Scrapbooking Supplies for Newbies

You have seen several of your friends’ scrapbooks. You have also developed a growing interest to make one of your own. You finally decide to make the move and go to the scrapbooking shop and grab some supplies. But once you enter the shop and see what is in store for you, you found yourself totally lost with hundreds of items to choose from. The same feeling of being lost also happens to other newbies like you, believe it or not. Surely, you don’t want to end up picking up some items you just thought you might need but won’t use. You want to have a specific list of scrapbooking supplies you can use.

To help you with this, here are some of the must have scrapbooking supplies to start with:

Album – When selecting an album, consider the size and the theme you want to create. A definite size would help you plan the overall look of your scrapbook while the theme would help you choose the style of album. Try to find a large album if you want a good space for elaborate decoration; of course, this would depend on the theme you want to create. A small album is fine if you prefer a manageable space. Most scrapbook enthusiasts use small and large ones, but as a beginner you may want to start with one size and go from there.

Papers – there is a wide variety of plain and patterned papers to choose from and different kinds of papers help you create beautiful layouts. Whatever you choose, make sure that the colors you pick match your chosen theme. You may want to go to a scrapbooking shop and get different types of paper sold in sheets. This will give the pages of your scrapbook some variations.

Adhesives – There are several types and brands of adhesives you can buy. Pick one or two that would match the exact need for your scrapbook. Glue Sticks, Mod Podge, Rubber Cement, 3D Dots, and Scotch are some you might want to try. Test a few and see which ones best fit your needs.

Scissors – It is advisable to have a separate pair of scissors for your scrapbooking. This will let you keep it as sharp as possible. Get a pair that is non-stick.

Journal Pens – If you buy journal pens, consider the permanent marking, fine tips, and acid-free ones. Acid-free pens are a must because they will keep the album clean and free from chemical reactions that could cause the pictures and the album to deteriorate later on.

Additional Supplies:

Acrylic paints – For a more vibrant look on the pages of your scrapbook, colored pens and papers may not be enough. You may want to add some acrylic paint. You can buy them individually or in bulk.

Rubber stamps – Rubber stamps add more color and style to your scrapbook. Rubber stamps come on different shapes, sizes, and styles. Choose ones that would enhance the look of your scrapbook.

Rub-Ons – To free yourself from cutting or writing texts on to your scrapbook, rub-ons are nice alternatives.

3D Embellishments – These include flowers, ribbons, lace, doilies, die cuts, stickers, buttons, brads, and cut outs, just to name a few. They add charm and dimension to your pages and can be adhered with a hot glue gun.

These are some of the things you can have as you start your scrapbook. Make sure you have the basic things before buying other supplies that are more expensive.

Happy Scrappin’!

6 Secrets of Perfect Stamping

From Creating Keepsakes

If your stamped images aren't turning out as perfectly as you'd like, read these tips for an instant improvement!

1. Use the right kind of ink for the job

Knowing what kind of ink will work well on the surface you're stamping on is the first step to clear, crisp images that won't smear. Check out our stamping glossary to learn more about different types of inks.

2. Fully ink the image

Unless your goal is a distressed or fuzzy image, verify your stamp is fully inked before stamping your image. Use a brayer to help you ink large surfaces.

3. Don't guess on placement; use your tools

Use gridlines on acrylic blocks to help you line up multiple clear stamps and perfectly place your images, or, if you're using a rubber stamp, reach for a Stamp-a-ma-jig.

4. Stamp straight down; lift straight up

It sounds like a no-brainer, but many of us have the tendency to rock our stamps when we place them on our cardstock or lift them up. Practice stamping in a straight down, straight up motion to create clear stamped images without that annoying "halo" effect.

5. Clean your stamps

When you're quickly moving from one fabulous creative idea to the next, it can be hard to remember to clean your stamps. But if you do, they'll last longer, accept ink more readily, and stamp cleaner images.

