Scrapbooking at Craftse.com

Many people are taking interest in Scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a simple activity that most people love to engage in because it involves creation. We all love to do something with our hands. Scrapbooking is an activity that is simple enough to be done by everyone and can show immediate and wonderful results.

You see, people engage in Scrapbooking because we love to reminisce. Scrapbooks help people think about different events, which had significant impacts in their lives. You see, no matter how intelligent a person can claim to be, nobody can remember completely all the events in their lives.

In Scrapbooking, you collect objects or pictures that allow you to remember the different events. These objects or pictures touch you in a way that no diary can. These pictures and objects allow you to re-experience the moment of your history.

Many people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, dealing with memories can be a very difficult experience. Memories get clouded, and pictures can sometimes be interpreted in a thousand different ways. However, writing down your memories of an event can be quite boring and it takes the thrill of mystery from rediscovering your history.

So what is a good compromise between writing a diary and making a very vague scrapbook? Most people choose to find scrapbooking quotes in order to help them get the initial feel of a memory. Scrapbooking quotes give you the general idea of a memory, but let you fill in the blanks yourself. By making use of scrapbooking quotes, you actually have the advantage of touching hearts. Using the combination of photos, memorabilia, and scrapbooking quotes can prove to be a most effective way of initializing a good reminiscing session.

However, in order to have this effect, you’ll need to choose your Scrapbooking quotes properly. So what qualities should you look for in a scrapbooking quote?

1. Mnemonic quality - a good scrapbooking quote should be easily remembered. It should have that quality that makes it stick to your head. By having this quality, you can be sure of at least one impact of the scrapbooking quote.

You realize, of course, that the best songs often have this quality. Ever wonder why some singers fade away after 2 albums while some old singers still remain popular even decades after their last song was released? You see, the mnemonic quality of a phrase helps people associate it easily with certain things.

2. Relevant - Of course, a scrapbooking quote should be relevant to what you intend to portray. The scrapbooking quote should be able to bring across your message and enable whoever is reading the quote to relate to the object or picture in your scrapbook.

The scrapbooking quote may come off as trivial to the reader. However, the meaning of the scrapbooking quote should not be so vague that the reader has to use all of his or her brainpower to understand it. That is, unless you intend for the scrapbook to take on an air of mystery and clue-finding.

3. Short - A scrapbooking quote should be able to get the message across with very few words. You see, the focus of the scrapbook should remain on the objects or photographs. In choosing a scrapbooking quote, you should make sure that the quote does not take the center stage from the other objects in the scrapbook. However, you should make sure that the quote is just enough to form a bridge of thought between the words and the objects.

4. Touching - a good scrapbooking quote should not only touch your brain, but it should also move your emotion. You see, scrapbooks trigger memories not for the purpose of giving your brain a workout, but to enrich your soul. Thinking about past events, whether delightful or forlorn, helps you rediscover yourself and what made you the person you are today.

These are just some qualities that you should look for in a scrapbooking quote. Never forget, however, that the most important factor is you. You should decide whether or not a quote is appropriate for your scrapbook. This is the reason why some people choose to write their own quotes instead of borrowing the words of another. A scrapbook is a very personal item, which needs to relate to you.

There are those who say that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, humanity came up with words because of a very good reason. You see, pictures can be viewed from different angles and interpreted in different ways. However, words do the job of clearing up those interpretations and giving you the privilege of getting your message across.

Of course, words do get misinterpreted at times. However, you should bear in mind that words are the best tools for communicating your meaning. There are certain words that touch not only the mind, but also the heart. Words are actually meant not only to convey messages, but also to convey a person’s emotions. They are used to let people know about the way we perceive things. After all, none of us can really claim to see things from another person’s point of view, can we?

For all we know, our whole lives can be a big dream. Nothing could be real. Nothing really confirms that our lives are real. Any explanations, any theories, any evidence can just be a part of the unreality of life.

