Creating a scrapbook serves to preserve memories and exercise your creativity. You will have fun while making it and your family and friends will appreciate your work, which will be valuable to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This article focuses on a traditional album, but if you have a penchant for technology, you can create a digital one as well. You will need very few things, so get to work right away!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choose Style and Materials
Step 1. Choose a style:
the options are many. Think about how you will store the album and how you want it to appear inside.
- You can use a ring binder, which can hold standard A4 sheets and is inexpensive. Plus, it can be stored anywhere, especially in a library, and you can add as many pages as you want. You can protect them with transparent sheets. The only disadvantage is the interruption between the pages caused by the rings, so the look will not be completely uniform.
- There are also scrapbooks held together by metal pins that you can open and close to add new pages. Just like with the ring binder, you can aggregate as many pages as you want, even if it's a little less practical. On the other hand, this style allows you to get two front pages that are not separated as is the case with the classic ring binder. You can easily insert the finished pages between the protective sheets of the album.
- You can buy an album with a fixed number of pages, so you won't be able to add new ones or remove them. This means that you will have to organize them well to avoid mistakes. These albums are not characterized by the protective sheets, which can be good or bad. This is an advantage if you want to use more bulky ornaments or want to glue envelopes and fill them with photos. The downside is that you won't be able to protect the pages as much.
Step 2. Decide on the size
The standard ones are two: 22 x 28 cm and 30 x 30 cm. However, there are others as well. The style will determine the size.
- 22 x 28 cm. This album is the cheapest choice, also because you can buy protective sheets for the photos at the stationery. Standard pages can be contained in a simple ring binder, which you can buy anywhere.
- 30 x 30 cm. This format is becoming more and more popular, so you will find numerous options on the market. One of its advantages? You can insert multiple photos on one page.
- Special dimensions. You can create a pocket-sized one or one to display. These styles typically feature non-removable pages and are ideal for remembering a single event, such as the birth of a baby or a family reunion.
Step 3. Choose your card
You will have hundreds and hundreds of options: festive, sports, leisure, floral, patterned themes and so on. Make your choice based on your style and what you want to dedicate the scrapbook to.
- The paper can be bought in packs or by sheets.
- You don't have to buy it at the stationery. If you see one you like, get it. Just make sure it's archival purpose and acid-free, which can damage photos and other memories over time.
- Buy more than you need, especially if you have a certain design in mind and don't know what will come of it.
- Choose at least two sheets of the same type. Some people prefer to do it this way when creating the album cover, others choose the same card in two complementary colors.
Step 4. Get the other tools
Making scrapbooks can become an expensive hobby, especially if you enjoy collecting stationery items. But the truth is that you don't need to have so many elements to make one:
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Sharp, good quality scissors. You will use them a lot, so spend a little more.
- If you want, you can also buy a utility knife or letter opener.
- There are scissors with decorative tips to create original edges. This element, for example, is not necessary.
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Glue. There are other options for sticking photos too, but glue is the easiest to use and won't damage your images.
If you want to be able to remove the photos from the album, buy a paper frame to hold them in place and stick it on. When you want to remove the photo, you simply have to gently pull it outwards, as the frame is glued to the sheet
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Buy a pack of 22 x 28 cm multi-colored cardstock sheets. You can use them to glue photos on top of them and create labels.
If you are using a 22 x 28 cm scrapbook, you can use card stock to create the pages
Step 5. Fill your decoration box
You will probably need some other tools to make your album. This business can easily get expensive - there are hundreds of items out there, and you can enjoy buying the ones that inspire you most. But you really only need a few basic items to start making a beautiful scrapbook.
- Plastic stencils of various shapes (circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, diamonds, etc.). Use it to decorate photos and create shapes on the card in which you will insert the titles of your pages.
- Permanent markers. You will need at least one good quality black one to write the page titles. If you can, buy other colors as well, but avoid those that are difficult to read, such as yellow or light pink.
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Ornaments. Since there are so many options, you can spend a small fortune: amulets, decorative labels, jewels, studs … You don't need them to create a nice album, but, if you like, you can buy some or, better yet, recycle what you have already.
How to recycle? Cut out pictures from greeting cards, jewels from old Carnival costumes, and bows you no longer need
Part 2 of 3: Creating the Pages
Step 1. Choose a theme or message
You probably have a lot of memories you want to organize, so you will need to make some decisions about how to proceed.