6. Condition your stamps

If you aren't happy with the quality of your stamped images, try going over the surface of your stamp with a large pink eraser in order to give your ink a little texture to grip to. This is especially effective with larger stamps, and it works on both clear and rubber varieties to give you crisper images.

Happy Scrappin'!

Do You Hoard Scrapbook Papers?

Are you a "buy the paper now and the inspiration will come later" kind of scrapbooker? If you are, then you are probably a paper hoarder! You know, buying up all the paper now because it’s pretty and appealing or it’s on sale, with no immediate intent to create anything.

One of the downsides to hoarding paper is forgetting what you already bought and perhaps buying duplicates. Another downside is creating storage for the paper. One way to combat the hoarding demon is to buy only what you need, when you need it. This is easier said than done, especially when you are in the store facing all those beautiful patterned papers. I know! Another thing you can do is to buy three or four basic collections to have on hand. You can always add to it when you have a project in mind. Of course, if you happen to catch a ridiculous sale, then I say go for it! But remember to keep track of what you bought.

You will want to store your papers so they are ready for you when you need them. I recommend storing by brand or designer – easier to retrieve and refill. If you prefer to store by colors, then make sure you keep track of which papers come from which collection, so you can readily refill your stock.

There are no hard and fast rules to storing your papers – what works for you will work for you!

Personally, I keep my papers together by collections, which is usually according to a theme. This works for me as I tend to work in themes when I do a paper project. But again, do whatever is easiest for you and saves you time, energy and money!

Happy Scrappin!

5 Reasons You Should Use Free Scrapbooking Layouts

Here is a fun article on using free scrapbooking layouts by Maree Galt over at Memorable Scrapbooking.com. Enjoy!

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I have been to a number of scrapbooking events and socials. When talking to avid scrapbooking fans, I have met a few that had not even considered using free scrapbooking layouts (some didn’t even know they existed!).

I don’t know why this is the case, but there are a number of reasons you should look at using a free layout for your next scrapbook:

1. Obviously it will cost a lot less

We’re not all made of money and if you can get something for free – why wouldn’t you? To me, it makes little sense to buy a layout when you can get free scrapbooking layouts. I have seen some scrapbooking layouts cost as much as $30 per layout! I’m pretty sure that was not the most expensive one around either! I’m not saying you should never buy another layout, heck if I find the perfect layout I’ll happily put down the money. However, if all you’re looking for is a simple layout, there are a number of free ones that are just as good as the ones you can buy.

2. You can change it if there is something you don’t like

When I buy a scrapbook layout, it’s usually because I think its ‘perfect’. However, there are times when it’s close to what I want, but not exactly what I want. If I get adventurous and try to change the layout, there it a chance I can ruin it. If you download free scrapbooking layouts, you can print, use and edit them as much as you like. If you make a mistake, just print another one – easy as that. No more worrying about how much it will cost you if you make a mistake!

3. Its truer to the original concept of scrapbooking

Scrapbooking originally was done by people who had little money. In the days of old, photographs were expensive and having enough to fill an album was out of the question! People would collect scraps of ribbon, string and other memorabilia and make beautiful arrangements of these scrap pieces in a book – Hence scrapbooking! They would be mortified at the prospect of buying new things to put into their book.

4. The layouts are just as good as the paid ones

That’s right! Some people have a stigma about free things and scrappers are no exception. There is a belief that if its free, its probably a bad design that wouldn’t sell. This is a misconception that needs to be put to rest right now. I have seen some free scrapbooking layouts that are better than ones I paid for in the past. Have a look – I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

5. Self Satisfaction

I don’t know about you, but when I find a way to make something and save money in the process, I get a little swelling of pride in my chest accompanied by a sense of self satisfaction. This will add a nice little glow to the feeling of accomplishment when you finish your next scrapbook.

Next time you start up a scrapbook and are thinking of layouts, be sure to cast your eye over some of the free layouts before going straight for the paid ones – you may just find exactly what you are looking for. You have nothing to lose and money to save!