However, words somehow five us the assurance that other people do experience. Somehow, words anchor us to a place of stability, somewhere between unbelief and fanaticism. Words help us cling to our own understanding.

People do not share much emotion, but when they do, they use words. Sure, you can think of love and say that there are a number of easy ways to express love without resorting to words, yet ask yourself this: “When all those actions and gestures are done, how does it translate in your mind?”

Love is a word. However, that word holds more power than anything on earth. It is actually easy to ignore a certain feeling. However, once you give a name to that feeling, it grows. That is the power of words.

Scrapbooking quotes are just that: words. However, having these words in your scrapbook can result to very powerful effects. You see, words like these give you power. These scrapbooking quotes allow you to convey meaning. These words allow you to convey emotion.

Whether borrowed or your own, scrapbooking quotes can give clarity to the pictures you use to convey your thoughts. You see, the right scrapbooking quote can affect people in a very strong manner. The right scrapbooking quote can serve as the bridge that connects:

a) The person to the memory ? A scrapbooking quote can actually help people relate to the memory being portrayed by the different pictures or memorabilia. Many people do not realize this, but certain words trigger reactions from us. In the same manner, a certain word can cause us to recall certain memories or feelings.
The right scrapbooking quote can prepare the reader’s mind and allow that reader to grasp the significance of a photograph.

b) Memory to other memories ?A scrapbooking quote can also allow a person to connect one event with another. You can use a scrapbooking quote to show how one item on your scrapbook is related to another.

We all know that events form our history. We also know that no actual event is isolated and that all happenings had to have begun somewhere. Using scrapbooking quotes can actually help you show the significance of one object to another and their relationship to a certain event. This way, you can actually use your scrapbook as a tool to tell your story.

c) People to people ? Using scrapbooking quotes can actually help other people relate to you. This means that you can use scrapbooking quotes as tools to actually help people understand your emotions. This way, you’ll actually be using words to their full potential. By using scrapbooking quotes this way, you will be able to get people to listen.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that people use words to bridge gaps. Words are even more powerful because of the fact that, without them, our civilization would not have progressed. Words share knowledge. We use words to pass on what we have learned to the generations after us. Through this, we are always on the quest for progress and ever-increasing technology. Words make evolution possible.

Do you love to take pictures? Are you a camera bug? Do you intend to capture the memories of all the important events in your life? If you are, then good for you. So where do you keep all those photos? Do you love scrapbooking? Well, the better! Keeping them in the most traditional albums can be duller. Why not put on something which is much fun and artistic?

One of the most popular uses of scrapbooks is the preservation of the cherished memories in one’s life. Pictures ultimately provide memories which you can cherish for a lifetime. Cameras are no doubt experts in capturing the moments which you would never fail savoring all through the years of your life. At times like these, scrapbooking will be an avenue to keep these memories alive and kicking.

Going Online Shopping

When you have the thought of scrapbooking, you will need scrapbooking products so you can readily start up with your venture. Scrapbooking products range in a variety of kinds and brand names. Their availability is not a thing to be worried about. In the local arts and crafts shops located within your area comes a bunch of scrapbooking supplies from where you can lavishly choose from. Now if you want a hassle-free shopping, why not go online?

For a serious scrapbooker like you, finding the scrapbooking supplies which you need and want is not a problem at all. If you want to be rid of all the inconveniences of going from one store to another, you can always check out the scrapbooking supplies made available online. Online shopping is very easy, convenient, and affordable too.

There are bunches of websites that host scrapbooking products within their midst and all you have to do is track and surf them. For sure you will enjoy doing that. Furthermore, right within the confines of your home, you can shop for the best scrapbooking supplies that you need without the worry of getting overly stressed from the visits to various arts and crafts shops.

The Must-Have Scrapbooking Products

So what do you need to get started with your project? Check out the simple list below.

The Album. Choose the right size of the scrapbooking album which you will be using. Also take note of the color details that will add more of an artistic and personal touch to it.

The Refill Pages for the Album. The refills for the album do not come available in one standard size. It is only proper that you first buy the album so as to know what size will be right for the refill pages that you will purchase.

