There is a great scrapbook site that you should take a look at if you have been scrapbooking for any while. It is called creatingkeepsakes.com
It is a very polished site that has many features. Some of the great things it has on it are; community bulletin board to share with other scrappers, featured stories of other scrapbookers, blogs of other scrappers, access to online scrapbook magazines, scrapbook store for your materials and supplies needs, they even provide a workspace for your photos and layouts.
The only catch is that you have to register as a member (free) with them in order to access the main and prefered features of the site. We have many favorable recommendations to this site.
Try this site out and give us your honest opinion of their service.
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For those of you that want the most classy scrapbook album, I recommend a leather bound cover with a built in custom three ring binder system. There is a company that makes high quality albums called www.Kolo.com
My favorite model is the "Leather Newport," which comes in two sizes, 11" x 14" and 12" x 12." They are not cheap, starting price is $60. But if you really need to make a "statement" and want nothing but the best, I recommend scrapbook albums from this company. I also like the unique design on this model where you display a picture in the center of the cover by sliding in a real photo there.
This company also makes guest books, presentation binders, photo boxes, and corporate gifts, to name a few.
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As mentioned in the previous post. scrapbooking is growing by leaps and bounds as the hobbie to do around the world. There is yet another trend that is developing in the world of scrapbooking…the business of scrapbooking. There are 4 ways you can make money on your favorite hobbie.
- Scrapbook consultant - This is where you represent selling products for a scrapbook store or wholesaler to the public at large.
- Scrapbook teacher - This is probably the most popular. With the skills you already have as a scrapper, you can set up classes either online or in a home and sign up students who would like to learn, from scratch, how to make their own scrapbooks
- Create scrapbooks for others - Here is where you cash in on someone who needs a scrapbook in a short amount of time but has no previous skills in how to make one.
- Online scrapbooking store - This may be a little more involved, but not impossible! This involves lining up suppliers and wholesalers and setting up your own website to sell everything scrapbooking. You could work as an affiliate for other materials manufacturers or suppliers.
So hone your scrapbooking skils and you may soon discover that you can make a decent supplemental income from your love of bringing memories alive!
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Scrapbook albums or binders come in 2 basic sizes…either 8 1/2" x 11" or 12′ x 12." Although you would think that 8 1/2" x 11" would be a most common size used, the 12" x 12" has been the most popular just because of the size of the pages you can work on. Think for a moment of the various pictures and journals and embellishments that would be spread out on a page, and soon you will discover that the larger would work better.
You might think that you won’t be able to find paper or sheet protectors and other items that fit a 12" x 12" album but all scrapbook stores and scrapbook supply websites have plenty of them for this particular size.
There are 3 types of scrapbook binders that hold the pages together. They are; 3 ring binder, post bound, and strap bound. The easiest of all three is the 3 ring binder because it is strong and flexible enough to accomodate pages and switching out of pages. The post bound involves three vertical posts that have screws that can be removed to add pages when needed. This type is very flexible too. Lastly, the strap bound is made up of an expandable strap hinge that weaves through each page edge. It is the least flexible of all three types.
Whatever album or binder that you choose, make sure that it is made of acid free and and the paper in it is lignin free. This will avoid any discoloration and deterioration to the contents of each page in the years to come.
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There are as much variety of embellishments that you can put into a scrapbbook as your imagination allows! When we talk about embellishments we are talking about any "non photo" materials that make your scrapbook come alive in 3-D. Some items that are embellishments can be:
Stickers, beads, silk flowers, fibers, stamps, clips, shells, chipboards, buttons, charms, chains, coins, newspaper articles, greeting cards, show tickets, locks of hair, ribbons, pinwheels, washers, and braids, just to name a few.
When you insert embellishments, you should be very selective in positioning them as not overuse them and make it balance the overall design of the page.
In the next several posts, we will show some of the uses of embellishments.
Having scrapbbooks of your children, whether one or many can be of such sentimental value to the family. Children grow up so fast and every single minute, day, month and year has its classic moments that can be captured in photographs, and words.