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Also, be sure to sign up to receive 10 Free Scrapbooking Layouts at Memorable Scrapbooking!

Happy Scrappin!

Scrapbooking for Less: Tips and Tricks

Do you want to do scrapbooking but have a limited budget to buy the essential supplies? Then read on and learn some tips and tricks to get around your shoestring budget and still create beautiful scrapbooks you can be proud of.

First, you make a list of the things you need in order of priority. The scrapbook album is the most essential tool to have. But you can find inexpensive scrapbooking kits that have everything you need all in one package. In the end, it can come out cheaper than buying everything individually. Also, you can make your own mini albums very inexpensively using paper bags and envelopes. More on that in a moment.

You would then need the basic tools and supplies – pens, papers, adhesive, and scissors. Rubber stamps, acrylic paints, puncher, stickers, card stock, and ribbons are things you may already have or can get very readily. Check your own supply to see what you already have that you can use, like scissors, colored papers and markers.

Once you have identified the things you need, make a list of the things you need to purchase. Remember you are working on a limited budget so you know your priorities. It is better if you make two lists. One is for the must haves and the second is for the extra supplies if you have excess cash.

Next, check the price on the Internet to get an idea of the prices. There are several sites that sell scrapbooking supplies and there are more sites that offer discounted scrapbooking supplies. You may want to visit sites that offer cheaper but quality supplies. Make sure to shop around. The first site you visit may not be the best so take your time and browse several sites before deciding where to buy your supplies.

When you have decided where to buy your supplies and have an idea of prices, then it is time for you to make your final list. This is a good idea because you want to have your list at hand when shopping. If you are anything like me, your eyes are much bigger than your wallet! I get to the store and see all the pretty embellishments and things and there goes the budget! Making that final list keeps you organized; this list will be your shopping guide. You can also shop online as it is more convenient and less stressful. If you prefer seeing the product first before paying for it, then you can go to stores.

If you still have some extra cash left, you may want to buy some inexpensive scrapbook supplies that would give extra glow on your scrapbook. Rubber stamps, colored pens, and colored papers are still cost efficient yet would add sparkle to your scrapbook. I also mentioned creating mini scrapbook albums. These are my favorites and a lot of fun to make and give as personalized gifts. You can make them out of paper bags, envelopes or cardstock. Check out the Following the Paper Trail YouTube Channel, as Laura teaches you how to create gorgeous mini scrapbook albums out of small, medium and large envelopes as well as paper bags. It is very easy and quite inexpensive to get a pack of envelopes at your local stores.

If you are really on a tight budget, you can improvise by using materials you can find in your home. Magazines, newspapers, and other papers can be good alternatives for colored papers and paints. Yes, expensive materials would really add good effects on your scrapbook, but with a little creativity and imagination, any material you have at home would transform your scrapbook into a work of art.

Happy Scrappin’!

Finding Inspiration

Creative inspiration is everywhere you look. My favorite places for inspiration are magazines; especially arts and craft magazines. These could lead to finding new color schemes and layouts for your pages. Billboards, advertisements, movie posters, and simply the scenes of your neighborhood can also become sources of inspiration if you look at the world with a scrapbooking eye.

However, pictures are not the only thing that will inspire you for a new page idea. You will have plenty of words and feelings to help you along the way. A funny or moving quote can be used on a page as an embellishment, or perhaps a catchy phrase can become the theme and title of your layout. You may just need to break out from the visual arts and try to find inspiration in other places. Some of my best page ideas come to me when I’m doing something totally unrelated to layout design, such as reading. Take a break and walk away from your scrapbooking space. If you just change your scenery, you will be amazed at the wonderful and unique pages you could create.

Friends can be a good source of inspiration as well. You will also want to ask for advice on any layouts and see examples of their scrapbooks to help you to find some type of inspiration. Also, check other scrapbooking websites and join scrapbook forums to get more ideas. I love watching the video tutorials on YouTube as there is no shortage of ideas, tutorials and inspiration to choose from.