A Good Pair of Scissors. The scissors that you must use should be sharp and the handles should be comfortable in your hands. Make sure that they don’t hurt you or else your cut outs will not turn out to be right.

Some Adhesives. There are obviously different kinds of adhesives which you can buy from the educational supplies. For a scrapbook, the acid-free adhesive is very much advisable. They work well both on photos and cardstocks.

The Printed Papers and Cardstocks. The printed papers that you will choose must complement the photos that you will include. They should be able to provide accent in the overall appearance of the scrapbook.

The Journal Pens. The pen that you will make use of must be acid-free, with fine tips, and permanent. It would not be good to look at pens with ink that smudges.

Now these are the basic and essential scrapbooking products which must not be left out in your shopping. But then if your budget allows you, you can always add more. Ribbons, glitters, sequins, stones, and many more items which you think will serve as great embellishments can be included in your list. You may also add some more items such as the die cut machine, set of journaling pens in various colors, oval or circle cutter, and so on.

Actually, the ideas presented online can help you a lot in your scrapbooking venture. You always have a choice when it comes to design, color schemes, and layouts. The more artistic you get… the better. Good luck then!

If there were one common denominator aside from their passion to scrapbooking, you would immediately know that theirs is the weakness on papers. From patterned and plain papers to unique cardstocks, we normally make use of the logic “buy the paper now and the inspiration will come after”. And for the moment, your scrapbooking will lay scrap by scrap or page by page, waiting to be used.

If you don’t have a photographic memory (which most of us don’t have) it is best that you store you scrapbooking papers in more organized manners. Or else, you might find yourself lost with “out of sight, outs of mind” brain. You might already have a huge collection of paper stacks but not knowing it. A waste of an investment. And besides, it is always a good practice to get organized to really know what your resources are.

We can’t forever buy papers and store them in disarray. And buy another set and go on with that same process. Somehow, clutter must stop.

We cannot exactly provide you with strict guidelines of storage. In scrapbooking, so long as the methods fits you, it will work. Let’s move out from the box and do our own things in our own ways.

We have covered some general techniques here, which you may apply. Only you have to fill in the gaps if you require some modifications.

Most scrappers find it hard to know their organizing style. In general, you have two options. One, that is horizontal stacking and the other, vertical. It ill always be your preference to choose. There is no best way for everyone and you can do whatever fits your case.

Most stores keep their papers in horizontal stacking, either by racks or by shelves. This is largely because they are equipped with much space to work with. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that enough space so the best solution would be to furnish snap top cases for better organization. Not only are these cases great for paper stacking, they also work well for storing other scrapbooking materials that you normally or presently use.

If you have no other option but to store your papers in horizontal formats, you may always try using vertical solutions. Storing papers vertically works best for cardstocks and for papers that you often use. Storage papers for vertical positioning normally comes with dividers, thus the capacity to store multiple files all at the same place. Just be reminded though that this method will require you tall shelves.

Second, you must know what kind of scrapbooker are you when it comes to shopping papers. There are again, two types. One, the organized people and the other are those that adhere with any-thing-goes principles.

The organized group are those buyers ho take time to bring with them photos and memorabilias as reference for when buying. They browse aisles by aisle and choose specific types of papers according to their immediate needs, matching their choices with the materials that they have.

And these people will most likely gather sample die cuts and embellishments and stick-ons for each planned page. Thus, they tend to choose the right pieces together for their possible layouts. At the end, they will collect other stiffs that will match their themes.

The unorganized group though is the exact opposite. They arrive at the store with hardly an idea to focus to. They would grab random kinds of scrapbooking papers depending on what catches their eye. While tossing cool and pretty papers, they would soon realize that the cardstocks at the next eye “might” be of future use. Lastly, they’ll run to the register and the whole thing is over. Once they start the project, they’ll soon discover that several things are missing.

