers, double-sided adhesive tapes, and photo splits and corners
* Pens for journaling -- choose acid-free, waterproof, odorless, and photo-safe
* Sharp scissors
* Other accessories -- fancy-edged scissors, paper punches, paper trimmers, circle cutters, stickers, rubber stamps, and templates.
2. Organize your photos and embellishments. Decide on a theme that will coordinate color, shapes, and style. Choose background and accent colors and textures. Consider framing and matting.
3. Crop your photos if there are extraneous backgrounds or unwanted elements within the picture.
4. Prepare your embellishments or decorations. Cut graphics and colored paper, draw, or use stickers and rubber stamps.
5. Scribble some words. This is called journaling. Add personal notes about the pictures and events you want to remember. Include names, dates, and anything that will add interest or highlight to the page.
6. Layout all the items on the background paper you’ve chosen, then carefully glue them in place.
7. When the glue has dried, slip the finished page into the sheet protector and bind them in the album.
There you have it – a scrapbook you can proudly show off to your friends and relatives.
The allure of a good sale can tempt us to spend money on items we think we want but might not use. We'd be better off paying full price for essential scrapbooking items we will actually use than spending our entire budget on the latest fads. It's important that you buy the right tools the first time around. It will help you save money and, ultimately, it will make your scrapbooking experiences more enjoyable.
It's more important to get a good product than it is to get a good deal. Start your scrapbooking experience off on the right foot and make sure that your collection includes the basics. Here are a few supplies that every scrapbooker should have:
The "Essentials" List
1. Album
2. Page protectors
3. Paper
4. Cardstock
5. Paper cutter/trimmer
6. Vellum & Transparencies
7. Scissors
8. Exacto knife
9. Self-healing cutting mat
10. Adhesives
11. Ruler
12. White plastic eraser
13. Glue eraser
14. Lettering/Font CD
15. Black pens
16. Colored pens or pencils
17. Grease pencil
18. Photo corners
Let's talk about a few of them here:
Page Protectors
Page protectors shield your layouts from everyday wear and tear while holding them securely in the album. On average you will need about 35 page protectors per 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" album. Only use non-vinyl, archival-safe protectors to avoid deterioration of your photos and memorabilia. Page protectors have openings at the top (top-loading) or the side (side-loading) so you can slide your completed layouts inside them. Side-loading protectors open at the spine edge so layouts can't slip out if the album is dropped or turned upside down. Whether you purchase clear (shiny) or non-glare protectors is up to you. Both offer advantages: clear protectors help your layout colors look true and vivid while non-glare protectors are easier on the eye.
Cardstock (a heavyweight paper)
Cardstock provides a sturdy foundation for your layout photographs, memorabilia, and embellishments. It is versatile and affordable and comes in a variety of colors and textures. Every scrapbooker will want to have a supply of black, white, natural and kraft (the color of a cardboard box) cardstock on hand at all times; these are staple colors used regularly in layouts. For all other colors, I suggest you begin scrapbooking with a varied selection of hues until you get a feel for your own personal style and color preferences. Buy multi-packs they allow you to sample a variety of cardstock colors in coordinating hues or as monochromatic collections without paying the high cost of single sheets of paper. You might be surprised to learn that the colors you'll use most in your layouts won't necessarily be the colors that grab your attention at first glace.