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Scrappin' Technique SecretsHere are all of the great secrets that we have gathered to help you learn new techniques on your scrapbook pages. We're always amazed at the creative technique ideas that people have! To submit your great tips and hints and have them posted on our web site, go to the Submit a Tip Page. |
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 I used the patterns from a book
for creating foam art magnets and pins to add cute designs to my scrapbook pages. I have
add a reindeer in a wreath and a stocking with a mouse to my Christmas pages. It is also
great for creating 3-D characters such as bunnies, cows, and turkeys. -- Susan T. from
Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
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After mounting several Christmas
photos on two 12" X 12" pages (left and right), I randomly stuck small Christmas
tree lights (Stickopotomus), alternating bulb colors, aoo over the blank areas. I then got
a green marker and drew on the "wires", connecting one bulb to the next. It
looks like the strings of lights go behind each picture and out the other side. I made
loops and curves to make the wires look real. It was very effective! -- Donna E from Perth
Amboy, New Jersey |
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If you can't think of putting a
picture on a layout without matting once or more, you're going to love this computer tip:
Just measure the picture (they're usually all the same size anyway) and use Powerpoint to
draw one rectangle to that size, then another one (or more) just a little bigger. You can
use the rulers to have the exact size you want and then you can align them perfectly
centered horizontally and vertically. Then print the page with the rectangles on your
matting paper and cut out! No fussing with rulers anymore. -- Marie from Brooklin
Massachusetts |
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If you are running out of ideas
check out magazines or catalogs. Even if you look at the stickers they are selling they
can give you ideas. -- Katie T. from Logan, Utah. |
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I use a computer
program called "Print Artist", to create background pages,
graphics/shapes/symbols/text/effects, cut outs, frames, borders, basically just about
anything! It saves a group of money! The choices are endless. -- Jenni from Philadephia,
PA. |
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I made a "this is
your life" photo book for my brother's 80th birthday, including parents, grandparents
and greatgrandparents pictures. First page is of him as a baby, parents wedding picture,
next pages of "Ancesters" etc. Also made one for my son's 50th birthday. Both
last year - this year my sister turned 80 and my oldest daughter turned 50 - guess what, 2
more books. Now I have pictures made and sorted in file folders for the other 3 daughters.
I used the scanner and printet out the pictures on photo paper to save the cost of having
reprints made. -- Waneta from Ruthton, Minnesota. |
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Layout ideas. I have a
current subscription to Creating Keepsakes. I always see cute layout ideas that
would work well with some of my photos. So as I read through the mag. I stick a little
yellow post it note on the page sticking out, and I make a little note about what photos
it would work well with. As I get ready to start a new layout I grab all the mags. and I
can quickly find the layouts I liked.This makes the layout go much quicker because you
have a sample of what you want your page to look like. (of course with your own special
touches) :) -- Michelle from Sandy, UT |
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My husband and I went
to a NASCAR race in Dover last year. I wanted to do a page for that. I realized that most
of what is out there is geared toward women's issues and not men. There are so many men
out there that scrapbook!! I noticed that I had a lot of nice pictures with thousands and
thousands of fans sitting in the stands. I used the picture that I wanted, then cut out
the people in the stands and made my own border. It looked really cool. I passed this idea
on to a husband and wife at the craft store that were getting ready to go to the Dover
race this year. They were so excited to have the idea. Enjoy. -- Lisa from Sterling, VA |
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If you've ever put down
a sticker in the wrong place, you'll appreciate this tip. Use the paper the sticker comes
on (waxy side up) and slowly slide it under the sticker. It takes a little time but it
