Scrapbooking

by Rebecca Ludens and Jennifer Schmidt

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Scrapbooking

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Scrapbooking

by Rebecca Ludens and Jennifer Schmidt

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File AttachmentC1.jpg

Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Scrapbooking

Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved.

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United StatesCopyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600,or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, WileyPublishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, Teach Yourself VISUALLY, and related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of JohnWiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is notassociated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of thiswork and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty maybe created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situa-tion. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional ser-vices. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher northe author shall be liable for damages arising here from. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citationand/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organiza-tion or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in thiswork may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

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ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-9945-3ISBN-10: 0-7645-9945-3

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www.wiley.com

Praise for the Teach Yourself VISUALLY Series

I just had to let you and your company know how great I think your books are. I justpurchased my third Visual book (my first two are dog-eared now!) and, once again,your product has surpassed my expectations. The expertise, thought, and effort thatgo into each book are obvious, and I sincerely appreciate your efforts. Keep up thewonderful work!

—Tracey Moore (Memphis, TN)

I have several books from the Visual series and have always found them to be valuableresources.

—Stephen P. Miller (Ballston Spa, NY)

Thank you for the wonderful books you produce. It wasn’t until I was an adult that Idiscovered how I learn—visually. Although a few publishers out there claim to present thematerial visually, nothing compares to Visual books. I love the simple layout. Everythingis easy to follow. And I understand the material! You really know the way I think andlearn. Thanks so much!

—Stacey Han (Avondale, AZ)

Like a lot of other people, I understand things best when I see them visually. Your booksreally make learning easy and life more fun.

—John T. Frey (Cadillac, MI)

I am an avid fan of your Visual books. If I need to learn anything, I just buy one of yourbooks and learn the topic in no time. Wonders! I have even trained my friends to give meVisual books as gifts.

—Illona Bergstrom (Aventura, FL)

I write to extend my thanks and appreciation for your books. They are clear, easy tofollow, and straight to the point. Keep up the good work! I bought several of your booksand they are just right! No regrets! I will always buy your books because they are the best.

—Seward Kollie (Dakar, Senegal)

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CreditsAcquisitions EditorPam Mourouzis

Project EditorDonna Wright

Copy EditorLynn Northrup

Editorial ManagerChristina Stambaugh

PublisherCindy Kitchel

Vice President and Executive PublisherKathy Nebenhaus

Interior DesignKathie Rickard

Elizabeth Brooks

Cover DesignJosé Almaguer

Cover and Interior PhotographyMatt Bowen

Special Thanks...We would like to acknowledge all of the scrapbookers whose work was chosen to be dis-played in the book. Your creativity is astounding and your scrapbook pages are gorgeous.

• Tracey Eller• Jennifer Foster• Veronica Johnson• Neith Juch• Michon Kessler• Vicki Lockmiller

• Candy McSween• Jennifer Okonek• Shiela Scott• Mindy Tobias• Jenna Tomalka

Special thanks to our models Carolyn Meyers and her daughters Alana and Julia.

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About the AuthorsRebecca Ludens (Kalamazoo, MI) is the ScrapbookingGuide for About.com, where she writes weekly articles,product reviews, and how-tos. She has created scrapbookpage designs for several scrapbooking manufacturers and hasappeared on the television show DIY Scrapbooking and atscrapbook shows, retreats, and cruises.

Jennifer Schmidt (Crystal Lake, IL) has been on the designteam for several scrapbooking manufacturers. She has beenteaching scrapbooking classes for over eight years at conven-tions across the country, and has had pages published inscrapbooking magazines as well as having pages displayed onDIY Scrapbooking.

AcknowledgmentsThank you to all the photographers, both professional and amateur, who allowed us to usetheir photos on scrapbook pages in this book: Shea Wetzler of Shea Photography, LindaCurtin, Carolyn Meyers, Dara Ludens, Julie Gehring, Heidi Lachel, and Barb Obley.

Thank you, also, to our husbands (Douglas Ludens and Brian Schmidt) who were sopatient and supportive during the process of writing this book. And, of course, thank you toour children (all eight of them between the two of us) who are our constant scrapbookinginspiration—Bethany, Lindsey, and Mikhail Ludens; Elizabeth, Kaitlyn, Rachel, Steven, andPhilip Schmidt.

