Basic Scrapbooking Glossary

Acetate

 A form of acidic plastic that causes photo’s, paper and documents to deteriorate and fade over time.

 Any material that does not contain acid, which destroys photos with time.

 The glue used to attach/secure photographs and other components onto a scrapbook page. Adhesive types include photo corners (clear plastic stick on style or paper "lick and stick" style) which are considered to be non permanent, photo tape, photo tabs, tape runner (all forms of double sided tape) which are considered permanent and photo safe.

 Blank book used to store scrapbooking photographs and scrapbook page layouts.

Altered Book

  An altered book is an existing book that has been changed or altered using glue, paint, collage, rubber stamps, and scissors, tearing, or adding to. “It is an expression of one's self, a piece of art, an experiment or a conversation piece."

Analogous Colours

 Colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel.

 This is a term used to indicate materials which have undergone laboratory analysis to determine their acidic and buffered content is within safe levels.

 The paper that is the foundation of the scrapbook page; you adhere your photos and embellishments to this paper.

 Templates in basic shapes such as circles, squares, ovals.

 Abbreviation for: ‘Book of Me’. Originally a book by Angie Pedersen, showing how to create a scrapbook all about your life.

 A flat tool that has a smooth pointed end that helps you score a fold. The side of the bone is used to press down the paper to form a neat, crisp, clean crease. Used in tea bag folding, origami, card making and any other technique that uses folds.

 The margins of a scrapbook page. Usually spoken of in terms of decoration.

 Two-pronged fastener featuring a round or decorative top. Prongs are inserted through the surface and opened butterfly-style. Very commonly used for an embellishment.

 Similar to typical offices split pins but are found in many different sizes, shapes and colours. Very commonly used for an embellishment.

 An alkaline substance added to paper to make it acid free.

 Acid free paper which has been stabilized to eliminate the formation of destructive alkaline substances.

 Come in many different shapes, styles and colours. There are also many buttons that are made specifically for scrapbooking. They are thin, flat and can be attached with fibres, thread or glue.

 Formal, old-fashioned lettering.

 Thick, sturdy paper available in a variety of weights. It is commonly used as backgrounds and photo mats in scrapbooking, also used for die cutting.

 Not regular children's chalk, this is specially designed to be safe for Scrapbooking and used in similar paper arts.

 Metal, paper or other type of small object that can be added to your scrapbook as an embellishment.

 An artistic composition made of various materials (paper, cloth, wood, etc.) that are glued onto a surface.

Shows colour relationships and placement. Helps you to pick out colours for your layouts.

 A small cutting implement used to round off the corners on sharp squares or rectangles giving the item a soft finish.

  A device used to turn ordinary cardstock into corrugated cardstock.

1. To cut or trim a photograph.
2. A formally hosted scrapbook group who share techniques, products and information with the group.

 To “crop” a photo means to cut the photo. Mostly done to trim out excess background, to highlight a certain area, or cut out unwanted activity, or simply changing the photograph's shape.

 This is a thick mat used for cutting and cropping on, it protects the surface underneath that you are working on and gives stability to your working surface.

 A gathering of scrapbookers in a virtual chat room environment to create scrapbook pages.

 Spray that neutralizes acid in newspaper clippings, certificates and other documents.

 A ruler with a special edge used in designing scrapbook pages.

 The edges of these scissors have a pattern like scalloped, zigzag or deckled and can be used to crop photographs or give a decorative edge to paper.

 Paper designs and letters cut from die-cut machines. Paper is placed on the die and pressure is applied   either by rolling or pressing down on the handle. These are used to decorate your pages and come in many designs

 To place a photograph on two background papers

 Any scrapbooking extra (stickers, die-cuts, punches, buttons etc.) that enhance the page/design.

 A technique used to create a raised effect or surface, either by applying heat or pressure.

 A fine powder that will adhere to wet inks. When heated, it melts to form a raised, glossy finish.

