A Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking

*Remunerated Post*

Getting away from a screen has never been more important and trying to find ways to reconnect as a family has meant a lot to us. One of the things I have considered is scrapbooking. I can remember starting this as a child. I still have one in my loft which has loads of press cuttings and thoughts on my favourite band, Go West.

The definition of a scrapbook is “a book of blank pages for sticking cuttings, drawings, or pictures in.”

Even though that is the literal definition, the word “scrapbook” these days means different things to different people. Some use it as somewhere to document particular events or milestones. Some use them to share daily events. Others use them to chronicle ancestry.

But, how do you get started? Especially with so many scrapbook designs to choose from. I thought I would put together a beginners guide to scrapbooking to help get you started.

decide on a subject matter

The best thing is that there are no rules about what you would like your scrapbook to contain. From the baby years for your newborn to a special birthday, from a special holiday to general travels, from your wedding to your retirement, from something more niche such as a hobby or the lockdown or even just your family memories, there is a subject for everyone.

Choose a File

There are many different kinds of scrapbook files to choose from and these are a great place to start if once you have chosen your subject. It means that you can make your project your own and sites such as Design Bundles have thousands of options to choose from for many different projects.

One of the files I find best to use are the spiral bound albums. They stay open easily and make it a simpler job of filling your scrapbook with all the things you love.

Pick Some Patterns

There are so many background patterns to choose from that it could be tricky to know where to begin.

The best way to decide is to choose a style. There are plenty of vintage themes or, if that is not for you, why not choose one of your favourite colour schemes. Colours which suit Autumn, Spring or Summer are great places to start. Hand-drawn, watercolour and pastels are all available too. Or, more specialist themes such as fairies, butterflies or even in the style of Vincent Van Gogh.

Album Essentials

If you are not sure where to start, you can easily pick up some scrapbooking kits which will save you time and mean you won’t have to go hunting around for all the bits you need.

To give you some idea though, here are the bits which will get you started:

• Card Stock: hard papers that work as the base for any Scrapbooks.
• Scrap/Patterned Paper – choose from the designs that will go with your theme and/or colour
• Scissors
• Adhesives such as double-sided tape or glue guns

Embellishments

Embellishments are what add to the overall effect of your scrapbooking. Keeping it simple with just card stock and paper means that it may look like any other photo album so the decorations are what enhance and beautify your album and make it your own.

Personalisation is easy. The use of flower cuts, buttons, ribbons, beads, lace and tags can all make your scrapbook look that much more exciting. You can even use all of these things to make your own embellishment to give it a creative and more personal touch.

Inking

Digital letters are great but if you prefer to hand draw, distressed ink has the versatility to be used creatively. They would give a vintage look to the page and mean that you can use it for stamping, distressing the edges of the paper as well as stencilling. It can certainly make your scrapbook look much more professional.

Photos

Photos are what give any scrapbook, it’s final identity. It is a good idea to ensure that you put them in some kind of order before sticking them in so that you ensure you get the finished result you are looking for.

Double-sided tape is great for sticking them in or, for a more removable option, photo corners are always a great bet.

Shaped Cutters

We have already mentioned the need for scissors but to give your scrapbook an elegant design, you might like to opt for different shapes.

They are a large variety of shape cutters available that can be used for this purpose. They can be expensive so make sure you want to take your new hobby seriously before you splash out. You will find them worth it though as they vary from the most basic to flowers as well as giving you the ability to trim, border and bind.

---

Please pin this post