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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Scrapbooking for Beginners
October 12, 2009 by Paul Jardine
Scrapbooking has been around for ages, but it has recently experienced a surge in popularity. People from all walks of life have discovered the joys of creating albums to showcase their treasured photos and keepsakes. But with all the elaborate scrapbooking techniques and myriad embellishments available, getting started can be intimidating.
The truth is, anyone that can use scissors and glue can scrapbook. And you don’t have to spend ridiculous amounts of money to create attractive pages. With some basic supplies and a little imagination, you can create lovely scrapbooks that will be adored for years to come.
What You Need
You can get started scrapbooking on a small budget. Here are the things you’ll need.
* An album – Scrapbooking albums come in all shapes and sizes. The most popular are 8 1/2″ x 11″ and 12″ x 12″. They can be found at most craft supply stores if you don’t have a scrapbooking supply store nearby.
* Paper – Scrapbooking paper can be found in a variety of solid colors and patterns. This will be the basis for each page. You may also use scrapbooking paper for journaling and to create your own photo mats and embellishments.
* Cutting tools – You can easily get by with just a good pair of scissors. But an Exacto knife might make photo cropping easier. And if you’re no good at cutting straight lines, you might want to invest in a paper cutter.
* Adhesives – There are all sorts of adhesives one could use for scrapbooking. Glue sticks and double-sided tape are quite popular. Some scrapbookers also use rubber cement or glue dots for certain applications. But when you’re getting started, just use what you’re most comfortable with.
* Photos – Beginning scrapbookers often start out with old photos that they’ve accumulated over the years. This makes for a nice, nostalgic album. Of course you can also take new pictures for your scrapbook. A digital camera and photo printer are two modern conveniences that make scrapbooking easier, but they are not necessities. Photos taken by a film camera work just as well.
When purchasing scrapbooking supplies, it’s important to make sure they are acid-free. This will keep them from harming your priceless photos.
Basic Techniques
You don’t have to know a lot about scrapbooking techniques to create an attractive album. Just a few simple techniques will suffice.
One of the first things many scrapbookers learn is how to mat photos. This can be accomplished by simply cutting a square or rectangle that is about a half inch longer and wider than the photo you want to mat. Then glue the photo to the center. To make a photo really stand out, double mat it by cutting out a shape a half inch longer and wider than the first mat, and center the matted photo on it.
Journaling gives scrapbook pages a nice personal touch. Simply write a note about the photos on a page, telling what was happening or sharing your thoughts on the subject. Use paper that coordinates with the background, and be sure to write with an acid-free pen.
Adding borders to your pages gives them a finished look. You can make them out of strips of coordinating scrapbook paper. You don’t have to border all four sides. A strip along the top, side or bottom will do. For easy embellishing, use some stickers.
There’s no need to throw in the towel if you don’t have the time, money or know-how to create elaborate scrapbooks. Just start off simple, and learn new techniques as you go.
Of course, Stampin Up has all the products you need to get started with your scrapbooking! Just contact me and I will help you get started!
Scrapbooking has been around for ages, but it has recently experienced a surge in popularity. People from all walks of life have discovered the joys of creating albums to showcase their treasured photos and keepsakes. But with all the elaborate scrapbooking techniques and myriad embellishments available, getting started can be intimidating.
The truth is, anyone that can use scissors and glue can scrapbook. And you don’t have to spend ridiculous amounts of money to create attractive pages. With some basic supplies and a little imagination, you can create lovely scrapbooks that will be adored for years to come.
What You Need
You can get started scrapbooking on a small budget. Here are the things you’ll need.
* An album – Scrapbooking albums come in all shapes and sizes. The most popular are 8 1/2″ x 11″ and 12″ x 12″. They can be found at most craft supply stores if you don’t have a scrapbooking supply store nearby.
* Paper – Scrapbooking paper can be found in a variety of solid colors and patterns. This will be the basis for each page. You may also use scrapbooking paper for journaling and to create your own photo mats and embellishments.
* Cutting tools – You can easily get by with just a good pair of scissors. But an Exacto knife might make photo cropping easier. And if you’re no good at cutting straight lines, you might want to invest in a paper cutter.
* Adhesives – There are all sorts of adhesives one could use for scrapbooking. Glue sticks and double-sided tape are quite popular. Some scrapbookers also use rubber cement or glue dots for certain applications. But when you’re getting started, just use what you’re most comfortable with.
* Photos – Beginning scrapbookers often start out with old photos that they’ve accumulated over the years. This makes for a nice, nostalgic album. Of course you can also take new pictures for your scrapbook. A digital camera and photo printer are two modern conveniences that make scrapbooking easier, but they are not necessities. Photos taken by a film camera work just as well.
When purchasing scrapbooking supplies, it’s important to make sure they are acid-free. This will keep them from harming your priceless photos.
Basic Techniques
You don’t have to know a lot about scrapbooking techniques to create an attractive album. Just a few simple techniques will suffice.
One of the first things many scrapbookers learn is how to mat photos. This can be accomplished by simply cutting a square or rectangle that is about a half inch longer and wider than the photo you want to mat. Then glue the photo to the center. To make a photo really stand out, double mat it by cutting out a shape a half inch longer and wider than the first mat, and center the matted photo on it.