saves your sticker and might even save your page. -- Heather from Fort Worth, Texas. |
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For a great gift idea,
take a regular picture frame of any size and decorate it just as you would for a scrapbook
page. Grandparents love them, and this way anyone who comes to your home will see your
work hanging on the wall ( it also saves wall space when hanging pictures)! -- reader from
Texas |
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I was very nervous
about my baby pictures, my mother still had them in those acid magnetic photo albums. I
went out and bought plain black card stock, page protectors, and clear photo corners. I
then transfered all the pictures, leaving them just as she had arranged them, onto the
cardstock. I even reused the binders. I've given my mom a gel pen and asked her to write
her thoughts and memories when she has time. I plan to reuse the black paper as journaling
(in her words and handwriting) when I eventually get to my baby pictures. In the meantime,
I don't need to worry about them getting ruined. It only took me 2 1/2 hours to finish the
whole album. -- Marcy from Las Vegas, Nevada |
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My dad lives a long way
away from me and my 2 children (his only grandchildren). So I grabbed my camcorder and
made a scrapbook video for him and talked about each of the pages. It turned out pretty
long but sometimes you have to tell a story to understand a picture. He absolutely loved
it. I also made a copy to put in my safe. No expensive copying. And if you have as many
pages as I do it is very expensive. Hope maybe some of you use this tip. -- scrappermom
from Arkansas |
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This idea was giving to
me, by another scrapper. I work on a 12 x 12 pioneer album, and use alot of paper. Well I
layer and my book started getting thick, and I only had 10 pages in it. So my friend told
me to cut the middle out of my bottom layer and cover it with the paper of my choice (you
layer happy people know what I am talking about) so I did and it doubled my size of the
album, AND it gave me scraps big enough to layer my photos rather then buying another
sheet of paper to do that. You should see my albums now, they are full of color, and not
as heavy as before. This technique could be used for CM albums, just cut out the center
and layer it with patterened paper or color paper rather then the white. -- Nellie A. from
San Jose, California |
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For babys' scrapboooks,
include labels from their first bottle of formula, first jar of baby food and first box of
cereal. (Not my original idea, but it's a great one!) -- Lori from Clayton, North Carolina |
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Save all of your
scraps! I always find ways to use them. Even little 1 inch squares of paper can be
used to make colored photo corners by cutting them in half diagonally. --anonymous |
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My nine-year old
daughter loves to scrapbook with me and to accomodate her creativity I give her the second
set of prints that we always develop. She can crop, cut, and scrapbook to her heart's
content. She makes mini-scrapbooks with the vinyl photo books that come with
photo-developing (although you could purchase 'real' scrapbooks) and we usually give these
as a present to her grandparents. Not only do they have the pictures, but they have her
creativity as well. :-) (If there happens to be a few exceptionally good pictures in the
roll, we either make copies or frame them separately.) -- La Vonda from Washington |
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I am new at
Scrapbooking, but i have found that some decorative pages don't mach the colorsof my
pictures even though they are the perfect desighn and it is hard to find another. I have
found that, rather than compromise the colors of my pictures, I found out that you can use
an exacto knife and cut out the design that you want to save and use. That way you can use
them on more than one page too. -- annonymous |
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When cropping photos,
there are times when a template would cut off part of the subjct that I want to include. I
draw around the template until I get to the part that is outside the boundaries of the
template. I cut the photo in the shape of the template, and then cut around the excluded
area. For example, in a group photo I will cut around the person at each end, or cut
around a shoe, baseball bat or other item that would otherwise be cut off by the template.
