So You Think You Want to Scrapbook...

Learning to scrapbook will take some commitment and it is really like a piece
of art. When you learn the techniques to scrapbook you will be able to enjoy,
however, you will have to get to know a few basic tools, supplies, and learn
some skills before you get started. You will want to create albums, but it will
take. Projects are difficult, but it can be very rewarding when you end up with
something like a family heirloom. It can be enjoyable to do and then the
memories that you gather can be passed down to your grandchildren.

To get started, you first need pictures. Everyone has boxes filled with
pictures, but you may notice that some are discolored or warped because of the
poor storage. The world around us in our homes is full of acid and moisture,
which breaks down the chemical balance, used to produce photographs and causes
them to change appearance. With scrap booking, you will want to use acid free
supplies so that you can preserve the pictures for many years and decades to
come.

There are some basics tools that you will need to get before you start your
voyage of scrap booking. Every good scrap booker needs a cutting tool. You will
need to get sharp scissors and specialty scissors that will cut scalloped edges,
but you may also want something that will cut a straight line and circles. You
will also need some form of adhesive. Beginners may find that the easiest
products to buy are photo mounts, which are tiny pre-cut pieces of tape, and
glue dots, which are pressure-sensitive strong spots of glue to hold larger
embellishments. Beyond a cutting tool and adhesive, you really don't need any
other tools to get started, but if you want to create fancier pages, many
options are available including rubber stamps, paper crimpers, and punches.
Start with a few smaller items and increase your inventory as you learn more
and more scrapbooking skills.

You will also need a few basic supplies before you begin, the most important of
which is the album itself. Make sure whatever you purchase is large enough to
hold all the pictures you want to include; two to five pictures will fit on a
standard 8 ? x 11 page with cropping, with the most balanced layouts having
three pictures. You can also choose from larger or smaller albums. Really, the
only other supply that you will need to get your scrapbook album started is
some paper. Most albums come with a white piece of paper in each sheet
protector, but there are many colors and designs to choose from to help spice
up your album. Other supplies that add interest to your pages include paper
dolls, stickers, die cuts, and three-dimensional elements.

When it comes to the skills that you will need, you can find it to be
creativity and you'll learn how to do things that you see in a magazine or
online and mimic it in your art. If you would like to again some skills the
fast way, you will want to attend or join a scrapbook workshop or club. As for
the workshops, you will be able to attend many workshops when you check out the
craft schedule at the local stores. You can also go to a local craft store and
ask them how to start the scrapbook and you'll be able to learn and master the
process of scrap booking.

Types of scrapbook Layouts

Some scrap bookers like to create an album by doing one page at a time. They
will only on a page or two at a time. Then there are people will work on scrap
booking two pages at a time. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to
doing a one page or two page layouts.

One-page layouts work well for busy scrap bookers. When you do one page at a
time, you will have more time to complete the scrapbook and then have plenty of
time to clean up. One-page layouts also have a sense of intimacy because the
pictures are placed closely together on the page, along with the journaling and
embellishments. You will have an album that is full and complete bursting with
color and pictures. Because the layout is smaller, this is also often an easier
option for beginning layout designers or for crafters who do not have a large
workspace to spread out two pages at a time.

Two-page layouts, on the other hand, create an album that is more spacious. If
you have a lot of pictures then it will be almost impossible to put all the
pictures on one page. You can split them up over multiple layouts; however, by
creating a two-page layout, you give the pictures a sense of togetherness. You
will want to spread out the pictures over three or four pages and carry a theme
to each page so that there is a consistent design. Two-page layouts also work
well when you have a few pictures that cannot be cropped and will therefore not
fit onto one page. When you do a larger layout you will be able to place
everything you want in the pictures and have plenty of room for writing or
doodling.

Either way that you scrapbook, there are disadvantages. You may not want to use
just one of the ways exclusively. When it comes to a one page layout you won't
have to worry about having the paper to coordinate into two pages, however, the
album may seem to be disconnected from a whole. Meaning, if you have one page of
something and one page of another thing, it just won't flow. You will want to
choose the best options for you so that you can make a great scrapbook. You
will find that when you have some patience, you will be able to give the
pictures a good way to display them so that it all look interesting and fun.

Organizing Your Scrapbooking Area

When it comes to thousands of different types of scrap booking papers and other
accessories you will find that it can be overwhelming at the supplies place.
Since you do have so many options, you will find that it can be difficult for a
person to scrapbook when they are in a small apartment or dorm room, but you can
get organized and keep things looking good and clean and that will help you to
be able to scrapbook more efficiently.

It will take up the most space and time when it comes to getting your papers
organized. A good option for this is a paper saver, as made by most of the
larger scrap booking companies. These folders are made of plastic most of the
time and they can be tagged and hold hundreds of papers. This will help you to
categorize your papers. If you find that you do not have enough room in a paper
saver, you might also find it useful to invest in a filing cabinet or one of the
sets of drawers made especially for scrap booking. You can purchase these in any
of the local craft stores or you can go online as well.

Once you own a tool for organization, the next step is to decide how you want
to categorize your supplies. You will find that color is most often used, but
you can make it into a theme like a certain day or holiday. You may also want
to think about making patterns like stripes. You can also use this system to
organize flat embellishments, such as die cuts or stickers.

You also need a place to store your tools and embellishments that are not
easily filed. You will find that one good way is to use baskets and a shelving
system to help your to store and organize your tools and embellishments. Store
cutting tools in one basket, glues in another, markers and paint in a third,
and so on is a good way of approaching the art of organization. By buying
baskets in bulk, you will save more money then if you use photo boxes, and the
display will be uniform and attractive. Make sure that you label your baskets
or shelving so that you can find everything quickly.

