Basic Scrapbooking for Beginners

Are you new to scrapbooking?  Karen Yates gives you a few basic tips to get you started.

HISTORY

People have been scrap booking in some form or another for hundreds of years. Ever stuck some photos in a book, kept a diary, written down a nice poem, pressed a flower from a loved one or held onto a ticket from a show you went to? This is all part of scrapbooking our special memories. With our photos to guide us, a scrapbook tells a story and can include our favourite places, things, thoughts and the special people in our lives.

SCRAPBOOKING SPEAK

• LO - refers to a layout, this is the page you complete. It might be a single or double page layout.
• PP - Patterned Paper, can also be referred to as printed paper.
• Acid Free - The chemistry of materials that have a pH level of 7.0 or higher
  
• Lignin - A compound found in paper originating from plant matter, harmful to photos.
  

PROTECTING YOUR PHOTOS

Deterioration

Over time there are many things that can destroy photos due to the chemicals in them. These can be found in some photo albums, paper, adhesives and pens. The chemicals break down and form acids, which then break down and destroy things in contact with it, like photos. This can be seen with yellow tinging and photos becoming brittle.

Storage

Photos awaiting to be scrapped onto a layout should be stored in an acid free environment, such as photo pockets or an acid free photo album. Negatives should also be stored in appropriate acid free storage to ensure they last for years.

Sorting

You can just have all of your photos in one big pile, but it is easier to sort them into themes. I only do it now with new photos, because I have no time to go back through photos (although I have done some of the bigger events such as my 30th and 21st). The themes might be just 2 photos, or it could be a whole group. This is a slow but worthwhile process. Then it is easier when the mood takes you, you can just grab a pile.  You will have themes emerge such as holidays, family events such as a birthday, or friends. In order for you to feel happy with the results of your layouts it might be worthwhile to save your very special and/or favourite photos until you feel more confident with your scrapping.

EQUIPMENT

Adhesives

There are all sorts of special glues and tapes on the market. You can spend a lot of money on fancy adhesives. The most important feature of any adhesive is that is it acid free. Some adhesives are permanent whilst others will allow you to move items. It is up to you to decide what tapes and/or glues you prefer, you will decide what you find reliable and cost effective. It also depends on what you are sticking down. For adhering photos to card stock I like photo tabs. If there is a lot of matting, or heavier card I love francheville double sided tape. This tape is also awesome for many embellishments from buttons to metal, being very strong. For small, fiddley items I use a fine point glue applicator. For sticking down ribbons I love the convenience of a xyron (a little device you can thread through ribbon and card and it adheres the tape automatically).  I have seen some people use glue sticks to stick down paper. Just be careful, as they can tend to buckle the paper.  I have found trial and error to be the best, and of course word of mouth.

Scissors

A staple in any scrapbooker’s stash. It is vital you have a sharp pair of precision cutting scissors. You will use them constantly for cutting ribbon, card, tape and even hand cut lettering.  Many scrapbookers find it useful to have 2 pairs. One smaller pair to cut smaller items such as handcut lettering and a bigger pair for card stock. A good pair of scissor can be costly but well worth the investment.

Paper trimmer

This is really a personal preference. Some people use a blade and ruler (beware of your fingers), some like guillotine style, but the most popular is a 30.5 cm paper trimmer. When purchasing a paper trimmer it is worthwhile doing some research. I know someone who has purchased her second trimmer, and is unhappy with both. The first didn’t quite fit a standard 30 x 30 piece of paper, and the blade is not joined to the mat in the second. So it is advisable to outlay a moderate sum at the beginning to get the best trimmer for your needs. I have a smaller guillotine style for cutting smaller pieces of card and photos, and a standard Carl rotary trimmer. Many of the scrapping magazines do reviews and comparisons.

Albums

Most scrappers store there finished layouts in an acid free album. The standard size is 12 x12 (or 30 cm x 30 cm). Within these albums are clear sheet page protectors. There are also lots of other options including mini albums. Albums come as post bound (the pages screw in), ring binder (like your old school folders) and strap hinged. It is best to have a look at the different ones, and see what you like. Price can vary greatly. My word of advice is that some very cheap albums from shops other than scrapbooking shops can have pages that aren’t true 30 x 30, and you will need to cut you layouts down, otherwise the pages will buckle once inside the albums.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Before you start a LO, there a few things you need to ask yourself in order to give yourself some direction

• What is the goal or theme of the layout
• What feelings should it show
• Who is the layout for
• What is the focal point (usually the photo, but may also be journalling, memorabilia or and embellishment)

The main point to creating a great layout is balance. This means that all of the elements on the layout are arranged so that the entire layout has a consistent visual weight. Sometimes adding an embellishment will equal up the balance. Choosing appropriate colours is also an important feature of any layout. Colours should enhance or compliment the focal point.

Cropping

This is the cutting or trimming of photos to achieve a desired shape, size or effect. It helps create the focal point and remove any unnecessary details in the photo. It is advised to never trim one of a kind photos if you have no copy. Practice trimming blurry photos that you would normally throw out.

Matting

This is a technique whereby you place a complimentary peace of paper (commonly card) as a single layer or several layers behind a photo. By having a narrow edge of coloured paper around the outside edges of your photos, you can 'bring out' a certain colour in the photo, which helps give the photo definition. This enhances the visual impact of the photo. You can also off-set a mat in creative ways. Lots of people cut the mat with fancy scissors to give a distinctive cut edge that ties in with the over all design of the page.

Journalling

This is a very important aspect of your layout. It can be just a title or it can be  a story that describes the focal point. Some layouts may just have a title, and that is all you need, the photo tells its own story. Or you might have a title and then a few words, or you may have a paragraph of writing outlining what the photo is about and when and where it happened. Journalling comes in many forms including hand written text, fonts typed on your computer, stickers and other commercially available letters.

Embellishments

These are all the extras used on your layout. Embellishments are anything you want to add. From flowers, stickers, buttons and ribbon to metal items. Embellishments add visual interest or texture to a layout and they accent the photos, helping to add that balance. There is a constant stream of new embellishments hitting the market it is hard to keep up. Don’t feel like you have to add everything to your page. Start simple, and get a feel for what you like to work with and what you are comfortable with. I must say I feel that a couple of buttons and a bit of ric rac ribbon can jazz up and balance any layout, it is almost my mantra.

EAST STEPS TO CREATING A LAYOUT

A well known scrapbooking motto is K I S S - Keep It Simple Sweetie
Now that you have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of scrapbooking, why don’t you use the following simple steps to create a wonderful layout.

  Go to Step 2