It really looks interesting and allows for close cropping without sacrificing detail! --
Ruthann G. from Yorktown, Virginia |
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When doing paper
piecing patterns I trace the pattern onto tracing paper and cut the pattern out of the
tracing paper. That way you have your original pattern on one pice and you don't have to
worry about loosing the pattern pieces. -- Pam from Lanesville, IN |
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Idea: 1. Use the negative piece of a die cut (the part that is left over after you punch the die cut shape out) as a photo mount. It is the perfect size and it's FREE! 2. Use the backing strip from CM tape runner as a guide to place your sticker letters. Stick the letters on to the top edge of the tape runner backing, for perfect spacing and to make sure you get them on straight. Once you have the letters just so, lay it on your page, stick down the top of each letter and pull off the backing! You now have perfectly placed letters. -- LaDawna from Lemoore, California |
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When using a solid
color of cardstock for a background page, I usually trim another solid color 1/2 inch or
so on each side and mount on top of the background sheet, or draw a border around the
outside edge, or use some sort of decorative corners on the background sheet. I find I am
happier with my pages that aren't "empty" around the outside of the page or in
the corners. The border or corners help focus the eye on what is "inside" of the
page. -- Dawne S from Columbia City, Indiana |
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I put my scrapbooks
together on a table covered by an old vinyl table cloth. When I get glue on it from the
glue stick, it wipes up easy and won't stick to the rest of the pictures I'm working with.
Also, I keep a damp washcloth handy and wash my hands often to clean the glue from my
fingers so it won't get on my pictures or pages. -- Liz P. of Wichita, KS |
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I was overwhelmed by
how much work it would take for me to get all my pictures safely placed in scrapbooks. To
get the satisfaction of completing one book, I made a special occasions book with one page
for each holiday or special event. I started with my wedding, then children's baptisms,
first day of school pictures (one for each year), one page for each birthday, Easter,
Halloween and Christmas. We love looking through the book and getting a quick view of the
special times we have had, and I completed a book easily while trying different techniques
in each section. -- Ruthann G. of Yorktown, VA |
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I scrapbook with
pictures of events from everything our family has done and put them in date order. At the
end of every year I have a book for each season (Jan-March, April- June, July-Sept,
Oct-Dec). When we go to family picnics, birthday, etc, from time to time I take the most
current competed book and family members have a lot of fun looking through the books to
see themselves, their kids, etc. This has helped bring our family closer and it's fun to
watch how people change and kids grow as time goes on. It sure is a great way of keeping
track of what your family does in the course of a year. It can be time comsuming if you
don't keep up, but is sure is worth it. -- Liz P. of Wichita, KS |
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I hate to wrap gifts
and many times I use baskets or other items to put my gifts in. Since I have started
scrapbooking I buy plain gift bags at the dollar store,craft stores etc. I usally purchase
brown paper sacks with handles, then decorate with stickers, punches, die cuts, ribbon,
raffta, buttons, any thing I have on hand and that is appropiate for the gift that I'm
giving! Turn's out cute and everyone appreciates the bag as much as the gift. Great way to
use some of those wild sticker,die cuts, etc. that we are not sure how to get rid of or
where to use them. Instead of spending several $ for wrapping paper and bows that go in
the trash, it is an gift appreciated and very inexpensive! -- Debbie P., from Maypearl, TX |
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If you plan to copy
your 12 x 12 pages at the copy center, remember that the copier copies 11" high, not
12". It will copy 17" wide. Besure to place your pictures and or stickers at
least 1/2" from the edge on both top and bottom. Center your page over the glass of
the copier before you copy. Otherwise, you will loose part of your picture. -- Lyn H. from
Aloha, Oregon |
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I have found that
