Fundamentals of Scrapbooking

Start small, and take your hobby one step at a time. To begin, you’ll need an album, archival quality card stock, designer papers & adhesives, a 12” paper trimmer & Cuttlebee paper snips (a must-have when cutting fine details from papers or stamped images). Find a safe way to store the photos until you can put them into scrapbooks – Cropper Hopper photo file boxes are great for this.

Decide where you want to start. You do not have to start at the beginning & work chronologically. Many have found it is easiest to start with a recent past event that they enjoyed, then work forward to current time, and stay current. Then as time permits, work backwards. Sometimes it’s also less intimidating to start with one single event, such as a vacation or a family celebration.

Choose an overall theme for your album. Gather all pictures that match your chosen theme before separating these pictures into groupings. These groups will eventually become your pages. You may also use newspaper clippings, brochures, report cards, etc…any memorabilia is great.

If you include something that is not photo safe, be sure it does not touch your photos. You can also enclose it in a memorabilia pocket or make a photocopy of it onto acid free paper.

Composition: This step can be one of the most challenging. There are countless ways to layout your photos on the paper, and with time, you will become more comfortable with how to do this. Begin to play around with the composition of your layout. Do you want the photos to be in a straight line or scattered about? Are they vertical or horizontal? Adjust them to an eye-pleasing, proportionate design, remembering to leave room for a title, journaling, and any embellishments that you want to use.

If you wish to mat your photos on cardstock or other paper, do so at this point. Then, simply place the photos where you've chosen for them to go. With the exception of glue sticks, most adhesives are pretty forgiving if you decide to move them around after sticking them down. Just be careful not to bend your photo.

In the area surrounding the photos, adhere stickers, tags, chipboard designs, whichever embellishments reflect the mood and theme of your layout. Make sure the embellishments don't take center stage; you don't want to distract from your photos. They are just what their name implies, made to embellish what you already have.

Always remember to record information, feelings or personal thoughts. This step is easily forgotten or dismissed, but is so very important to your scrapbooks! Journaling is simply writing down the story of what is happening in the pictures. What do you want to remember about that day? What year was it and how old was the subject? Was there a funny story that went along with the pictures? Do you want to hand write the journaling or type it?

 A pigment ink marker is best for journaling, as they are archival and do not fade or run. Also, do note that it's not a good idea to write on the back of photos. Most pen inks will eventually bleed through the photo and thus ruin it. Also, a pen will often indent the photo or rub off onto other photos, causing damage. 

Don't forget a title that sums up the layout. This is your chance to be funny, creative, or just make a statement. And- You've just created your first scrapbook layout! Take a look at the finished project and give yourself a pat on the back. With time and practice, you'll be cranking them out in no time. Just remember, there is no right or wrong way to scrapbook and each of us has our own style-even you!

 

Basic Terms About Scrapbooking:

Acid Free: All album pages, protectors, adhesives, and other products used in the albums should be acid free. If acid is present in your scrapbooking materials, it will cause the pictures and papers to break down and eventually turn to dust. The acid in the products actually attacks the product fibers and causes them to disintegrate.

Lignin: This is a product found in tree pulp used to make papers. This substance will cause the papers it is contained in to “yellow”. The paper from which newspapers are made contains a high amount of lignin, therefore it yellows quickly. If paper containing lignin surrounds your photos, they too will begin to yellow.

Cropping: This just means cutting down a picture. This is something many scrapbookers do, but is not always necessary. By cutting down the picture, our eyes focus on the subject matter. Quite often we have too much background, unwanted background objects, unknown people in the background, etc. Cropping pictures can help eliminate these problems, and also allows you to place more pictures on a page. However, be careful not to crop out unique items, or items of historical significance which “date” the picture.

Photo Splits or Tabs: Double sided tape which should be acid free, lignin free and photo safe. Generally dispensed in one centimetre lengths. Considered permanent.

Journaling: Journaling is a term given to the writing you do in your scrapbook. The most important items to record are names, dates, places, and an explanation of the pictures. Journaling can also include feelings, thoughts, and viewpoints. The photos are great, but if you don’t record any information about them, the stories will eventually be forgotten. Consider journaling in your own handwriting, no matter how beautiful or sloppy. It tells much about who you are and leaves a personal touch in your scrapbook for those who view it later.

Template: Plastic or card sheet with punched out shapes that can be used to crop photos and photo mounting paper into shapes. Some templates are suitable for drawing outlines or journalling lines.