- Let the materials guide you. Review photos, cards, bows, awards, newspaper clippings and other materials based on their relevance to the occasion or event (graduation, summer vacation, Christmas, etc.). Choose the right background for your idea.
- Choose a color and theme in advance. Maybe your wedding theme was black and white or your sister just gave birth to a baby girl. Choose photos and memories that match the background color.
Step 2. Think about different material arrangements before taking a leap in the dark
Some people develop every detail before they start gluing, others think of a general idea and then consider the details in the process.
- Take a sheet of the same size as the page. Use a pencil to sketch the layout: photo, title, text …
- You can make a general sketch or add details as well. Experiment and give voice to your creativity.
Step 3. Make the cover using one sheet or two sheets
- Better to avoid creating pages that conflict with each other or compete to attract attention.
- You don't necessarily have to use the same background on every sheet, but they will need to coordinate at least in terms of color and design.
Step 4. Crop the photos to fit on the page after deciding how to paste them
Use scissors or a utility knife. You can also make marks with the stencil and then cut the image.
If you don't want to spoil an important photo, make a copy of it or take a picture of the image
Step 5. Test layout before pasting photos
Once cropped, arrange the photos to create a basic idea of the final product. Maybe on paper you won't like the layout you thought of and so you need to be willing to experiment with different positions until you find the result you like best. Make sure it's final before you paste everything.
Step 6. Add the lyrics:
titles, captions, and so on. Make them representative of your memories. You can decide in advance what you will write or get inspired by the photos after placing them in the space.
- Don't write too much: photos and other memories will have to talk, so choose short sentences to remember the event or experience.
- Consider including the date on each page. You may find it hard to believe for now that you will forget an important event, but experiences pile up and it's easy to remove the details. Plus, scrapbooks can pass from generation to generation, and your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will love to learn more.
Step 7. Enrich the album with ornaments, which can make it more interesting, support the theme and create unity between the pages
Do it in a visually pleasing and meaningful way. Here are some ideas:
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Group the ornaments on each page for added emphasis.
You can create three groups per page, but this depends a lot on the amount of ornaments you use. Go for odd numbers, which tend to get a lot more attention
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Arrange them in the corners of photos or text blocks to anchor them on the page. They will give the images and words a little more "weight".
You can also put them in the corners of the pages. If you have several pages about the same theme, using the same decorative elements in the corners of each of them will help you unify them
- Stack them or lay them. Remember that they will add thickness to the page, so choose them carefully. If you use an album with no removable pages, you will not have protective sheets, so you can afford to create more volume.
Part 3 of 3: Raising the Level
Step 1. Take a course
If you don't find any in your area, buy a book full of ideas or DVDs. If you have the time and money to invest, you can also participate in weekly workshops.
Step 2. Network with people who have the same passion as you
Visit scrapbooking blogs and craft-focused social networks, sign up for a Pinterest account, and join organizations like the Scrapbooking and Paper Crafting Society.
If you take a class or go to the stationery often, you will probably know other artists. Ask them if they belong to a club or consider starting one yourself
Step 3. Attend a conference
Each year, several are organized, offering workshops, lectures and exhibits from suppliers to introduce the latest equipment. For example, do not miss the sites of Scrapbooking Italia and Associazione Scrapbooking Italia: you can register, participate in conferences, meet other artists, etc.
Step 4. Become a pro if you like this art and want to share it with others
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Become a teacher. You will need patience to work with beginners and a positive and encouraging attitude. You will also need to keep up to date with the latest trends and materials so you can show them to your students.
Apply to institutes that offer this art or organize a one-day or weekend workshop in your home. Advertise online and in stationeries
Step 5. Make scrapbooks for others
Not everyone has the patience, creativity and skills to make them, and many are willing to pay someone else to keep their memories. Make yourself known on the internet or set up a booth at a local trade show, displaying your work samples and providing your business cards.
- You can open a site for your business. Post photos of your samples or create digital pages to show examples of your work.
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Work as a freelance writer and volunteer to help make scrapbook lyrics. Or, write the contents of the web pages dedicated to scrapbooking or articles for specialized newspapers.
How to get ideas for your articles? Join scrapbooking discussions to see what enthusiasts are debating and at conferences, and talk to product suppliers to ask if their company needs a writer to describe articles
- Become an event planner if you are a born planner and know what scrapbookers want to see and know, so you will be able to find a job coordinating exhibits. Offer your services by working independently or by joining a specialized company.