newspaper can make an eye-cathing and interesting background paper. Simply cut out a
clipping to the desired size and shape, paste it to the memory page, and voila! A great
background without buying expensive printed paper! P.S. try coodinating the article on the
newspaper clipping with the photos on that page, for example: baby photos go great with
the birth announcement section of the paper. Have fun! -- Lauren Editors' note: Since newspaper is extremely acidic (therefore unsafe for scrapbooks) and also yellows very quickly, it would be wise to first photocopy the newspaper background and then use the photocopy in your scrapbook, still achieving the same great idea. |
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Use your oval cutter,
or an oval template, to make Easter eggs in all different colors. Then, you can decorate
them with punches (circles, flowers, bunnies...) and strips of paper cut from decorative
scissors (pinking, corkscrew, etc.). Don't be afraid to use simply patterned papers
(gingham, dots, etc.) for variety. -- Tonya W. from Oklahoma City, OK. |
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For a keepsake
babyshower gift a friend and I bought a 5X7 Creative Memories photo album. Before the
shower we decorated each page with stickers, borders, die cuts, etc. that pertained to
babies and childhood. In the shower invitation we asked that each person write a note to
the baby. Before the shower we received many notes that we transferred onto the pages or
that the guests wrote themselves. As people arrived, anyone who needed to filled in one of
the empty pages did it and we presented the mother to be with a keepsake that she will
give her little girl when she turns 16. It was a hit! -- Vicki W. from Ft. Worth,Texas |
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The memories in your
album are all yours, so the layouts should be all yours as well. The so called
"expert" will tell you to use only 2 or 3 pictures to a page and don't fill up
all the negative space. I say BAH! If you want to fill up all the negative space with
stickers, do it. If you want 10 pictures on the page, do it. It's your imagination and
creativity that bring these memories to life. I guarantee 50 years from now when your
family takes down your albums to thumb thru the pages of your/their lives, no one will
comment that you used too many stickers. -- Lyn H. from Aloha, Oregon |
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Several of the
Scrapbook sites out there have free die cut template shape that you can download as a
graphic file to use in your scrapbooks. I use powerpoint or microsoft word programs, add
several die cut patterns to each page, then print them on overhead projector film. I then
cut the shape out leaving a 1/4" margin. I can now place the template over the
picture and line it up exactly where I want it. Tape it to the picture so it doesn't move
and cut the picture and template on the black line. You can also use this techique with
pictures from coloring books. Just use a copier to transfer the picture to the film. Works
great. -- Lyn H. from Aloha, Oregon
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I just found a great
way to capture history and scrapbook at the same time. Go to the postoffice and look at
their commenorative stamps. There is a great one for 2000-just right for any New Year's
page. And there is their century series that gives you a thumbnail of all the important
things in a particular decade which helps with heritage pages--I'm going to use the 90s
for one of my daughter's pages (she was born in 1991)--it captures a lot of the popular
things of the time--and also shows that postage was only 33cents! I am not sure that they
are acid free, so you might want to mount them on acid free stock. -- Cathy of Pelham, NY |
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Take your child's shirt
or favorite blanket to the copy store and make a color copy (on acid free paper) and use
it as personalized background paper. It's an easy way to match the paper to photo
elements. -- Sam of Michigan |
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I use clear address
labels to print stickers for my scrap book. I find they work well on most color paper
except the black. Just print them with you computer using a printing program and cut them
apart as you need them. You can also use white shipping labels and cut out your design as
needed. -- Carol S. of Elk Horn, Kentucky |
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Use background scraps
for borders! I had a million pictures of my high school graduation taken from the crowd.