The best sources of inspiration are the pictures themselves. You may want to pull designs and colors from the pictures. You may also want to use the pictures to help you to determine the layout and what your options are pertaining to the layouts. Allow your subjects to inspire you. After all, they are the focal point of your layout.

Happy Scrappin!

Journaling Your Scrapbook

One of the most forgotten steps when you create a new scrapbook is to journalize it. The reason why journalizing is important is so that you can remember what was going on; so you can reflect years and years later and remember more clearly. Journalizing each page also adds a personal touch to the scrapbook – because no one remembers any event exactly the same.

You can begin by creating a title for each page. Think of your page as a story and then name it. Use big bold letters for the title to draw attention to it, but make sure it does not overwhelm the most important elements of the page – the pictures.

Each picture on your page should have a few words as a caption. You will want to name the people in the pictures or the places shown. Others who do not know all of your friends will also benefit from these labels. You also want to think about captions as a small element on a page and you may only want to use a caption occasionally and not put one on every picture.

You will also want to include text into your page design. Many pre-made layouts will already include a space for text. Use this element of the design to record the “story” behind the pictures. What would you tell a dear friend looking through the album? All of this information is easily forgotten, so it is important to jot down a few words on a piece of notebook paper and save it with your photographs if you think that you won’t get the chance to create your pages right away. Time just seems to blend the years together. Very few people can remember everything they did by date, but if you include a date or time you will be able to preserve the memories.

Occasionally you may forget your camera at an important event, lose your pictures, or not be allowed to use a camera in the space. Even if you went somewhere and you didn’t take pictures, you can still document that part of your life by using the scrapbook to document. These pages will be mostly journaling. Use descriptive words to take the place of the photographs. You may also add stock photos or a photo of the one telling the story.

You can use letter stickers and cutouts to help you to journalize, but using your own handwriting will give your album added character. However, you can also use your computer to print out some journalizing elements on your pages. You will want to choose some way of journalizing that will allow you to scrapbook in a dramatic way and help create a wonderful and memorable album.

Happy Scrappin!

So You Want to Scrapbook?

Learning to scrapbook takes commitment, like creating a piece of art. When you learn to scrapbook enjoyably, you will also get to know the basics – like tools, supplies, and techniques. You can do beginners projects or more advanced techniques, but it will be very rewarding once you are done. It can be quite enjoyable and the memories that you gather can be passed down to future generations.

There are some basics tools that you will need to get before you start your scrapbooking journey. Every good scrapbooker needs a cutting tool. You will need to get sharp scissors and specialty scissors that will cut scalloped edges, but you may also want something that will cut a straight line and circles. You will also need some kind of adhesive. Beginners may find that the easiest products to buy are photo mounts, which are tiny pre-cut pieces of tape, and glue dots, which are pressure-sensitive strong spots of glue to hold larger embellishments. Beyond a cutting tool and adhesive, you really don’t need any other tools to get started, but if you want to create fancier pages, many options are available including rubber stamps, ink pads and paper punches. Start with a few smaller items and increase your inventory as you learn more and more scrapbooking skills.

You will also need a few basic supplies before you begin. Of course, you will need to have an album and some pictures. You can either get a pre-made album or create your own album. Your album can be any size you need. The only other supply that you will need to get your scrapbook album started is the paper. Most albums come with a white piece of paper in each sheet protector, but there are many colors and designs to choose from to help spice up your album. Other supplies that add interest to your pages including stickers die cuts, and three-dimensional elements.

Once you get the basic tools and supplies, then all you need is your imagination! You can also attend or join a scrapbook workshop or club or an online forum to get more tips and techniques. There are countless tutorial videos on YouTube to also help you get started.

Happy Scrappin!

How to Make Crumpled Flowers

Scrapbooking?