The second attitude is easier to do, however you must learn to accept the risks. The first one obviously will require you to plan prior to shopping but will create lesser chances of committing mistakes. If you are dealing with scrapbooking papers, it will always prove best to choose the latter one.

Organization of papers will require you to pay attention to details. The more chaotic your files get, the more attention you will have to invest. It is far less time consuming in the end to start organizing stuffs and keep things that way than to organize and reorganize over and over again. Besides, when your papers are arranged, you would have better pictures of what are available to you and you will be able to work on them better.

Scrapbooking is an activity that requires some inspiration and a lot of effort. Now, we all know that every person can make the effort to be creative. However, inspiration is hard to come by. Inspiration is that one little spark that guides you where to direct your efforts.

Scrapbooking page ideas can be hard to come by. They can be sought after, yet never found. They can be ignored, yet just pop up in your mind. However, there are a lot of places where you can get scrapbooking page ideas. Here are some of them:

1) Conversations - sometimes, just talking to another person can help you get a scrapbooking page idea. By engaging in conversations, you can often catch glimpses of a person’s soul, and that can serve as your inspiration.

There are two ways to get scrapbooking page ideas from conversations:

a) Directly - you could try asking for other people for some scrapbooking page ideas directly. You could discuss different scrapbooking page ideas and talk about the virtues and disadvantages of each one. By asking people for ideas, you save yourself the trouble of having to find an overall theme. However, by doing so, you cannot really claim a scrapbook as your own, since the idea came from somewhere else.

b) Indirectly -this happens when you are talking to a person about something unrelated to scrapbooking and suddenly, you gleam from a certain word or phrase, a scrapbooking page idea. Getting a scrapbooking page idea this way can be quite hard, as you will be focusing on two things: the idea and the conversation.

Sometimes, a conversation can actually help free your creative spirit and actually unleash the scrapbooking page idea within you.

2) The environment - look around you. There are many things out there which can give you different scrapbooking page ideas. What can the environment give you?

a) Overall theme - One good scrapbooking page idea is capturing the beauty of the sunset in the overall theme of your scrapbook. In fact, there are many other things besides nature that you can use as great scrapbooking page ideas. This way, you actually tie the different pages of your scrapbook together.

b) Specifics - by looking at your environment, you can also gain specific scrapbooking page ideas. This means that you can enhance the little details of your scrapbook using your inspiration from outside. The details may mean something to you alone, or may also broadcast a page’s significance to the world.

c) Materials - by observing your environment, you can also get scrapbooking page ideas about what materials to use. Remember that, in a scrapbook, materials say so much about your personality. In doing so, you open yourself up to the possibility of recycling.

3) Yourself. -look inside yourself for any scrapbooking page ideas which you might want to try out. Remember that only you can best judge what you want. Look towards your personality and get inspiration from it. One activity you can do is listing on a piece of paper your different traits. This would give you some scrapbooking page ideas on how to best present your scrapbook. By looking within you, you can try to convey to the readers your personality and how you feel about a certain event and page in your scrapbook.

4) Mass media - You can also take several scrapbooking page ideas from the mass media today. This includes:

a) Television - Admit it: you love watching television. So why not try to take inspiration from it? By taking scrapbooking page ideas from your favorite TV shows, you can actually try to incorporate another facet of your personality into the scrapbook.

The television also allows you to see different types of visual themes and this can give you a very good idea as to how your scrapbook should look like.

b) Music - getting scrapbooking page ideas from music can be a bit hard, since only a few can really translate emotions form words into visual information. However, if you are able to do so, you can actually come up with a pretty deep message. You might also have your friends guessing as to how a page relates to the song.

c) Computer - of course, you could also get scrapbooking page ideas from the computer. Do you wish to portray a game? Do you want to incorporate a theme from the internet? By using the computer, you can access a ton of information to give you scrapbooking page ideas.

Originally, it was quite hard to find suppliers and retail stores that would sell you scrapbooking materials. But with enthusiasts settling their own local scrapbooking stores and with online vendors that would sell you everything and anything in between, the hard part becomes the choosing.