In a grad class of 395, everyone was SO SMALL! So, I used those photos to cut into small
rectangular strips of varying lengths, and I was sure to use the FACES of the graduates
sitting waiting for diplomas. Since the graduates were sitting in rows, their faces were
lined up perfectly. I arranged the strips into a border around the page, so now I have
mini photos of my friends on my grad page. I have done this same thing with background
scraps of grass, sky, sand, whatever! -- Erin S., of Orrville, OH |
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If you are making a 12
X 12 album, be sure to double check the paper size before doing the page. I recently
bought a package of "12x12" paper, and to my surprise, it was just short of
being 11 1/2 X 11 1/2. I have also, however, bought different cardstock that was too large
for the page protectors. In this case, trimming needs to be done before doing the layout
to avoid cutting any of it out. Be sure to measure so you don't learn from the mistakes I
have. -- Nikki, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota |
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Use stickers for the
cover of your scrapbook. I decorated the outside cover of my Christmas scrapbook using
border stickers and other Christmas-themed stickers and it came out beautifully. A lot
more interesting and colorful than just using stick-on letters. -- Lisa O. from Tampa,
Florida |
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If I can't think of a
color scheme to use then I take paper that has many bright colors on it and use that as my
mat and then paste it on a coordinating primary color or black cardstock. I like to use
the glossy papers the best for this and I have made some pretty frames with some of the
ugliest paper out there. -- Angela F. from Washington, Missouri |
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As a one-handed
scrapper, I have needed to use many work arounds so I can do my scrapping. Here are some
of my "tricks". To hold templates in place I use 2 small paper weights to hold
the template in place. To use my circle, oval cutters I use photo splits on pictures to
hold them still while I cut with my one hand. Also I use the slip & slide material
(Walmart) as a place mat for my work area so everything stays in place. On my big paper
cutter I also use slip and slide strips to hold paper in place while I cut with my one
hand. I find the Fiskars 12" paper trimmer the easiest to use with one hand. I use my
computer for journaling so people can read what I write <G> If anyone is interested
in other ideas for the handicapped just e-mail me I may have already found a solution
after my two years in scrapbooking. -- Mary W. from Cullman, Alabama |
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Used a christian book
catalog to cut out picture frames with inspir- ational sayings on them, added to grandma's
pages as she was a spiritual lady. --Sheryl I. of Rock Falls, Illinois |
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When I am using photo
stickers, (you know the ones that have the little tab that is almost impossible to get
off) I stick one of the tabs on eraser end of a pencil, then I wrap tape around the pencil
to hold the tab on. This makes it very easy to stick the tab on the photo then turn it
over and use the pencil to lift the tab off. I hope that this is helpful info to someone.
I know that it cut alot of time off not having to peel each tab by hand. -- Amy M. of
Groves, Texas
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I just loving using the
new paper piecing ideas and paper dolls on my pages. You can create your own paper
piecing designs from tole painting ideas, coloring book pictures, simple sticker ideas
etc. Look all around you and you will find lots of ideas. |
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As a Graphic Designer
turned Scrapper, I've learned that sometimes less really is more. Don't feel like you have
to cover every square inch of a page with pictures and stickers. I very rarely include
more than 3 photos per page. Too much can look cluttered and chaotic, distracting from the
important part of the page... the pictures! Often the negative space can be just as
effective at leading the eye through a natural path on your pages. -- Jennifer of
Lafayette, Louisana |
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Take the $0.50 cloth
ribbon at wal-mart and a razor blade and cut small slits in your paper, and weave it
through. *Works great as a cover in the school binders with the clear display cover.* --
Valerie Z., of Waukesha, Wisconsin |
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My sister works at a
Postal shop and they have a great coppying machine. I have her make lots of coppies of my
1 year olds pictures. I give some away to all the different grandparents and I use those
in his scrap book. That way I'm not cutting up the originals. They look great like real
pictures once you get them in the book. They also are easier to cut and work with. As long
as you use quality paper and know how to adjust the coloring they are great. You can also
laminate them which makes them very sturdy. It is one affordable way of doing scrapbooks.
-- Amelia G. from Imperial Beach, CA |
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For a really neat
Halloween page use black background paper,a cool halloween stamp,and instead of ink use
bleach. This especially looks cute with ghost stamps. -- Mahia from Findlay, OH
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When working on a page
sometimes it's best to just "go with the flow" instead of following a
pre-determined layout plan. I go with what's in my photos first, like colors and themes,
and follow my instincts and try new things. It's much more fun for me and I don't go back
and look at the pages thinking I wish I'd done something else because I know I followed my
heart when I did it. -- Tari K., Brunswick, Maine |
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I use Creative Memories
albums and page protectors. When I went to a crop one day I got this great idea to include
those special birthday cards on your page from consultant Gloria Butler Theirault. Just
simply line up your card to the edge of your page, then fold the top of the card over the
page protector. The bottom part is protected by the page protector and the card can be
opened up and looked at when others look at your finished page without any hassle. -- Tari
K., Brunswick, Maine |
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Choose a theme and
stick to it. Collect magazine clippings, papper etc. all the time and keep it together. --
MO |
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After the unexpected
death of my 20 year old son in a motorcycle wreck, I was faced with trying to make several
scrapbooks for his Uncles, Grandmother, and Sister for this years Christmas presents. I
could not afford all of the fancy stickers, punch outs, and other nice items that make a
page look good, so I went to several yard sales, and thrift stores and bought children's
books with pictures of things, and his favorite cartoon guys from his youth, and cut them
out and I am going to use them for his books. I have tested most of them for acid with an
acid testing pen, and I have saved lots of money in the process, plus gotten many full
size sheets from just inside the covers that didn't have any words printed on them at all.