If you need to save space, however, a basket and shelving system may not work
for you. You will want to make a kit of some of your most often sued tools and
supplies so that you can keep them close and you won't have to dig or look
around. That way when you only have time to do a quick page or two, you can use
your kit to complete it and then quickly clean up. However, you can use all of
your time in one day and book a whole scrapbook together and also you can pull
out the supplies and storage so that you can complete the album.

You will also want to keep in mind that the space that you use to scrapbook is
clean and organized. This will allow you to enjoy your time scrap booking. When
you learn how to label the storage containers and learn how to organize your
papers, you will be able to quickly be able to pull out the tools that you
need. You will find that if you really want to get into scrap booking you will
take the time to label your storage containers and sort through the mess. Once
you have gotten over the mess, you will be able to get comfortable with scrap
booking.

Journaling

Scrap booking is a great way to past the time. You don't want to lose the sight
of your main goal. You will want to make sure that you try to use the time to
produce a book of memories to mark past landmarks with quality so that you can
show your friends and family all the memories that they messed or couldn't
share with you. Most people forget to journalize their scrapbook and it is one
of the most commonly forgotten steps. The reason why journalizing is important
is so that you can remember what was going on so that you can reflect years and
years later and remember exactly what it is.

I like to begin by creating a title for each page. You can be plain with the
way that you create the journaling for each page like what the party was for or
you can get funny or think about something heartfelt to write. Think of your
page as a story and then name it. Use big bold letters for the title to draw
attention to it, but make sure it does not overwhelm the most important
elements of the page--the pictures.

Each picture on your page should have a few words as a caption. You will want
to name the people in the pictures or the places that can be seen in the
background. This is because you may not be able to remember where the pictures
came from or who certain people are years and years down the road. Others who
do not know all of your friends will also benefit from these labels. You also
want to think about captions as a small element on a page and you may only want
to use a caption occasionally and not put a caption on every picture.

You will also want to include text into your page design. I like to keep this
text around the same size as the smallest photograph, but of course this
depends on the page layout. Many pre-made layouts will already include a space
for text. Use this element of the design to record the "story" behind the
pictures. Think about it in a way like you would when you look back with a
friend. Like what would you say to the friend or what would the friend say to
you? All of this information is readily forgotten, so it is important to jot
down a few words on a piece of notebook paper and save it with your photographs
if you think that you won't get the chance to create your pages right away. Time
just seems to blend the years together. Very few people can remember everything
they did by date, but if you include a date or time you will be able to
preserve the memories.

Occasionally you may forget your camera at an important event, lose your
pictures, or not be allowed to use a camera in the space. Even if you went
somewhere and you didn't take pictures, you can still document that part of
your life by using the scrapbook to document. These pages will be mostly
journaling. Use descriptive words to take the place of the photographs.

For those who have a fear of using their handwriting to journalize, you don't
have to worry because you can use letter stickers and cutouts to help you to
journalize. However, when you use your own handwriting, even if it is bad, you
can use the handwriting to give it some character. However, you can also use
your computer to print out some journalizing elements on each page. You will
want to choose some way of journalizing that will allow you to scrapbook in a
dramatic way and help create a wonderful album.

Digital Scrapbooking

When it comes to scrapbooking you will find that it takes time, space, and
plenty of dedicated time. For those who are interested in the craft, they will
need to find the time to complete the album, but also they will need to find
the space. With all the paper, stickers, tools, and other supplies, you will
need too have a whole area for scrap booking or maybe even a whole room
dedicated to the craft. There are a lot of supplies that you will acquire, but
you will find that you need room to put the pages together and also store the
supplies By the time that you get everything together that you need just for
one scrap book session, you will notice that you have wasted ten to twenty
minutes. You don't want to spend time looking for stamps or that perfect tool
to make the picture so beautiful, but you will find that there are other ways
to solve all your problems with scrap booking. You will find that the perfect
solution to the hassle of scrap booking is digital scrap booking.

However, you don't want to be intimidated by not having computer skills.
Digital scrap booking is easy to learn and can make designing pages and
creating albums go more smoothly, leaving much more time for the other things
in your life. When you follow a few steps you will be able to begin your
digital voyage in this then the time it would take you to pull the paper and
book out.

First, you need to find a way to put your pictures online. You can easily get
your pictures online with the use of digital camera, but you will want to scan
some hard copy pictures onto your computer. Even if you do not know how to
transfer pictures from your digital camera to your computer, you can put your
pictures onto a CD at any photography center. At one of these centers, you can
also scan your printed pictures and put them onto a CD as well. For those who
are looking to go beyond the basic digital scrap booking steps, you may want to
go online to several sites and register to share pictures. You can also use
photo-editing programs to change the look of your picture, but this is not
necessary for beginners. In any case, once your pictures are on your computer,
you can use them to create scrapbook pages.

There are many programs available to help you to design, edit, and print pages.
You can buy a program at the store, or you can purchase a downloadable program
on the Internet. You will want to do this if you would like to share your album
online. Compare prices and services on the programs before making a
purchase--not all programs are made the same way, and you'll want to find one
that's appropriate for your skill level. Once you have chosen and purchased a
scrap booking option plan, you will want to look through the tutorial steps.
Learn to use all the functions of the program from the start, and you'll save
yourself a lot of time when you're trying to create pages.

You have to understand that every program works in a different way. You will
want to create the pages and print them out or you may just want to create the
pages and post them on a website for your family from a far to see. It is easy
to create and it is also very convenient. You will be able to show those who
don't come around often or those who don't travel that far to see the pictures
of the family and trips or memories. You will also feel good knowing that you
have an online security. If anything ever happens to the hard copies, you have
them preserved online for you to print. Also, you will find hat digital scrap
booking is worth the cost of start up and it will help you to waste some time.
You will find scrap booking fun and enjoyable.

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