Many beginners find it confusing to choose the basic materials once they get into the store. This is of course due to the fact that there simply are too many choices. Add to it the excitement of seeing various colors and designs, samples and layouts and concepts and ideas that will overpower your initial choice of materials.

This is a common mistake. However it must be understood that for beginners, there are only several things that you must buy. In fact, you need not buy them all at once. It is best to check several pieces and test the grounds if scrapbooking lifestyle would work for you.

Planning what must be bought and what must be reserved for other days usually work well when shopping for scrapbooking materials. Many times, the beginner’s excitement plus the array of overwhelming choices without enough knowledge on them overshadow a scraper’s best judgement in the selection of materials. And later, this would be dealt with regret.

Even veterans fall into this common mistake. And many of us, at one time or another have found ourselves in situations when we were faced with a good sale. We might not need the stuff for the present or might not use them at all yet the urge to buy is harder than our willingness to subdue the impulse.

To help lessen this possibility, it is best to have a definite plan of what materials to buy. In this article, we will tackle about the major scrapbooking material that will prove useful even to the end of your activity.

Album
The most important scrapbooking material and the one that completes the stuff is the album. For album alone, you may already find hundreds of various designs, formats and sizes that would lead you to deciding which would best fit you. We would not discuss the many types of albums here, we’ll just provide an overview for some of the basic choices.

Conventional albums appear in 8½×11″ or 12″×12″ pages. However, smaller albums have become more popular with the integration of newer scrapbooking formats. Other smaller sizes appear in 6″×6″ to 8″×8″.

Page protectors
The main function that page protectors serve is to help lessen the susceptibility of your photos, memorabilia and the pages, as a whole to damages and tears. And the added value of holding them inn place to avoid stick-on from falling out. There are basically two choices when it comes to protectors; a) clear protectors that let you retain the normal hues of the layout and, b) non-glare protectors that appeal easier to the onlookers.

Paper
Many scrappers turn to papers when it comes to adding designs and choosing the background of their layouts. Patterned papers are among the main choices. For background, however, it is best to use papers with subtle colors so as to help focus the eye’s attention on the photos rather than on the background.

Cardstock
A staple in the scrapbooking world, cardstocks are more like cardboards than papers. These are effective in securing the foundations when placing memorabilia, embellishments and photos.

Adhesives
Well these materials simply hold everything together. These are widely available but be careful in choosing one though. Always look for acid-free adhesives and make sure that they are photo-safe. If they are not, they are most likely to cause oxidation of the pictures, the condition when the colors of the paper, photos and other similar stuffs fade.

Paper cutter
This material normally completes scrapbooking as they tend to add the finishing touches. Many scrappers find it hard to keep away from overdecoration., this normally is the case when using paper cutters and especially true with cutting pictures. Tip: It is always nice to keep the edges of photos straight. Reserve the use of paper cutters with papers alone.

Scissors
A definite must-have. Scissors greatly help in manipulating further the designs and additions into the scrapbook. They help transform objects such as fibers, ribbons and fabrics into manageable size that will coordinate with the design you have.

Rulers
Precision, that the rule. Obviously, this material will save time when it comes to drawing clean, straight lines.

There are many other scrapbooking materials that you will find useful. Among them are the following: vellum, exacto knife, self-healing cutting mat, white plastic eraser, glue eraser, lettering and fonts, black pens, colored pens or pencils, grease pencil, photo corners and tote.

Pretty much everyone in the country has had an experience with scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a way through which we try to connect with our past through different objects and images. Scrapbooks serve as time capsules, preserving our memories for when we have trouble recalling events.

In making a scrapbook, do:

1) Get creative - scrapbooking is an activity meant for you to release your creativity. You see, you have to let the scrapbook take on your personality. Only through this will you be able to create a scrapbook worthy of being called yours.

