A scrapbook includes journaling (telling the story behind the photos) as well as memorabilia (tickets, certificates, letters, etc.). I think this is pretty cool, think of it as writing the story of your life, in words and pictures: you get to choose the words, the photos, the memories........
Lookin back on it will be sure to make you laugh, cry, or just wonder at how smart, or dumb(in most cases) we can all be.
You might be having big boxes lying around filled with photos, wondering how you’ll ever get around to all of them? If scrapbooking seems like a monumental task, don’t worry—it’s really not. All you need are a few basic materials and some ideas.
HOW TO
1. Pick your photos, First, select your photos based on one theme or event—a child’s first birthday, your weekend trip to the coast or an everyday event like the kids’ bathtime. Think of each page as having a story to tell.
Whether you place one really special photo on a page or 3-6 photos, there should be a common theme connecting them. Once you’ve chosen a theme, decide which pictures look best together. Don’t be afraid to edit—just because you took two rolls of film at that party doesn’t mean you need to use all of those photos.... :-)
2. Pick your papers: Pick a patterned paper for your background, which instantly adds color and depth to a page. A patterned paper is a great way to mirror your photo’s story—and you can find a paper for practically every look, style and theme. Let the paper pattern help you tell your story and make creating your album faster and easier: Choose a pattern that enhances your theme, like an elegant paper for a page of black-and-white photos, or a fun print for kids’ pictures.
3. Sticking your photos. When using a patterned paper as a background to your photos, remember the Golden Rule of Patterned Paper: Always stick your photo onto a solid paper so the colors and shapes in the photo don’t compete with the colors and shapes on the paper.
To stick a photo, just glue it onto your solid paper and cut around the paper so that you have a border around the picture. This will provide a visual “space” between the photo and the paper. Even if your background paper is a solid color, I would still do this so that it has a more finished look.
Think of it as framing a picture before you hang it on the wall—whether you have wallpaper or not, a frame still adds a nice polished touch.:-)
4. Lay out your page. Arrange your elements (photos, journaling, embellishments:- stick on stars, beads, cut out paper etc) on the background paper. Before you glue them down, move them around to make sure you like the placement.
As a rule, the center of your album page attracts the eye first; if it’s empty, the page will look incomplete. Overlap elements in the center, or add an embellishment in the center of the page.
* but this is the story of your life, so you can work with whatever rocks your boat..... *
5. Journal your story. You can choose to write directly on the page, but sometimes it’s easier (and less stressful) to write onto a separate scrap of paper, then glue this onto the page. If you goof, you can just flip the paper over and start again.
Or you could type on your computer and print it out. This is great for those of us who hate our handwriting or need to use a spell-check (hehe)
Yet I’ve come to realize that handwriting is so personal, and so individual, that it becomes precious to us, so have no fear, no matter how bad your writing may look.....its the thought that counts. :-)
When you’re finished with your scrapbook page, simply place it in your album. I like three-ring binders, or spiral binding, because they make it easy to add pages as you go back in time. It means you don’t have to take apart the entire album to add pages or rearrange them.
Once you get a couple of ages layed out, your book is done :-)
Happy Reading...eerrmm...& Looking...
No comments:
Post a Comment