I rarely paid more than $1.00 for any of the books. I also bought several SMALL children's
coloring books with large images on the pages and used them for patterns for my own dies.
I hope this helps make this craft more affordable for more people like myself. -- Penny,
TN |
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When I have pictures
but can't find the perfect page for them, I make my own. Recently, I was putting together
a band tour page with everyone sleeping. Instead of buying specialty pages, I made my own
border, using pastels. It said, "let me sleep, i'm tired, yawn, don't wake me
up!" That way, you are telling a story, not spending much money, and making it
unique! -- Briana C., Arlington WA
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I always write up a
page using a cute font and paper, talking about the next 6 months of pictures in the book.
. This way the journal is included in the scrapbook. After you read about it, you see the
pictures! I also make a "pocket" using a full sheet and glueing on a half sheet,
I put momentos in it, like birthday cards, invitations, my daughters hospital bracelet
when she was born etc.. I decorate it just as all the others. My scrapbooks are photo
albums, journals and keepsakes all in one. I take the pages out of my baby books and
include them right in the scrapbook. This reduces the amount of books and clutter you have
around the house. -- Connie S., Wellsville, UT |
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Looking around for
different ideas for my pages, I came across the KIX Cereal box, on the back of the box was
a "Blues Clues" scene- I cut it out and used it for my daughters' toddlerhood
days page; since Blues Clues is her favorite right now. , That way when she looks it over
when she's older she'll remember all those characters she loved to watch as a child! --
Gabby S., Orange, TX |
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I have just gotten into
scrapbooking, it's so much fun! I have learned to FILL THE PAGE, don't leave a lot
of "negative space." It is a lot more attractive to look at if the page is
filled! I hope this helps eveyone out. If you are making a scrapbook for
someone else, find out their favorite colors and use those, if you are making one for a
child, you might want to use bright colors, primary. -- Kara |
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I have spent a lot of
money on cute stamps for my memory books but I discovered a much cheaper way to decorate.
I have PrintMaster software so I found if I use white acid free paper, I can go to make a
poster and pull down the ADD menu, select-picture and it show me a list of hundreds of
pictures to select and put on the paper in any size I want. When I have time later, I cut
them out leaving an even edge showing just like stickers have. The white paper blends with
the white memory page and hardly shows. It is great. -- Cheryll B., Huntington, WV. |
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I work on several books
at one time so I don't get bored with looking at the same person! To keep things straight,
I have a plastic shoe box for each book I am working on that holds photos that I want to
use for that person's book. The small regular size letter envelopes hold the photos and
you use the flap, standingup to write what the photos are. Ex. - Denny, young.