How do people release their creativity when scrapbooking? Well, you might want to think about the significance of different objects and how they stir your emotions. Try to express those emotions using these factors of the scrapbook:

A. Arrangement -the arrangement of certain objects in scrapbooking can reveal a much deeper message than the object itself. It actually speaks to the beholder how you feel about that certain object. Does it remind you of something painful? Do you feel joy when you see that object? Try to reflect your feelings on the arrangement of the object.

B. Colors -Different colors convey different emotions. Scrapbooking often requires you to add color to different pages in order to get your message across. Through the colors you use in a particular page, you can get your message about a specific event across to the reader.

C. Texture - in scrapbooking, you get to add texture to your creation. Unlike photo albums where only the pictures count, scrapbooking requires lets you get your message across through different textures. Touch is a very important part of scrapbooking. By adding texture to your pages, you can get your point across much better.

2) Gather resources - when scrapbooking, you need to have all materials you could possibly use. This means you have to prepare beforehand. If you do this, you won’t waste time trying to find this or that colored pen.

By gathering resources, you free your mind and time to the actual creation of the scrapbook. Making a great scrapbook requires that your concentration be on the scrapbook itself, not on finding stuff you need.

3) Plan - when you are scrapbooking, always make sure that you have a plan as to which item goes where. You need to plan the overall look of your scrapbook and even the little details that go with it. You see, if you take the time to plan your scrapbook, you will be able to scan your ideas and choose which one is the best for you to go with.

Another advantage with planning ahead is the fact that you will be able to limit your budget and buy the stuff you need to make your scrapbook. By planning ahead, you also make putting the scrapbook together easy because of the fact that you do not really have to spend time changing designs.

4) Consider interpretation - Scrapbooking involves pictures and objects. As you may know, symbols can be interpreted in a million different ways, depending on the beholder’s perception. In order to avoid your scrapbook from offending anyone, you could try to give clues as to how a certain page is significant to you.

Scrapbooking quotes are always a good option, considering the fact that they are a compromise between narrating events and using vague pictures.

Scrapbooking don’ts:

1) Copy - copying another scrapbook robs you of the self-satisfaction of having a unique creation. Remember that a scrapbook should reflect your personality. As human beings, we are all unique. This means that you have the potential to create a scrapbook that truly shows your soul.

2) Be vague - remember that a scrapbook is supposed to help you remember. It’s not supposed to confuse you even more. In scrapbooking, you should learn how to relay your message without resorting to narrating the significance of each item.

3) Change - leave objects as they are, do not try to make an object more significant than it really is. You also cannot try to change events to suit your perception. You see, trying to change bad events into good, or vice versa defeat the whole purpose of scrapbooking. In order for your scrapbook to be effective in keeping your history, you should be honest to yourself.

Many scrapbook starters would find it difficult to create a layout. If you are one of them, then you may have to read the following to get some easy ideas on what are the different types of scrapbook layouts you can use.

· Patterned paper layout

When using patterned paper as a scrapbook page layout, you should follow the following rules: Never use a paper with a pattern larger than the smallest photographed head; patterned papers are secondary to the photos so never give too much concern if you cannot find the right photos to go on the pattern; and, use plain paper over the pattern as a journal box.

· Nameplate layout

Use large letter tiles to make bold effect on the layout. You can use stamps to put your name on the page. Stencils would also be a great way to do this. Other methods such as using all sorts of embellishments to spell a name, embroidering the name on the page or using fonts like calligraphy would be great.

· Handprint layout

Whether you are an artist or not, handprinting the page would give you unique layout. Use acrylic paints, colored pens, watercolors, or crayons to do this.

To come out neat, you can concentrate the large handprints around the borders of the page. Smaller handprints can come in between.

· Newspaper layout

Create a page that would relatively look like a newspaper’s front page. This would work best if you intent to make a page that focuses on the significant event. Use an Old English font as a heading; somewhat similar to the heading of a newspaper. Then, use a large text for the headline. A Times New Roman font is for the story. Place a photo on the side or at the middle of the page.