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Getting Startedchapter1Why Scrapbook? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Scrapbooking with Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Themes for Children’s Scrapbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Choose Your Album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Album Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Types of Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Cut It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Choose Adhesives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Tools for Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Your Photoschapter2Take Better Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Enlarge Your Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Add Text to Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Repair Damaged Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Crop Your Photos—Before and After . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Crop to Include More Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

What Not to Crop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Organize Your Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Table of Contents

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The Basics of a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Create a Focal Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Get Started Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Embellish Your Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Use a Color Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Create a Mood with Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Rule of Thumb for Color Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Complement Your Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Create a Scrapbook Pagechapter3

Select Colors for Your Scrapbook Pageschapter4

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Matting Essentialschapter5Matting Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Six Quick Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Multiple Photos on One Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Combo Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Embellished Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Journaling Styleschapter6Journal on Vellum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Journal on Transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Journal on Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Photos as Journaling Pockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Add Text with a Label Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Matchbook Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

File Folder Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Library Pocket Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

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Designing from Page Planschapter7What Is a Page Plan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Scrapbooking from a Page Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Where to Find Page Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Bonus Plans and Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Title Trickschapter8Use Lettering Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Sticker Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Sticker Letter Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Die-Cut Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Die-Cut Shaker Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Tag Shaker Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Painted Chipboard Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Rubber Stamping Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Bleached Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Metal Lettering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Brad Rub-On Lettering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Clay Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Stencil Paste Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Die-Cutting Fabric, Cork, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

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Paper Techniqueschapter9Paper Tearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Geometric Borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Serendipity Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Adding Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Inking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Chalking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Paper Piecing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Sewing on Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Sewn Vellum Journaling Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Vellum 3-D Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Vellum Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Three-Dimensional Embellishmentschapter10Eyelets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Folded Photo Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

Brads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Slide Mounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Silk Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Stitching with Floss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Printing on Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Household Embellishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

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Working with Wirechapter11Craft Wire Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

Basic Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Straightening Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

Making a Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Tight Spirals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Loose Spirals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

Simple Wire Embellishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Wire Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

Attaching Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Beaded Dragonfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Beaded Flower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180

Get Organizedchapter12Bring-It-Along Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

Paper Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

Make Your Own Storage Cubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188

Pegboard Wall Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Embellishment Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

Make Your Fiber Organizer Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

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Mini and Theme Scrapbookschapter13Basic Mini-Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Mini-Books on Scrapbook Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Tag Albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

Envelope Mini-Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Accordion Scrapbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Paper Bag Albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

Container Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216

Photo Inspirationchapter14Photo Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Photos on Transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Photos on Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

Mosaic Scrapbook Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226

Editing Overall Photo Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Spot Color Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230

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Layout Gallerychapter15Appendix: Resource List

and Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282

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Getting StartedPreserving family, vacation, and heritage memories in scrapbooks is anextremely rewarding hobby. To get started on your first scrapbook, takesome time to understand the types of supplies available to you andhow to choose the best materials for your project.

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Why Scrapbook? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Scrapbooking with Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Themes for Children’s Scrapbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Choose Your Album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Album Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Types of Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Cut It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Choose Adhesives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Tools for Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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Why Scrapbook?

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Understanding why scrapbooking isimportant to you and deciding whatyour purpose is in scrapbooking deter-mine the types of supplies, embellish-ments, and album that you use.

Reasons for Scrapbooking

PRESERVE YOUR PHOTOSMany pictures that have been put into photo albums over the last50 years have been damaged by the harsh chemicals used in theadhesives in those albums. Scrapbookers need to use materials(paper, adhesives, and inks) that will not damage photos in order to preserve them for future generations.

SAVE YOUR MEMORIESPhotos without journaling are memories for only a short time. Soon the names, places, and event information are lost and only aphoto remains. The heritage photos (family pictures from previousgenerations) shown here have no memories associated with thembecause the names and information about these people have beenlost over time.

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RECORD MAJOR EVENTSWeddings, graduations, birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries are among the many life events that easily lend themselves toscrapbooking.

RESEARCH OF YOUR FAMILY HISTORYGenealogy study and even just looking up the basics of your familytree can be the perfect time to start scrapbooking. Documentingthis information in a scrapbook will allow future generations to ben-efit from the knowledge you have gleaned of your family’s heritage.

REMEMBER THOSE PRECIOUS EVERYDAY MOMENTSNot every photo you take will be of a major event in your life. Mostof them will be the little things. These everyday pictures will betreasured in your scrapbooks for years to come.

