For Beginner Scrapbookers

1.Don’t Feel Overwhelmed!
Yes there are many scrapbook tools and techniques to choose from. When I did my first scrapbook page. I didn’t know where to start. I hope these tips will help you to create beautiful scrapbook page layouts. There is no wrong way to creating your layout. It’s your own style and we all have a creative side to us. This is what you are leaving behind for generations to come.

2.Build a Theme
Go through your pictures to help you decide what you want to do first. I like to add pictures that have lots of action in them. Maybe a Birthday Party, or a Holiday Gathering. The first day of school, birth of a new baby boy or girl, a family pet. You can even do a scrapbook about you. I like this idea because a lot of the time we focus on other members of our family and have a lot of information to leave behind about them, but not about the actual creator of the scrapbook album. If you do not have many action pictures you can use a school portrait. This is where you should start thinking about some really good scrapbook titles.

3.Use Different Types of Paper
There are many sizes of scrapbook paper to choose from. Some are 12in.x12in.or 8 1/2in x11in and even smaller. Make sure they are Acid and Lignin free so they don’t ruin your photo and the paper won’t break down over the years. You may want to start with a one-page scrapbook layout. If you have a lot of pictures of a special event you can choose to do a companion page. I personally like doing scrapbook companion pages. We have six people in our family and we always have a lot of pictures from special occasions. The color scheme would be your choice. You could go with plain or patterned paper in bold or subtle colors. Also available are many different textures an of course smooth. Some brand names I use are Bazzill, Prima, Maya Road just to name a few. I like to use bold colors for b-days and subtle colors for the birth of a new baby. When doing a scrapbook page make sure that you stick to the same color family. With patterned papers you can pick out elements of the page for instance diamond shapes and duplicate it making the frames to your pictures diamond shaped. Or you can use a color in the patterned paper that may contrast a little; this will help the scrapbook page pop. For example if there is hint of yellow on the patterned paper you can do the title and the photo frames in yellow. There are scrapbook kits available to purchase. They have all the materials in them to complete your layout with ideas right with the kit. The scrapbook kits are available at many different craft stores like Michael’s, Joann’s or A.C. Moore. I also saw them on eBay, Amazon and various different scrapbook websites. So there is less time spent in making sure colors work together well. Again let your imagination run wild.

4.Photo Placement.
There is a general rule of odd numbers. Doing this makes it more pleasing to the eye. I suggest you count how many photos you are going to put on the paper and draw (on a separate sheet of paper) yourself a template of where you want them to go. This way you get a general idea of what the page will look like. This way you can re-arrange things before you make them permanent. I usually search the internet for free scrapbook page layout ideas or buy magazines. Some of the Scrapbook magazines I subscribe to are Memory Makers, Scrapbook etc and a few others. I have also seen an even number of photos on scrapbook layouts. I have done pages where there are a lot of photos and I had an even number of photographs. It turned out real nice too. Rules are meant to be broken.

5.Cutting Tools
You want to have a good pair of scissors and an Exacto knife. I also like to have a paper cutter on hand. There are many paper-cutting systems on the market today. Fiskars’ sells a paper cutter used for scrapbooking that has a ruler attached for measuring it is also nice and compact. For simple framing, I use the Provocraft Coluzzle and it is very inexpensive. In their product line they sell geometric shape templates. I use the different shapes for making frames for my photos. There are other cutting machines on the market that you can buy but they are more expensive. I have done reviews on some of the die cutting machines I own, you can read my reviews here.
http://cricut-review.blogspot.com/.
http://sizzix-die-cutter-review.blogspot.com/.
http://cuddlebug-review.blogspot.com/.
http://coluzzle-review.blogspot.com/.
I would wait to see if you enjoy scrapbooking first as they are a small investment but I like having them to make the process of scrapbooking faster and easier. They are made for the more avid scrapbooker.

6.Adhesives
I use many different types and brands. Again make sure they are also safe for scrapbooking. A few examples are a glue stick, Glue dots, Herma tape and photo tabs. You can use photo tabs for photos, glue dots for embellishments. You will know what you like better as you continue to scrapbook.

7.Writing tools
There are many different brands and colors of pens to choose from. Marker types and glitter gel pens to name a few. You can even use colored pencils and crayons for whatever look your trying to achieve. Ink alphabet stamps can also be used to create your scrapbook page. There are many types of stamps available to purchase. I als have a label maker. You can purchase different color tapes to go with your page. Again make sure the ink is safe to use.

8.Journaling
I think this is one of the most important steps of scrapbooking. Journaling helps the reader to get a feel of what was going on in the story your trying to tell. When you journal, you should answer the questions of what, where, when and why. I like to put my journaling on a tag or around a photo. You can journal anywhere you like. You can personalize it by writing in it, or type it up on the computer and print it out. I search to find different ideas for titles, poems, quotes, phrases,recipes,and lists that have to do with my theme.

9.Embellishments
These really jazz up a scrapbook page and make it original. You can use gingham ribbon, glitter, sequins, yarn, hemp, charms, stickers, brads, beads, eyelets, paints, Prima flowers, die cuts, punch outs and much more. You can get a better idea of what these are if you use a search engine and type in the key words. There are so many different things you can do. You don’t have to put all these techniques on one page layout. You can pick one or use a few.

10.Techniques and Trends.
I like using the tearing technique. I have some rulers made by Fiskars with different designs on the edges and you tear the paper along the edge. You should then have that same design on your scrapbook paper edge. I use these for framing and when I layer paper over other paper for backgrounds. I also like to use ink stamping or color a design from a stencil to add character. The stencil technique is a big trend now. Some other techniques are dry embossing and paper piecing. It’s about having fun and letting your creative side come out.