 In scrapbooking it refers to images of the past such as vintage postcards that can be incorporated into a layout.

 A small metal ring used to line and strengthen the edge of a small hole.

 A tool used in attaching eyelets.

 A fancy thread (wool, twine etc) used to decorate scrapbook pages.

 Like rubber stamps but made of foam material; available in an assortment of designs, shapes, fonts, etc; generally acrylic paint is thinly applied to the stamp design, which is then pressed onto paper or another surface. Ink may also be used.

 The element of a design where lines converge. The eye is naturally drawn to the focal point in an image.

 The style of lettering.

 The study of the descent of a person, family or group from an ancestor. Many people who wish to create a family tree by researching their family’s genealogy.

 Paint-like base used to prime surfaces for painting and gilding.

 A compilation of photographs and mementos created with a person or event in mind.

 Paper made that has been by hand that is often rough and uneven in texture. Sometimes there are flowers and leaves in the paper, which can add to the natural look.

 The caption or title that explains the theme of a layout.

 Also called a heat tool or embossing gun; blows extremely hot air that will melt embossing powder. Do not use near photos or other delicate materials.

 An object passed down, generally within the family, from generation to generation, often of worth only due to sentimental value.

 A plastic strap binding allows your albums to expand. These tend to lay flatter than the post bound albums.

 Hue refers to the colour tone in your photo. Adjusting this slider can give a new colour cast to your image.

 Utilizing both printed digital images and traditional paper products to create scrapbook layouts/pages.

 Any words you write in your book or on the scrapbook page, from titles and captions to long descriptions, poems or stories.

 A page design or the grouping of scrapbooking pages that go together. A layout can be one page; two or some are even a panoramic 4 page spread.

 Templates in the shape of letters of the alphabet.

 Lignin is a natural, acidic substance found in most papers, used for strength and stiffness. It causes chemical degradation of photos.

 Masking is the technique of covering a stamped image so that other images may be placed partly over it without the overlapping area being visible. This technique will add depth and perspective to your art. It is a simple procedure, but it requires patience and careful cutting.

 Matting is a technique that allows you to enhance your photos by adding a border around the outside edges. The border is, most often, made from an acid-free paper that looks almost like a frame. Matting is also a non-permanent way of cropping your pictures.

 Items such as postcards, buttons, brochures, ribbons, or tickets that have been saved as reminders of past events.

 Colour scheme that has different values (tints and tones) of the same color.

 To adhere a photograph, embellishment or other item to another piece of paper.

 Paper which has long fibres that create a feathered look when torn available in various textures, weights, and colours.

 Paper trimmers that cut paper and photographs into ovals

 (see also Transparency) An element of text and design with large areas of transparency, that is placed over all other elements of a layout.

 Hand-drawn illustrated phrases in bright colors meant to be used as titles at the top of pages.

 Pens with soft, brush-like tips. The amount of ink dispensed is controlled by the pressure that is applied to the tip.

 Die cuts or punches put together to create an image for your scrapbook page.

 A technique in scrapbooking where you tear paper, rather than cutting it to create a unique texture.

 Paper-cutting tools used by placing paper, lining it up on a grid and moving down a blade. Can be either a guillotine or rotary blade.

 Paper with patterns (stripes, dots, plaids, etc.) that is made to be used for any occasion.

 A particular card crafting style that utilizes vellum and punches. Normally in pergamano, you apply colour only to the back side of the vellum. This creates a light and airy effect.

 Measurement that tells how acidic or basic something is. For scrapbooking, you want to use products with a pH level of seven or above.

 Paper with adhesive on the back used to adhere photographs to a page on the corners. Used to adhere photos in scrapbooks and photo albums without applying adhesive directly to the photograph.

 This is a term similar to archival quality but more specific to materials used with photographs. Acid-free is the determining factor for a product to be labelled photo-safe.

 A scrapbook page with a built in pocket. Useful for holding memorabilia you may want to take out and look at like programs or other booklets.