Start your first scrapbook with your baby. You can start with journal entries during the pregnancy and moving up to the delivery day followed by pictures of the baby arriving at home. You can attach items like, a copy of the birth certificate, foot prints, locks of hair, baby shower invitations, baby greeting cards from family and friends, and pictures of the baby in the crib at home. Pictures of first steps, first words, and many other firsts are the most appropriate for a scrapbook.
Next, you can do a toddler scrapbook. In it, you can include the cute smiles, the way the child shows their one of a kind personality, and socializing with family and friends. During this period, quite often it is when the child is very active and getting into everything they can! You could not keep up with the child in what they are exploring. Take many photos!
The next phase is the elementary school scrapbook where the child experiences many parties, graduations, story telling, achievements and awards in school, and art projects to name a few. We would suggest your child get involved in actual making of this scrapbook since they are very creative and can often enhance it in a very unique way.
Lastly, there is a double value in making a scrapbook when your child attends high school and into college. It is a scrapbook that will serve as a great momento to share experiences and moments for both the parent and the child, and someday for the child’s offspring.
Did you know that there are an unlimited amount of custom fonts that you can download and add to your scrapbook? Yes, there are many free shareware and font sites out there that you can use, from art deco to newspaper style, and many more. Here is a link from the site "about dot com" that has many decorative font styles for you to download for free.
For some ideas, you could print out a journal or phrase and print it out on brightly colored construction paper and cut it and paste it next to a photo or item. Some scrappers have been printing out individual letters and making headlines on pages or scrapbook binder covers.
Another great creative idea is to download and print out the "ding bat" style fonts. Ding bats fonts are smal clip art style shapes that you can use for just about any type of themed scrapbook. They come in many shapes, such as geometric shapes, animals, people, faces, holiday themes, and many more shapes. Of course, your computer can make your ding bat shapes into any point size depending on your need.
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It seems, after doing an informal "poll," that the location where people scrap are many, and quite often unique.
Of course, most scrappers use the trusty dining room table for laying out their pictures, momentos, materials and supplies. Still others are using the living room table. Many have a "corner" of a bedroom or guest room to make their creations. Then there are the unconventional places, such as the bedroom floor, or sitting on the back porch and laying things on their lap! Some scrappers swear that they have to have the radio on with music or even talk shows to get inspired to do their masterpiece. There was another scrapper that refused to work on their scrapbook at home, they have to bring all their materials to someone else’s home or even the library.
Wherever you are comfortable with scrapping, make sure you are organized and are focused on your theme and what materials you are going to use. The place to scrap is as different as the people’s personalities that will make scrapbooks!
Let us know where your favorite place to scrap….
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Here is a letter from a beginning scrapper in Arizona. Please read it and enjoy.
Scrapbooking is a very fun new hobby of mine. I found it a way of expressing myself through pictures that I shot and how I lay it out in the scrap book binder. At first, I felt intimidated and frustrated because I did not know where to start when planning and making one.
I found that it was very helpful in spreading out the pictures. Since I had pictures from many events, such as holidays, family get togethers, and vacation trips, I found it important to sort the pictures first. It is also helpful to date the backs of the pictures to keep the time sequence between them.
As for the work space, my favorite place is the kitchen table. Here is the list of supplies I used when starting a scrapbook.
- Photo album or scrapbook binder
- transparent ruler
- scissors
- paper cutter
- adhesives
- card stock
- colored paper
- die cuts
- decorative edge scissors
Although I feel myself as a beginning scrapbooker, I see my skills at this becoming more refined as time goes by and will enjoy it even more. To all you beginning scrappers out there, get out and take some pictures, buy some supplies and get started!
J. from Arizona
Another one of our visitors has submitted a page from her scrapbook of when she took a trip to Mexico. Notice the fantastic pictures she took of the sunset! It sure brings the feeling of tranquility and a yearning to be there right now!
Notice the contrasting colors on the photo matts, a great touch. She also made a great journal describing the joy of seeing the unfogettable sunset. She made good use of the palm tree cut outs and the little 3-D flowers holding the palm tree illustration on the page. The blue page color gives the feel of the water.
Keep your scrapbook submissions coming!
