Does the idea of spending a Saturday afternoon working on your family's genealogy excite you? Perhaps you find yourself spending a little too much time flipping through old family photo albums, laughing and reminiscing about the past? Maybe you've even been considering combining the two themes and building a family tree online, complete with photos? If so, you might want to consider taking up scrapbooking. It will allow you to combine your love for family with the art of piecing together old photographs. This guide will provide you with information on how to scrapbook.
If you are looking for a new hobby and are the type of person that still has boxes and boxes of old photographs gathering dust in your closet, then why not take up scrapbooking? You can put your artistic skills to good use while simultaneously preserving history, creating books filled with memories that can last a lifetime.
Scrapbook Tips
This video discusses how to use stickers on your scrapbook pages. It demonstrates ideas for making your stickers stand out more, including tracing around your stickers to give them a more three-dimensional look. You can also place them on three-dimensional items on the page such as buttons or ribbons to make them stand out more as well. Other tips include conserving your stickers, not using them all on one page. Sometimes less is better.
Step 1: Consider Taking a Class
- One of the best introductions into scrapbooking is by taking a class. You can take classes at most scrapbook stores, where they will provide you with supplies as part of the overall cost for the class. Classes may also be offered at some local community centers or colleges, depending on where you live. Do some research online to determine where classes are held near you. Another option is to take an online class. Other than beginner classes, you may take a class that focuses completely on:
- A specific theme
- How to use specific scrapbooking tools
- Photos. The class may give you an overview of all the ways to cut and crop photos, including how to cut and build shape related patterns around them.
Step 2: Purchase Your Supplies
- There are a wide array of supplies you might want to consider purchasing as you begin to get more involved in scrapbooking. However, there are a few items that are necessary for you to begin:
- An album. You can purchase albums in a variety of sizes and themes, the main sizes being 12 X 12 or 8.5 X 11.
- Extra pages and page protectors for your album
- Acid free colored or patterned paper stock for photo and album backgrounds
- Acid free journal pens
- Sharp pair of scissors. You may also want to purchase different types of patterned scissors.
- Adhesive
- Circle, oval, square or rectangle cutters. If you can purchase them all it will give you a lot of variety, but try to purchase at least one of these.
- Embellishments. This includes stickers, buttons, ribbons and other related items.
- The above items can all be purchased at scrapbooking or general craft stores such as Michaels.
Step 3: Decide on an Overall Theme
- Now that you have your supplies, you should begin thinking of a general theme for your first scrapbook. You may want your theme to be tailored around:
- Family vacations
- Family reunions
- Your college years
- Your high school years
- Your wedding
- Birthdays
- Holidays
Step 4: Organize Your Photos
- Next you should organize your photos. This means gathering the photos you want in your scrapbook, as well as separating them into groups so you can determine which ones you want together on a particular page. Once you have done this, you can begin deciding how you want to present your photos. For example, do you want to cut them in circular shapes and mount them on circular backgrounds?
Step 5: Design a Layout
- Now it is time to design your layout. This is when you have the opportunity to get really creative. You should already have a theme in mind for your scrapbook, as well as your photos separated into groups. Look at each group of photos and determine how you want to lay them out on a particular page. Find a color scheme to tie them all together, and a shape and pattern that is aesthetically pleasing. Do not use adhesives to secure anything until you are certain it looks the way you want it to, as it is difficult to take photos off the pages once you have used adhesive on them.
Conclusion
Scrapbooking is a great way to express your creativity while at the same time preserving some of your family's history. If you have some extra time, consider gathering up some of your old photographs and beginning a new hobby today.
