Getting Started

Thinking about getting started in Scrapbooking but you don't know where to even begin?

Let us take some of you fear away by giving you some tips and tricks.

Photo Storage/Organizing

Most of us have stored all of our family history of memories in a box on the shelf in the closet. Get those boxes off those shelves and get organized!

While this is a time consuming process in the beginning, it is one that is an ongoing process.

The best way to start scrapbooking is either by year or a special event such as a vacation.

To organize yourself, take your photos and make various piles by year, then by month and finally in chronological order. As you are completing this process, be sure to label your events. Use the old saying “Who, what, when, where and even why”. While it may be a long time before you work with those pictures, you'll know what they represented.

Be sure to then store your pictures in Photo Safe Products. Keep your pictures in a safe environment away from the basement, which can have too much humidity, or an attic, which is too hot. Cheap albums or scrapbooks can possibly have acid or lignin in them and the quality could not last.

We have pictures in our family that date back over 100 years. It is unfortunate that we were unable to get a lot of those pictures labeled even though they are in chronological order.

The message is don't end up like us! Preserve your history, as you want to pass your family photos from generation to generation.

Scrapbook Selection

Scrapbooks are available in many different shapes and sizes. Depending on your event or theme you can gear your selection to fit those needs.

Many of us use a 12x12 scrapbook, which allows you more space for pictures and decorating. Check to ensure the scrapbook you select is expandable. This will allow you to add more refill pages to your scrapbook. You certainly don't want to run out of room before you complete your album!

Also, be sure to check that any product you use is acid and lignin free. Products that are not acid and lignin free can damage your photos.

Page protectors do just what they say; they protect your pages from spills, fingerprints and other unforeseen accidents. The majority of albums come with page protectors. However, some scrapbooks actually come with blank pages and you may purchase the page protectors. There are however, some scrapbooks have no protectors. Traditionally, these are smaller decorative albums for your coffee tables.

Finally, please purchase a scrapbook from a known manufacturer because not all pages and protectors universally fit each other.

Adhesives

Adhesive selection can be overwhelming in itself as there are many products available in the marketplace. Chose one that you will be comfortable in using, and that is also acid and lignin free.

One key thing is if you select wet glue as your adhesive, it is not recommended for use on your photos.

Page Construction

Choosing your photos was one of the toughest things when I started to scrapbook. In the beginning most of us feel we want all the photos on our page for that special occasion or event.

Here are some of the things to consider; generally you will scrapbook 1 or 2 pages, so pick your best photos. Leave out photos that are too similar, dark or blurry. Save your others for your kids to scrapbook!

After you have selected your photos you will use on your page, it is now time to focus on them. You will notice usually there is a lot of space around the picture you have captured. This space is not really what you have focused on. Therefore, we “crop” (cut) the picture. You basically eliminate the empty space. This doesn't mean to cut your entire picture away but just enough to focus on the importance of the picture.

Once your photo has been “cropped”, find a color that stands out in your picture and pick paper that will complement it. If you chose paper that doesn't complement your paper it will distract from your picture and layout. To make your pictures pop off the page, we recommend you matte your pictures. Use one color or if there is one moment in a picture on your layout more special than the other, consider double matting.

When you are completing your page layout remember you want to balance between your pages.

Be sure to leave enough space for journaling! Here is the tough part, people who begin scrapbooking always ask “Should I write my journaling?” or “Should I use my computer to journal?” There is no right or wrong answer it really depends upon your personal preference.

The most important thing is that your pens should be; non-bleeding, acid free, water and fade proof, pigment or permanent ink.