Wax Pencil: A soft acid free pencil designed to write on glass, plastic and photographs. If used on the front of a print it will rub off but when used on the back will become permanent. Comes in all colours but blue is the colour used most often by scrapbookers. (Schwan All Stabilo - Aquarellable is a type of wax pencil)

Simple Scrapbook Format: Format sets a particular theme or color scheme of one scrapbook. The colors used and the designs made are some of the usual components that bring out a simple scrapbook into a work of art. The placement of various elements also brings a lot of impact on the overall image of the scrapbook. It shows the uniqueness of one scrap booking layout from the rest; and somehow, each scrapbook follows certain format. A scrapbook has a size, content, and characteristics that is relatively the same with the rest of the scrapbooks but entirely uses different in approach through it’s theme.

Framework: Framework is often defined as the group of pages including the table of contents and the title, dedication or the introduction page, section pages, filler pages, closing page, and materials file that show that overall structure of the scrapbook. Oftentimes, it is the first thing made since it defines what is the flow of the album. In simple terms, the framework is like the blueprint and the foundation of the album.

LAMINATION.The coating of paper with a thin, translucent plastic. Lamination is considered unacceptable as a conservation methods due to the high heat and pressure used during application and its irreversibility.

Photo Corners: A non permanent method of adhering photos to a page. Small triangles of plastic or card stock one for each corner are adhered to the page and the corners of the photo slotted in. The photo is held in place but may be easily removed for copying, etc.

Buffered: Something that has been subjected to the addition of alkaline substances such as magnesium carbonate or calcium carbonate to prevent acids forming in the future due to chemical reactions.

LightFast: Coloured paper or ink, which is resistant to fading with age or exposure to light, heat, and other unfavourable conditions.

Pigma: Pigma is a brand name of ink used in pens manufactured by Sakura. Pigma ink is fade resistant, acid free and water proof. Pigmented ink is simply ink that is coloured.

 

Stocking up on the essential tools and materials

Basic Scrapbooking Supplies:

·       Photos

·       Album (the scrapbook itself, available in many sizes)

·       Paper (plain cardstock, patterned, or other, to coordinate with the size album you choose)

·       Scissors (plain and/or decorative)

·       Adhesive (sticky tabs, glue stick, or other)

·       Embellishments (the fun, extra stuff like stickers, ribbon, tags, etc.)

·       Pen or Computer (for titles and journaling)

The market is flooded with eye-catching supplies that beckon you to buy them, but (at least for now) resist! Since you're just getting started, you will want to stick to the basics. Resist the temptation to stock up on the latest trendy tools and embellishments until you get your feet in the water.

 

Storage and Organization Essentials:

Keeping your scrapbook tools and supplies organized is a huge factor in how often you scrapbook and how much you enjoy yourself in the process. If it takes you hours to dig out all your gear and get it set up ... you'll be less likely to scrapbook unless you have hours and hours of free time on your hands. And, if you're like me, that rare event comes around only once in a blue moon.

With a few simple organizing strategies and handy storage solutions, you can strike this obstacle to scrapbooking happiness off your list! Using just a little bit of creative ingenuity and a fresh eye on some everyday storage containers, you'll have your gear organized in no time!

Use over-the-door shoe bags to store stamping supplies, decorative scissors, punches, and other small items used for scrapping.

drawer systems with removable bins. The removable bins make it easy to transport your supplies from your storage area to your work area.

Repurpose kitchen organizing products. Use a kitchen tool organizer, like the tool turn-about from pampered chef to keep often used scrap tools such as markers, scissors, pens and glue stick in easy reach, spice rack carousal.

Carve out extra space in your closet, utility room, home office storage, to store scrapbook tools and supplies. canvas shelf organizers to put the vertical space in your closet to great use! By freeing up 12" of hanging space, you can add six shelves to store cardstock and other scrapbook supplies.

Invest in storage products designed specifically for scrapbooking. Two great lines for setting up an organized scrap space are crop-in-style and cropper hopper. Look for 12 x 12 file cabinets, 12 x 12 vertical file folders and dividers, plus paper holders designed specifically to hold your 12 x 12 products.

Organize your ideas! Corral your scrapbook design and page layout ideas into a three ring binder. Add binder tab dividers to group like ideas together. For example, you could devote one section to color combinations you like, another section to design and layout ideas, and another section for photography tips and ideas. Use business card holders and cardstock scraps to create an easy-to-customize index for your binder.

Retrofit a galvanized tote or wicker baskets to create a stylish storage system your scrapbook paper and cardstock. Look for a basket or other container large enough to hold a 12 x 12 hanging folder frame.  Add some 12 x 12 file folders and your papers will be organized.

Shop online organizing retailers for storage solutions just for scrapbookers. The container store's scrapbooking storage includes a 12 x 12 paper storage case - perfect for storing everything you need for your in process scrapbook project.