 Albums that are held together with metal posts that run through the pages.

 A great tool used with punches that saves your thumb from blisters. Also makes punching a lot easier with less effort.

 When scrapbookers swap/trade scrapbooking items.

 A tool used to create small shapes.

 Abbreviations for polyvinyl chloride, an unstable chemical with a strong “plastic” odour; its chemicals emit gasses that permanently damage photos and negatives. Polyethylene and polypropylene are safe to use with photos and for scrapbooking.

 A technique where you roll strips of paper into various shapes.

 Used to take red-eye out of flash photographs.

 Can be stuck on paper and pulled back up and re-stuck.

 An acid free adhesive that stays tacky allowing you to move your item around until satisfied with its location.

 The saturation is the amount or intensity of the colour in your photo, by adjusting this slider more or less of the colours will be present. By desaturating a photo, you are effectively removing the colour and turning the photo to black and white.

 Operates much the same as a photocopier, except the images are captured not on paper but in pixels on your computer screen. The images are digitized, which allows you to manipulate them with an image editing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. You can scan a photograph, then crop it, erase unwanted elements, change a background, change the colour scheme, change the size, and so on. Scanners make it easy to reproduce your original photographs and memorabilia so you can preserve the original.

 Means copying someone else’s layouts. (Common etiquette is to always make note of the person's name and if possible a link to their original to give them credit. It is also nice to drop the person a note to tell them you've lifted them and where they can see your page)

 Pens that have one tip for coloring and one for writing.

 Colours created by blending primary colors. Orange, green and violet are the secondary colors created by mixing a combination of red, yellow and blue.

 A mat that can be repeatedly cut and still retains its form.

 Squares made by creating a torn collage of scraps on a background paper. Then cutting it into squares and mounting on complimentary cardstock.

 A style of scrap booking that includes sanding, crumpling, and distressing paper to give an old and worn look to your page.

 A colour with black added to it.

 Tools designed to cut shapes (ovals, circles, squares, etc.). The cutters can be adjusted to create different sizes of these shapes.

 A sheet protector is a plastic (polypropylene) acid-free top loading or side loading sheet that slips over an album page.

Side Loading

  Page protectors that are sealed at the top and bottom and slip over a layout to protect it. Most commonly used with strap-hinge or spiral-bound albums.

 (Also Map, Template, Blueprint): A basic foundation for a scrapbook page. Gives scrappers a base for their layout.

 Albums that are secured with a metal or plastic spiral binding running up the side of the album.

 An adhesive decorative accent ranging in size from a few centimeters across to a full page.

 Albums secured with plastic straps that run through a holder directly on the pages and keep the book in place.

 A tool that has blunt rounded ends, used to emboss paper. (Also known as a burnisher or a dry embossing tool)

Double stick tape is great for attaching photos to mats or large embellishments to background paper.  Glue dots are great for attaching small embellishments and adding depth to your page.

 A device that distributes tape on the back of photographs and scrapbooking pages.

 These are plastic or cardboard templates used to cut your photos into shapes such as circles, squares and hearts.

 Also called intermediate colors, these are blends of primary and secondary colors. Colors such as red-orange and blue-green are tertiary colors.

 Usually appear as a grey scale image with some contrast that when "laid over" another layer creates the illusion of the specific texture.

 The overall message of a page or scrapbook.

 A scrapbook devoted to one idea. Some popular them albums focus on birthdays, weddings and school days.

 A colour that has had white mixed in.

 Page protector that is sealed along the sides and bottom to allow layouts to be slipped in from the top. Often used with post-bound or three-ring albums.

 Clear, transparent sheet used as an overlay on a layout.

 A group of three colors that form a triangle on the color wheel.

 An abbreviation for Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (or powder). Can be adapted to many techniques. It can have a many colours, be smooth or crackled, and can be moulded into shapes.

 A class usually held at a scrapbooking store and taught by an expert. Participants bring photographs and pages to work on and get advice from the instructor.