Journaling gives scrapbook pages a nice personal touch. Simply write a note about the photos on a page, telling what was happening or sharing your thoughts on the subject. Use paper that coordinates with the background, and be sure to write with an acid-free pen.
Adding borders to your pages gives them a finished look. You can make them out of strips of coordinating scrapbook paper. You don’t have to border all four sides. A strip along the top, side or bottom will do. For easy embellishing, use some stickers.
There’s no need to throw in the towel if you don’t have the time, money or know-how to create elaborate scrapbooks. Just start off simple, and learn new techniques as you go.
Of course, Stampin Up has all the products you need to get started with your scrapbooking! Just contact me and I will help you get started!
Print Text for Rubber Stamping Projects
By Kate Pullen, About.com
In an ideal world we'd have text stamps for every purpose. However there are occasions when a special word or sentiment is required and the perfect stamp just cannot be found. Although alphabet stamps are a great solution for many projects, a whole range of sizes and styles would be required to create text suitable for every occasion. Printing text from a computer and adding this to rubber stamped projects ensures that a never ending supply of words and phrases can be produced.
This is also a useful technique for spur of the moment projects where there is no time to shop around for appropriate text stamps.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Quick
Here's How:
1. Type a greeting into a word processor on the computer. Change the font and size as required.
2. Use the 'preview' function on the computer to look at how the text is displayed. Some word processors or print packages allow you to look at the page in its actual size. Leave plenty of space around the text to allow it to be cut or shaped if required.
3. Print the page. It might be useful to print the page onto scrap paper first so the size and type of font can be assessed. Any paper or cardstock will work well, although thinner paper will work better with projects that absorb the text into the finished design and thicker papers or cards are better where text is to become a feature. Check your printer instructions first for any special requirements for printing on card.
4. Use the text as required. Here are some tips for incorporating the text into rubber stamping projects to give a seamless and professional finish:
Tear around the text and color the torn edges to co-ordinate the color scheme of the stamping project. Dabbing an ink pad around the edge will follow the color of the stamped images through the project.
5. Stick the text to a card and add stamped embellishments around the edge to disguise the edges.
6. Print the text directly onto cardstock and stamp around the text. Practice this on scrap paper first to ensure that the text is positioned correctly.
Tips:
To avoid wasting paper, print several different messages onto a single sheet and store the remaining paper safely for future projects.
Match the font style to the rubber stamps that are to be used in a project. For instance, fun and quirky rubber stamps would be complemented by a less formal font.
Plan how the printed text is to be incorporated into a project so it does not look as though this has been stuck on as an afterthought!
Keep a note of fonts that you like and which stamping projects that they would be useful for. This saves time when working on a last minute project.
In an ideal world we'd have text stamps for every purpose. However there are occasions when a special word or sentiment is required and the perfect stamp just cannot be found. Although alphabet stamps are a great solution for many projects, a whole range of sizes and styles would be required to create text suitable for every occasion. Printing text from a computer and adding this to rubber stamped projects ensures that a never ending supply of words and phrases can be produced.
This is also a useful technique for spur of the moment projects where there is no time to shop around for appropriate text stamps.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Quick
Here's How:
1. Type a greeting into a word processor on the computer. Change the font and size as required.
2. Use the 'preview' function on the computer to look at how the text is displayed. Some word processors or print packages allow you to look at the page in its actual size. Leave plenty of space around the text to allow it to be cut or shaped if required.
3. Print the page. It might be useful to print the page onto scrap paper first so the size and type of font can be assessed. Any paper or cardstock will work well, although thinner paper will work better with projects that absorb the text into the finished design and thicker papers or cards are better where text is to become a feature. Check your printer instructions first for any special requirements for printing on card.
4. Use the text as required. Here are some tips for incorporating the text into rubber stamping projects to give a seamless and professional finish:
Tear around the text and color the torn edges to co-ordinate the color scheme of the stamping project. Dabbing an ink pad around the edge will follow the color of the stamped images through the project.
5. Stick the text to a card and add stamped embellishments around the edge to disguise the edges.
6. Print the text directly onto cardstock and stamp around the text. Practice this on scrap paper first to ensure that the text is positioned correctly.
Tips:
To avoid wasting paper, print several different messages onto a single sheet and store the remaining paper safely for future projects.
Match the font style to the rubber stamps that are to be used in a project. For instance, fun and quirky rubber stamps would be complemented by a less formal font.
Plan how the printed text is to be incorporated into a project so it does not look as though this has been stuck on as an afterthought!
Keep a note of fonts that you like and which stamping projects that they would be useful for. This saves time when working on a last minute project.
Today's Featured Project: Family Name Décor
Family Name Décor
Create a personalized name frame that's perfect for a housewarming gift or anytime. It's easy to stamp perfectly spaced and aligned letters when you use a Stamp-a-ma-jig. And because you use a stamp set for the name, you can stamp the name in any color yoFor recipe or purchase information, just click on the project!
Create a personalized name frame that's perfect for a housewarming gift or anytime. It's easy to stamp perfectly spaced and aligned letters when you use a Stamp-a-ma-jig. And because you use a stamp set for the name, you can stamp the name in any color yoFor recipe or purchase information, just click on the project!
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