· Rub-on Transfers layout

Using rub-on transfers is both easy and tricky. It is easy in the sense that all you have to do is to rub-on and you have an instant layout. It is tricky in the sense that you have to practice in order to achieve a perfect transfer. If you are using rub-on transfers for the first time, then you might as well start on a smooth surface. Once you get the hang of it, move on to the next level and use the transfer on surfaces such as metal, mesh, ribbon, and glass.

If you prefer to use rub-on transfers to these surfaces, make sure that they are adhere enough to make permanent contact. Some brands are stickier than the other.

· Z pattern layout

Arrange all the materials you have on a Z pattern. Meaning, the arrangements should start on the top left of the page and move on a Z pattern.

· Focal point layout

Use one photo as a focal point and move outwards. The focal point can be a large photo. This would give the viewer a starting point on where to begin looking. If you are using 3 or more photos, try to make some arrangements. You can use 3 different photo sizes arranged diagonally, with the focal point on the largest photo. You can also use one large photo with 2 small photos on each side. Or, you can use 3 photos of the same size and make arrangement to highlight a certain point.

· Aging paper layout

Weathering a paper is a popular technique on creating a layout. There are several ways to do this.

One is by damping the paper and ironing it to dry. This would create all sort of weathered look to the paper.

Another way of aging the paper is by rolling it into a ball to make it look wrinkled. Then, sand it with a finest grained sand paper you can find.

There are more scrapbook ideas you can use but these would be sufficient enough to finish your scrapbook.

If you want to make other types of layouts, you can combine 2 or more mentioned types of layouts to make one unique layout. The thing is, use your imagination and creativity to make a good layout and you can assure yourself that what you have made is truly yours.

If you’ve never done scrapbooking before and is planning to start with the obsession, there is one sure way for you so as not to stumble into the common pitfalls most beginners have.

Scrapbooking kits are great ways to begin the craft with. They offer the basics for new crafters without having to spend much on them. Often, newbies have no idea of what would complete a page of an album or what theme to use for the entire album itself. With all the options set in their horizon, it is easy for them to get confused and be misled with choosing the “cool” and “pretty” stuffs.

By using scrapbooking kits, you are less susceptible to low confidence when making decisions. This often comes when the new scrapper hasn’t honed his artistic capabilities yet. With the use of these materials, it is easier for the crafter to find his ways through training. These would let him see the possibilities of designs, themes and concepts to draw encouragement in setting their personal and innovative designs.

A scrapbooking kit works well too with people who have always loved the activity yet they are much too preoccupied with things of greater and immediate importance. Having a good combination of everything that you are expected to use can make it a lot easy to mount pictures and memorabilias into layouts without having to think much on the designs. Thus, you enjoy the fun of scrapbooking without having to take long hours typical for the obsession.

Obviously, since the materials in a kit are limited to those of the basics, your creativity too is very much limited. After all, if you would follow the lines that started from scrapbooking kits, you will see that it is linear. Experimentation are not as much welcomed therefore, limiting your creativity.

It is not to say that you have to make use of all the items found in the kit or that it you are strictly limited to those that you see. However, the normal reaction we have when we see the items designed t fit together, we tend not to use our imaginations anymore and be settled on what’s within our sights.

There usually are specific uses for scrapbooking its. They normally work well for typical themes like birthdays, weddings, baby concepts and family themes. If you wish to create more diverse themes, kits won’t get you through there. After all, they’re only there to act as your training wheels. Once you’ve learned the curves, it would be more manageable for you to explore newer dimensions.

If you have plans of taking scrapbooking kits to newer heights, you can tray adding your own touches to them and use them for later projects. Atleast, now you already have fixed choices that you can work on to in case you find the hunch to start with an album. Keep in mind though that the package would coordinate well and will look good together when used.

