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Get Started Scrapbooking!

 


                                                                                                                                                          

 
Did you ever try to make your own scrapbooks as a kid? Folding papers together and gluing little treasures to the pages. Perhaps you added "cool" stickers or art work and maybe even a story. Maybe you still have these childhood treasures but most likely they  have become faded or fallen apart. 

Fortunately, scrapbooking techniques and tools have matured quite a bit since you were a kid.

Scrapbooks are still all about collecting photographs, magazine clippings, poems, tickets, etc. and   placing them into your scrapbook to display and preserve your memories. However, Scrapbooking albums have replaced the random loose papers or folded pages. These albums are generally bound or placed in a three-ring binder. In this way, your hard work is better preserved. Furthermore, new specialized covers allow protection from the outside elements.

There are also several more sophisticated options when it comes to adhesives. Many of these adhesives make scrapbooking a mess free and convenient. Supplies like glue dots and two-sided tape makes mounting your memories super easy. Many of these products are so strong that you can safely decorate your scrapbook pages with heavier items like ribbons, pressed flowers, or even metal charms.

Scrapbooking has become so popular that people have found some new and exciting ways to expand their hobby. Besides the traditional idea of creating memory books to hold personal keepsakes and gift giving. People are also using their scrapbooking skills and techniques to make baby announcements, grandparent books, cards, artwork for kid’s rooms, recipe books, and even educational tools.

So, How Do You Get Started Scrapbooking?

One great thing about scrapbooking is that although there is an overwhelmingly large amount of scrapbooking supplies out there, you really don’t need a lot to begin making a scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is:

An Album

Some Adhesive or Glue

A Pair of Scissors, 

And Some Photographs or Newspaper/ Magazine Clippings. 

You can also add to your scrapbook, any fabric, ribbon, or bits of leftovers from other projects to embellish your pages.

At first, just glue or tape the photos and clipping however you think will look nice. There are layouts that you can find online and I will be doing some posts on layouts in the future but for right now, it's way more fun and easier to just start arranging things the way that look good to you.

You can buy scrapbook paper for your album but you can also use the paper that comes with the album. Glue the largest photos or clipping first and then follow with the smaller items and end with any embellishments that you want to add on your page. Start with one page at a time and just have fun with it. Make it however you want and subtract or add as many pages to your scrapbook that you would like and will fit. You can purchase refill pages through many art and craft supply stores.


The more you scrapbook, the more products  you will find to save you time and frustration. Many of these products are well worth the cost. At the top of this list is an Exacto knife. This strong and versatile blade allows you to cut almost anything into any shape. Just be sure to place the object you plan to cut onto a mat before cutting. Otherwise, the knife will cut right through your picture and into your scrapbook page or dining room table.


The next best tool is a pair of tweezers. Trying to pick up and place small sticky pieces can be difficult. Tweezers allow you to move pieces without touching them.


You may want to check out the various glue and affixing options available. These quick and less messy options include glue dots, two-sided tape, Xyron, acid free photo tabs, and polypropylene corners.


To increase the preservation of your scrapbooks, look for albums with acid free, lignin free pages. Both acid and lignin accelerate photo fading and general deterioration. Lignin is a chemical found naturally in the cell walls of plants. If the lignin is not removed in the paper manufacturing process, the chemical will cause the paper product to gradually yellow and crumble. Lignin and acid free products come in a wide range of colors and textures.


 Photo by Rirri

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