Can anyone give me some good tips on scrapbooking? My siblings and I are planning to make a Family Scrapbook for our parents and none of us has ever made one before. We have the ideas, but we haven't done the first thing because we don't know what to do. Can any experienced scrappers help us? Appreciate the help.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Even tho I notice 12x12 size album is recommended here, I personally prefer letter size, 8.5x11, for many reasons. While it is true that most scrapbook products you find are for 12x12, they can be resized smaller, whether paper or digital. One reason for my preference is supplies are far less expensive, far! You can buy a regular 3-ring binder and use it for your scrapping. I put absolutely everything in sheet protectors, and they are less expensive in the smaller size also. This keeps oopsies off of your pages.

Another reason is that you can move your pages in order and even move them from album to album. Since I started scrapping about 10 years ago, I've moved my pages many times, and I've changed my mind about how I want to organize them. You could do it by year, or by topic, or by family group or or or or - whatever you choose. Sometimes I want to extract a few pages of a particular subject and take them to show, and it is very easy to do in the smaller size. Once you put them in the larger albums, most of the time they are difficult to move, or maybe in some cases not even possible. Top loading - absolutely.

Some scrappers are also crafters. If you are, you have the opportunity of making some cute individualized covers for your three ring binders. Since they are inexpensive, you don't mind covering them.

I do think that before you do anything very permanent, you need to determine what size page you want.

Something I learned to do after I had been scrapping a couple of years was a better way to use sheet protectors. Say I went somewhere and picked up a postcard or other souvenir. Also I have a ticket stub, or maybe an airline boarding pass. I put these and any other memorabilia together in my protector until I'm reading to scrap. If I have to wait to get my pictures developed, this is a great way to hold like things together. Maybe I'll even jot down my journaling thoughts while I'm waiting to get the page scrapped. That way I don't forget what I want to say, even if I go back five years later to make the page. If I am using digital pix, I always print out a contact thumbnail sheet of the picture(s) and put it in the protector. Unfortunately, there have been times when I lost the pix on my computer and my little thumbnail is all I had for a picture. As bad as the quality is and as small as it is, it's still better than total wipeout.

From Yahoo Answers!

Organizing Your Scrapbooking Area

When it comes to thousands of different types of scrap booking papers and other accessories you will find that it can all be overwhelming. Since you have so many options, you will find that it can be difficult for a person to scrapbook when they are in a small apartment or dorm room, but you can get organized and keep things looking good and clean and that will help you to be able to scrapbook more efficiently.

It will take up the most space and time when it comes to getting your papers organized. A good option for this is a paper saver, as made by most of the larger scrap booking companies. These folders are made of plastic most of the time and they can be tagged and hold hundreds of papers. This will help you to categorize your papers. If you find that you do not have enough room in a paper saver, you might also find it useful to invest in a filing cabinet or one of the sets of drawers made especially for scrap booking. You can purchase these in any of the local craft stores or online.

Once you have a tool for organization, the next step is to decide how you want to categorize your supplies. You will find that color is most often used, but you can make it into a theme like a certain day or holiday. You may also want to think about making patterns like stripes. You can also use this system to organize flat embellishments, such as die cuts or stickers.

You also need a place to store your tools and embellishments that are not easily filed. You will find that one good way is to use baskets and a shelving system to help you to store and organize your tools and embellishments. Try storing cutting tools in one basket, glues in another, markers and paint in a third, and so on. By buying baskets in bulk, you will save more money than if you use photo boxes, and the display will be uniform and attractive. Make sure that you label your baskets or shelving so that you can find everything quickly and easily.

If you need to save space, a basket and shelving system may not work for you. You will want to make a kit of some of your most often used tools and supplies so that you can keep them close and you won’t have to dig or look for them. That way when you only have time to do a quick page or two, you can use your kit to complete it and then quickly clean up.

Keep in mind that the space you use to scrapbook is clean and organized. This will allow you to enjoy your time scrap booking. When you learn how to label the storage containers and organize your papers, you will be able to quickly pull out the tools you need. If you are really into scrap booking, you will take the time to label your storage containers to avoid a distracting mess. Once you have gotten all of your supplies organized, you will be very comfortable with scrap booking.

Free Scrapbooking Ideas