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Scrapbooking with Children

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GATHER SUPPLIESKeep it simple. Basic supplies such as a pair of scissors,an adhesive runner, a trimmer, paper, and stickers are alla child needs to get started. Store these basic supplieswhere they are readily accessible so that you can takeadvantage of any free time to work on some scrapbookpages with your child.

USE A SMALL-SIZE ALBUMSmaller album pages require fewer photos and decora-tions to complete. These albums come in a wide varietyof styles and colors, making choosing the album almostas fun as completing it.

MAKE COPIESGiving your children copies of the photos they are work-ing with allows them to have some creative freedomwhile giving you peace of mind.

Children are naturally creative. Including them in your scrapbooking provides not only quality fam-ily time together but also adds their unique perspective to your pages.

ENCOURAGE JOURNALINGYou will look back on these pages and enjoy seeing howyour child grew and how their handwriting changedover the years. Help them decide what to write by ask-ing them questions that relate to the scrapbook page.Their answers become the journaling text.

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Themes for Children’sScrapbooks

ABC ALBUMSABC albums are theme scrapbooks where each pagestarts with a different letter. Larger books can cover thewhole alphabet, while smaller books could cover justthe letters in your child’s name; for example, “What isspecial about RACHEL?”

ALL ABOUT ME SCRAPBOOKSAll about me scrapbooks are interview-style albumswhere children fill in information about themselves oneach page; for example, “My best friends are . . .” “Myfavorite books are . . .”

TRAVEL/SPECIAL TRIPTravel/special trip scrapbooks allow your child to recordwhich events and memories were most meaningful tothem. These albums may include photos, memorabilia,and journaling, all from your child’s perspective.

Theme albums are perfect for children. A theme album has a defined beginning and an end. It canbe completed in a shorter amount of time than a regular chronological album. Following are sometheme albums that work great for children; more theme album ideas can be found in Chapter 13.

SCHOOL PAGES OR YEAR-IN-REVIEWALBUMSSchool pages or year-in-review albums cover the eventsof a specific year. One album can cover the whole year,or you can simply add a couple of pages each year to anongoing album.

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Choose Your Album

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POST-BOUND ALBUMSPost-bound albums are bound by screws and posts. Thepage protectors are bound into the album and thepages slip into the protectors from the top.

STRAP-HINGE ALBUMSStrap-hinge albums are bound by a plastic strap thatpasses through staples that are bound into the edges ofthe scrapbook pages.

SPIRAL AND BOOK-BOUND ALBUMSSpiral and book-bound albums can be simple and inex-pensive, or elegant and pricey. These scrapbooks areusually chosen for a special project or gift album.

Scrapbooks come in a variety of styles and colors. Each style is defined by a distinctive bindingmethod. Looking at the pros and cons of each style can help you choose which one is right for yourproject.

3-RING BINDING ALBUMSThree-ring binding albums have a lot in common with a classic 3-ring office binder. For scrapbooking, you canfind binders with leather and fabric covers. Top-openingpage proctectors simply slip on the rings.

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POST-BOUND ALBUMSAdvantages: The pages lie flat. The album is easilyexpandable by adding post extensions. Top-openingpage protectors allow any type or color of paper to beused for each layout.

Disadvantages: You need to slip pages out of the pro-tectors or remove posts to rearrange pages.

3-RING BINDING ALBUMSAdvantages: Rearranging pages is quick and easy.Several sizes of rings are available; choose a D-ring stylefor ease of use.

Disadvantages: The rings lie between the pages of atwo-page spread when open. The albums are notexpandable.

SPIRAL AND BOOK-BOUND ALBUMSAdvantages: Spiral-bound albums are inexpensive andgreat for working with kids. It’s also easy to decorate the cover and the binding. Book-bound albums makeprofessional-looking heritage and family albums.

Disadvantages: These albums are not expandable. You are limited to flat embellishments. Pages can’t berearranged or removed after they are completed.

STRAP-HINGE ALBUMSAdvantages: Pages lie flat when open. Albums areexpandable.

Disadvantages: Pages are bound by a strap, making itdifficult to rearrange layouts. When the pages are boundto the book, you have to cover each page if you want aselection of backgrounds with each layout.

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Album Sizes

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The scrapbook project you are working on determines the size album you need. The variety of sizesavailable will spark your creativity and get you thinking about all the different albums you couldmake for friends and family. The most common sizes of scrapbook albums are 12" × 12" and 81⁄2" × 11".