Keep your digital photos organized using digital image management software packages. These software packages will help you edit, organize and share your digital photos. Just follow the links for more info!

Store your digital images using services like Shutterfly. Storing your photos off site offers added protection from natural disaster, computer viruses or computer malfunction.

Label your supplies to make them easy to find! Use bin labels for an easily customizable (and changeable) labeling solution. Using opaque storage containers with labels gives you a streamlined look while still knowing exactly where everything is!

Other useful storage ideas

    • metal lunch boxes

    • wire baskets

    • pottery and glassware

    • metal boxes - tackle boxes, lunch boxes, tool boxes

    • old luggage

    • hat boxes

    • reel canisters

    •  card catalog file

    • glass jars

 

Must Haves:

Refill pages for your album. Refills are not standard sizes, so it is best to pick up a few packs when you purchase your album so that you get the same manufacturer and size. This way you will not have to hunt for the refills later.

Tweezers. For those of us who are not as nibble-fingered as we once were, a small pair of tweezers helps to pick through piles of eyelets, brads, and other miniature page decorations.

A nice sharp pair of scissors. You want a pair of scissors that are dedicated exclusively to your scrapbooking. This way they are always with your supplies and always nice and sharp.

Adhesive. There are many, many different styles of adhesive. To get started you want an acid-free adhesive that will work well on both cardstock and photos. 3L Click 'n' Stick Mounting Squares, Herma Dotto Removable, and Herma Vario Wheel Dispenser.

Hole Punch. A traditional hand-held hole punch, like the one on the left, works great for putting holes in tags and other small items, however, you’ll need a straight hole punch, like the ones on the right, to knock out holes in the center of a large sheet of paper or cardstock. Several companies make hole punch sets with different size tips (1/16, 1/8, and 3/16-inch).

Eyelet Setter. An eyelet setter looks very much like a straight hole punch, except that it has a domed or pointed tip that fits over the back of an eyelet (like the yellow one shown here). When you strike the eyelet setter with a rubber or wood hammer, it spreads the eyelet’s backing and curls the edges down on the paper to secure it in place—in theory. (I frequently have a hard time getting the eyelet to spread, which is why I prefer to use brads, like the orange one on the right.) Eyelet setters—like hole punches — can be purchased in kits to accommodate different size brads.

Cutting Mat. Self-healing cutting mats are not required in scrapbooking, but they help protect your tables and counters when using an X-Acto knife, hole punch, or eyelet setter. (A cheaper alternative for cutting materials is heavy cardboard, but you’ll need a piece of wood to punch holes or set eyelets.)

Scrapbook Supply Folders. This is another optional product that you’ll find very helpful while you’re working on your scrapbook pages. Look for plastic, accordion-style file folders large enough to hold 12x12 paper, vellum, cardstock, and sticker sheets, without bending them. They’re only a few dollars and well worth the investment.

Cardstock and Patterned Papers. Select paper to go with the colors you wish to accent in your photos. You may want to purchase paper at your local scrapbook store so that you can select individual sheets for each page.

Journal Pens. Look for acid-free, permanant, pens with fine tips for hand writing your journaling. If you wish to hand write titles for your pages you may wish to purchase pens that have a fine tip on one end and a wider tip on the opposite end. Read Handwriting on Your Scrapbook Pages to help you get started using journaling pens.

Ruler. A sturdy, 18-inch stainless steel ruler, marked in both inches and millimeters, is ideal for double-checking straight lines and measurements. Get one with a cork backing to help keep it steady while you draw or cut a straight line. An alternative (or additional) ruler, useful for centering headlines on a page, is called a “Zero Centering Ruler,” and is specifically designed for page layout. I also like to keep a “hemming ruler” in my tool pouch, like the one shown below. At 6 inches long, it’s small and lightweight, making it easier to maneuver around small mats, photos, and page elements.

A 12" Paper Trimmer. Don’t skip this one—a paper cutter is an invaluable tool for cutting straight edges and putting 90-degree corners on your photos and mats.

Embellishments that coordinate with your pages, such as stickers, 3-D Stickers, buttons, and more. You will also want to learn simple new scrapbooking techniques that allow you create your own page embellishments.

Artist’s Knife. The X-ACTO brand is the most popular artist’s knife on the market, available in many sizes and styles to fit comfortably in your hand. While it’s not a critical scrapbooking tool, it really comes in handy when you want to cut materials that are too heavy or large for a paper cutter. 

 

Ideas to Inspire You. Layout galleries and free scrapbook page sketches will help you get started creating beautiful scrapbook pages.

 

Additional Items to Consider When Budget Allows:

A Die Cut Machine with an Alphabet Set of Dies.

Full Set of Journaling Pens.

Circle/Oval Cutter.