Tried-and-True Scrapbook Techniques to Keep Your Creativity Clicking Away

From :everything-about-scrapbooking

This series of scrapbook techniques will touch on tags, custom-made page toppers, sanding and hand-made embellishments to dress up your scrapbooking papers.

As a beginner, it's always a good thing to try out different ideas so that you know what you like, what works for you and what are the time-saving ideas you can recycle many times.

Scrapbook Techniques #1: Tags

Tags is one of the favorite embellishment ideas scrapbookers use on their scrapbooking pages.

Tags works wondrous as a page accent. It adds an interesting element to your page and it works like a "mini-canvas" for adding smaller photos, journaling, captions, page titles, decorative mats, thought bubbles and more.

You can easily cut out a tag using a template or draw one using freehand, and then make designs on the cut-out tag based on your needs and preferences.

Tags can come in various sizes, big, medium, small and in various shapes, oval, round, square or rectangle.

Besides using paper for tags, you can cut out fabric, wood, metal, specialty paper and other surfaces.

Pre-cut tags are also readily available at most craft or scrapbook stores.

To finish it off, attach the tag to your page with fibers, brads, staples or ribbons.

Read on for more free scrapbook ideas.

Scrapbook Techniques #2: Custom-Made Toppers

Turn your page title into interesting page toppers by handwriting your own page titles and adding designs to them!

Trust your steady hand to come up with nice page titles or if you want a helping hand, trace over a computer font. Then it's up to you to add flourishes to the page title using paint, colored pencils or chalks and turn it into a decorative page topper.

If you're using freehand to draw out your page title, remember to use a pencil to outline your letters first. Remember to leave enough space between the letters if you intend to use block letter or add some swirls.

Then add in any extra lines, designs or motifs to each letter. When you're done designing, trace over the letters with a journaling pen. Do correct as you go along and then let the ink dry.

Done? Then erase off all the pencil lines and fill in with your selected medium of colored pencils, chalks or paint.

Scrapbook Techniques #3: Sanding

Use sandpaper to rub, buff and scratch away and change the face of cardstock, patterned papers and embellishments.

This is a quick way to add interest, age, soften or dull the surface of your paper or embellishments.

Just remember to place the item you want to sand on a piece of white scrap paper. Because using colored paper, its tint might transfer to the item you're sanding.

Use your dominant hand to hold the sandpaper and the other hand to hold onto the piece of item you're sanding. Use short strokes to distress your item. A fine-grained sandpaper will give a distressed look while a coarse-grained paper with long strokes will give the item a scratched look.

Then use a piece of tissue to swipe away the gritty bits off the sanded item.

Scrapbook Techniques #4: Hand-Made Embellishments

If you want something unique, then you can look at creating your very own embellishment. It'll be one-of-a-kind piece of art.

Embellishments serve to enhance and add interest to your scrapbook pages. And there's abundance of embellishments such as stickers, ribbons, slides, metal frames, shaker boxes to more complex techniques of adding microbeads, rubber stamping, dry embossing and such.

The kind of embellishments you use really depend on your imagination and creativity.

Of course, you can always come up with your own handmade embellishment. It doesn't even have to be complex, sometimes simple ideas work the best.

If the idea of making your own embellishments appeals to you, keep a lookout for leftover beads, plastic flowers, laces, ribbons and so on from your other craft projects that you can use as materials for your embellishments. With handmade embellishments, you'll instantly add a great personal touch to your scrapbook pages. Plus, no one will have the same piece of embellishment as you.