Common Sizes

12" × 12" albums are most often selected for chronological orevent-oriented family albums. The larger page size allows room formore photos and embellishments. Paper is available in a huge arrayof colors and styles in this 12" square size.

81⁄2" × 11" albums also make great family albums; however, thissmaller size makes them a good choice for a more defined album,such as a school album or a child’s scrapbook. The smaller pagesize allows you to create great pages with fewer photos.

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11" × 81⁄2" albums are basically the 81⁄2" × 11" album turned on itsside. The long rectangular shape of these album pages makes themideally suited for the classic 4" × 6" size of photos. This album is afun alternative to the more traditional album sizes.

4" × 4", 6" × 6", and 8" × 8" albums are all varying sizes of thesquare page made popular by the 12" × 12" album. These smallersizes are perfect for gift or theme scrapbooks. Fewer photos arerequired to complete each page, while the square shape works withthe same design schemes as the 12" × 12".

Smaller and specialty albums are fun, complete-in-a-weekend-type scrapbooks that come in as many shapes and varieties as yourimagination can dream up. Scrapbooks can be made from CD hold-ers, tags, or even paper lunch bags (see Chapter 13). Some manufac-turers are selling these tiny albums to add to pages or stand aloneas mini-books.

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Types of Paper

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Scrapbookers know it is all about the paper. The array of paper available for this craft is amazing.Choosing paper appropriate for your specific scrapbook project will be easier after this overview ofpaper types.

CARDSTOCKCardstock is a scrapbooking neces-sity. You could create entire albumswith only different colors of thisheavyweight paper. An easy way tocoordinate cardstock is to purchase itin monochromatic sets of differentshades.

SPECIALTY PAPERSpecialty paper includes vellum, mul-berry paper, metallics, and meshes.You can print on vellum while stillhaving the photo or colored paperbeneath it showing through. Whenyou tear mulberry paper, it leaves afuzzy edge that can add an interest-ing texture to a scrapbook page. Justa small amount of metallic or meshcan add a significant level of textureand drama to a page.

PATTERNED PAPERPatterned paper adds interest to yourcardstock layers. This lighter-weightpaper comes in every print imagina-ble. Pattern paper fills in the spots onyour scrapbook pages that may looka little too plain.

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Cut It Up

Trimming, cropping, and edging are all fancy words for cutting up things in scrapbooking. Goodscissors and a paper trimmer are a must. Shape cutters and punches make their respective tasksquicker and easier.

SCISSORSScissors are a scrapbooker’s bestfriend. A good-quality pair of scissorswith a nice sharp edge makes everyscrapbooking task you do easier.Decorative scissors come in manydifferent styles. One mistake thatbeginners sometimes make is cuttingphotos with decorative scissors. Thefancy edge takes the focus off of thephoto and puts it on the decoratededge.

SHAPE CUTTERS ANDPUNCHESShape cutters and punches are usedto cut paper and photos into a vari-ety of shapes and designs. The mostbasic shape cutter can be used tocut circles and ovals of varying sizes.Punches come in every shape andsize imaginable. Select some basicpunches like geometrics (circles andsquares) and tags that you will useagain and again.

PAPER TRIMMERSPaper trimmers are a must for cut-ting sheets of paper and also for getting a good straight edge whenyou crop or trim your photos. A 12"trimmer allows you to cut any sizepaper. This is a tool that you will use every time you work on yourscrapbooks.

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Choose Adhesives

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Adhering photos and memorabilia tothe pages is the main task in scrapbook-ing. When you shop in the scrapbookaisle at your local hobby store, youwill find that there are many differenttypes and styles of acid-free, scrap-booking adhesive. Choosing the rightone makes all the difference in howyour project turns out.

Styles of Adhesive

Tape runners will be your scrapbook friend. These versatile adhe-sive dispensers are the right choice for adhering both paper andphotos to your album pages. Some tape runners dispense clearwhite strips, or even little blue dots of adhesive. Be sure to read thelabel. If you want to be able to remove items from your pages in thefuture, choose a “repositionable” adhesive; otherwise “permanent”is best.

Photo tabs are small squares of white double-sided adhesive.Despite the name, they work on both paper and photos. Just onetab in the corner on the back of each photo is all you need. Thisadhesive also allows you to pop the pictures back off the layout ifyou need to remove them to make copies at a later date. To savetime, purchase a photo tab dispenser, similar to how tape runnersare sold.

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