Scrapbooking by documenting your family history is the celebration of family itself. It’s an art that not just saves your memories for many, many years to come, but is also entertaining and exciting. With changed times, methods of scrapbooking have also changed- from ribbon tied pages kept in hope chests to digital scrapbooking. Thank god to the technology bloom, saving pictures has become much easier. But fun still lies in small and simple things in life. Taking a day out, going through old photographs and decorating them by arranging them in an album is total fun!
Where can you begin? It can be overwhelming to think about all the pictures you want preserved. There can be years or decades old pictures hiding in closets. Where and how do you even start? Follow the steps below:-
Start with any subject
Reflect over what’s most significant to you. Is it your kid’s infancy? Your family’s legacy? Create a wedding album or an album of a famous place you went with your friends- whatever it is, begin right there. Keep in mind that it is just the beginning. There is no need to scrapbook everything. Even if you have decided to make just one scrapbook, make it stylish- something that you will always enjoy looking at. Simply pick a subject that is closest to your heart and just start!
Select photographs
This is the toughest task of the whole scrapbooking process. Which pictures will you select and which ones will you leave, when each and every photograph holds different memories and emotions within itself? Just keep in mind that you don’t have to add each photo to your scrapbook. When I made my first scrapbook, I felt like adding all my pics but now that I am using a digital camera that can hold thousands of photographs, adding them all in scrapbook is impossible. So select the photos that are closest to your heart.
The number of photos will obviously fluctuate with different projects. A scrapbook made for capturing wedding memories may probably have more photos than your kid’s first day at school. Select pictures that have captured some funny or sweet moments. The number of pics on one page will vary according to the layout of scrapbook.
Choosing Album Type
After selecting the photographs, now is the time to choose the right album. And if you thought selecting photographs was time consuming, wait till you get to the selection of albums. There are so many varieties that you’ll find it hard to select the best. You can choose from 12”X 12”, 9” x9”, 6”x 6” and mini albums. 12” x 12” is the best size for a wedding scrapbook or for some big event. A medium size is good for preserving time-specific photographs such as baby memories or first marriage anniversary.
Picked out the right size? Now select the right style. It totally depends on your personal preferences. Do you want your scrap book to have spiral binding or post binding? Post bound scrapbook has got metal posts, holding pages together. Or do you prefer hinge or three-ring binding? Spiral binding looks pretty neat, but it’s hard to add extra pages later. In scrapbooks with strap hinge or post binding, ask the binding guy if adding extra pages is easy or not.
Organization
Now that you have picked the right photographs and the album, you are almost midway there. Half the organization is complete once you decide on a particular topic or event for your scrapbook. The remaining parts are just minor details. If it is a single event that you are scrapbooking, would you like your photos to appear in a chronological order, from the start of the event to its end? Or you would you prefer grouping places and people together? You might want to have posed shots separate from candid ones. It all depends on your personal choice. Whatever style you choose, just make sure that the flow of photographs is consistent.
Choosing the right color scheme
Picking up a color scheme can be difficult at times. The color scheme you choose should match your photographs. For example, if you’re scrapbooking your mom’s pictures, you can select a shade of brown, but when scrapbooking your daughter’s pictures, you can select pink. Once you are done with selecting the color scheme, you will need to choose patterned paper, embellishments and stickers. This is the fun part. You should buy only lignin and acid free paper. This would keep your photographs alive over many years.
Layout
Now comes the part where you choose a nice layout for your scrapbook. There are many layouts, and you can be creative here.
Wait, what really is a layout?
It is basically how you group your picture on a scrapbook page. Use your creativity. How would you want to decorate your scrapbook? It’s all about the embellishments and the right kind of paper, etc. Online galleries for scrapbooking are a great place to get ideas for layouts.
Now that you have taken care of everything, all you need to do it to put it all together. In order to stick the photos, embellishments, and other material, you can use tape, glue or adhesives. I would suggest glue, and I use it whenever I make a scrapbook. Just make sure that the glue dries clear, is acid-free and provides a permanent hold.
Guidelines for a Basic Scrapbook Project
Following is the list of basic requirements to get you started.
You will need:
1. An Album
2. Refill Pages
3. Scissors
4. Adhesives
5. Patterned paper or cardstock. The basic types of papers that you can use for scrapbook are listed below:-
- Cardstock- It is an acid-free heavyweight paper available in a number of colors and textures.
- Patterned paper- It is used for background in scrapbooks. This too is an acid-free paper available in many designs.
- Vellum- It is a translucent paper used for layering.
- Transparencies- These are acetate sheets for creating overlays and windows. Do use them to add more magic to your scrapbook.
- Specialty papers- These are handmade paper sheets created out of naturally found materials.
6. Journal pens
7. Embellishments. There is no limit to the kind of embellishments that you can use. Let your creative horses run while you have fun experimenting. But just make sure that the add-ons do not hurt the paper or photographs in your scrapbook. Here are some embellishment ideas:
- Buttons
- Brads
- Ribbons
- Pressed flowers
- Scrapbooking stickers
- Old letters and small souvenirs
Basic elements of a scrapbook layout to be kept in mind are:
1. Photos- Of course if you don’t have photos, you don’t really have a scrapbook, do you?
2. Page Title- Some words that suggest the theme of the scrapbook. Add a bit of humor of you can.
3. Journaling- It is the description that tells the story behind photographs. It can even consist of short letters or poems.
4. Page Accent- Embellishments used to decorate pages- they really accentuate the look and feel of the scrap book.
5. Mat- It is the background layer under the photos.
6. Photo Corners- You can cut the corners of photographs in various shapes to add more effects.
7. Borders- Add borders to individual photos, or just highlight some photographs by adding borders to them. There is a lot to experiment!
Here are some topic ideas for your scrapbook project that you might like:
- Travel Scrapbook
- Pet Scrapbook
- Graduation Scrapbook
- Friendship Scrapbook
- School Years Scrapbook
- Wedding Scrapbook
- Family Heritage Scrapbook
- Anniversaries Scrapbook
- Baby Scrapbook
- Retirement Scrapbook
Above all have fun creating your scrapbook and remember there are no mistakes only creations. ***