Few of the basic things that should be found in your scrapbooking kit are as follows:

§ A scrapbook or an album
§ Papers (plain or patterned that has a common theme)
§ Die cuts
§ Stickers
§ Ink and rubber stamp
§ Any type of scissors
§ Punchers
§ Cardstocks
§ Ruler
§ Markers, pens and pencils
§ Envelopes
§ Adhesives
§ Stencils
§ Photos
§ Any sort of embellishments

You may add many other things to these and be creative as to what to add. However, the only problem that you would have to deal with is the limit of your budget. Though scrapbooking may seem handy, the stuffs that you will be using would actually cause you to spend much. Especially when you have the strong urge of buying even those that you actually can’t use.

As you walk your way through the scrapbooking shop, you should keep in mind the mental lists of everything that must be thrown into the basket. It is not a good practice to buy all things that you see nice. You need some planning or else, you’ll find yourself dealing with problems on storage.

And please keep in mind that the common denominator among scrappers is their weakness on papers. Since this component takes the largest portion of use, we all fall in the trap of taking more than what we need.

So you have decided to create your own piece of work of art. Here is the step-by-step process you can follow to creating a one of a kind scrapbook?

· Shopping.

Yes, the best part of everything. It is as exciting as your birthday celebration. And no one can resist it. Shop for the supplies you need. Shop for the essentials such as the album, album refill, adhesives, card stock, embellishments, papers, pens, punches, stamps, embossing, stickers, a pair of scissors and everything you need for your scrapbooking.

Tip: Buy only acid-free adhesive, permanent marking and non-fade pens and inks. Your aim is to preserve memorabilia for years. These things will save you from messing up with your scrapbook.

· Gather your memories.

Get as many photos as you can. Depending on your theme and the aim you want to achieve, you can sort them according to their relations to one another. For example, you can make a bibliography through scrapbook, then, you grab pictures from your childhood up to now. Sort them out according to the year they were taken.

Tip: If you are grabbing old photos, make sure that your hands are clean. Old photos can easily be destroyed with oil and dirt from your hands. Old photos are also brittle so you may want to handle them with extra care.

Another tip: If you want to preserve old photos, you can scan them to your computer and make a copy. Doing this would also let you edit the quality of the photo or crop the particular portion you only want to have.

One more tip: If you want to take some recent photos, use digital cameras. In this way, you can take as many photos as you could without wasting film. Upload all the photos you have taken, then, print the ones you have selected.

· Gather your supplies

Let your imagination takes you anywhere. From the supplies you have, create a scrapbook that is truly yours. Decorate the front page of the album with your chosen general theme. A delicate combination of colored papers, pens, photos and creativity would let you create a good front page. On the inside, decorate each page with distinct designs.

For additional decorations, you can consider using paper trimmer, punches, circle cutter, decorative rulers, paper rolling ball glue pen, or putting on some templates, stickers, computer clipart, rubber stamps, and colorful decorations you can find on magazines. Use the right adhesives to secure what you have placed on your scrapbook. There are several of these: double-sided adhesive dots, photo tape, glue pens, photo corners, non-permanent glue, squares or strips, glue sticks, and bottled glues.

· Putting them all together

The most difficult part of the whole scrapbook making is putting all the stuff together, so here are some of the tricks:

Your options are more flexible if you are using photocopied pictures. You can cut them in to different shapes and sizes or you can decide the picture’s size. Placing them to the pages is easier if you keep the space free, then decorate it afterwards.

The best way to cut papers and photos would be using this trick: think twice and cut with no hesitation. Use a sharp pair of scissors. Exploring your creativity in cutting would give better impact to every page of your scrapbook.

· Journaling

Adding some handwritten text also involves creativity. Putting some captions, names, dates by your hand would let give some personal touch on each page. The use of templates and paper cut outs would also be great.

When using pens, make sure that they are acid-free to avoid degrading the scrapbook’s image. Use different colors for each page.

You can ask your friends and family members to help you write something on the pages.

· Finishing touches

Put some additional decorations for final touches. Stickers, handwritten shapes, and paper cut outs are some of the things you can add as your final touches. Compile the pages carefully and share it with friends.

Now that your have your own scrapbook, you can add pages anytime you want to and you can keep your memories alive for as long as you keep your scrapbook alive.