Denny,music, Denny, wedding. I keep a small tablet in each on to write notes of things I
want to do. Sometimes I do a page in one book that really turns out good, and I want to do
that same layout for another book. I write it down on the tablet and put it in the front
for "ideas". This way I can stop and start whenever I want to and everything is
order and I don't have to keep searching for photos and ideas. -- Cheri M., Rancho
Cucamonga, CA
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When my niece was
graduating from high school, I pooled the family pictures and asked each member of the
family to write her a little note on pretty stationery (or plain paper and I would
decorate it) to her saying whatever they wanted to. Each person had a page and I placed
the note on the page and photos of her with that person and decorated it as needed. I
started it with baby pictures, had a 2 page spread of her through the years and ended it
with some "blank" decorated pages that she could add her graduation pictures and
other graduating items (prom notice, etc). She REALLY loved it. -- Cheri M., Rancho
Cucamonga, CA |
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This is what helped me
especially when trying to take our photos out of the old albums. It is to take some dental
floss and place it under the top of the picture, and working it down like a saw, when you
get to the bottom of the picture, it should just come right out. This helped me when I
spent a lot of time trying to get the pictures out. I hope that this will help those of
you whom also might have trouble getting any of your old pictures out of the albums of the
60's -70's. -- Criste R., Kansas City, MO |
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To keep from cutting
myself on the glass for my circle cutter, I covered the edges with brightly colored
electrical tape. -- Jessie, Palmetto, GA |
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I wanted to use a pop
dot to elevate a sticker on my page but didn't have any powder to coat the sticky side of
the sticker as suggested in Mrs. Grossman's idea book, so I mounted the sticker on card
stock, then trimmed it closely before attaching the pop dot. -- Jessie, Palmetto, GA |
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To get your page
protectors to go on smoothly, I use a long sheet of wax paper folded around the page
covering all photos, etc., then slip the page protector on over the fold of the wax paper.
When it is completely on, then I just pinch the fold of the wax paper and pull it out. --
Jessie, Palmetto, GA
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When using border
stickers you can cut them to any size you like... I have used Provo Craft's border with
kids joined together as separate kids by cutting in between the kids and placing them on
the page! Instead of needing the whole string of kids, I used two boys and a girl
together to match the pictures of my daughter and her two friends that are boys! --
Jen C., Lynnwood, WA |
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A good gift idea for
special teachers is a scrapbook containing not only pictures of them and their students,
but also a Thank-You letter from each student. Send out letters to each family asking them
for copies of pictures they may have from that (school,dance soccer) year also ask each
family to pitch in and pay a few dollars to help cover the cost. Scrapbooks are expensive
but make very special gifts that will last longer and mean more then any box of candy or
other token gift. -- Christine, St. Charles County, MO |
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Simplify!!!
Remember the memory is the most important part of the page. Don't go overboard on
stickers, borders, and die cuts. -- Karen, H., Orem, UT |
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Use birthday cards,
invitations, and other mementos to fancy the page instead of stickers and die cuts. --
Karen, H., Orem, UT *Editors note* -- you may want to test the pH of the paper before using it in your scrapbook. If it is not acid free you can always make a color photo copy of the card or memento and then use it as described above. |
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For my sister's
birthday she had beautiful wrapping paper on a few of her gifts. I used this beautiful
floral print as the background in my scrapbook. I scattered matted pictures of her
birthday on top of them, trying the whole look together. So, don't throw away wrapping
paper scraps! They are usually pretty enough to use in albums...and if you have pictures
of the wrapped presents in them, it really looks great! -- Stephanie H., Portsmouth, NH *Editors note* -- you may want to test the pH of the paper before using it in your scrapbook. If it is not acid free you can always make a color photo copy of the wrapping paper and then use it as described above.
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If you have a
black-and-white printer and pictures you can't crop (because they're Polaroid's, someone
else's, etc.), scan the pictures and print them out using acid-free ink. Then use colored
pencils to lightly shade the pictures in the proper colors. It gives a wonderfully
old-fashioned look, sort of like those colorized portraits from the beginning of the
century. -- B. Mock, Jacksonville, FL |
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Go supply shopping with
your friends. Some times you only need a half a page of printed paper to get your theme
across. Save money! -- Elizabeth K. |
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One way you can make
sure you'll never lose the memories you've spent so much time making into scrapbook pages
is to color copy them all and put into separate binders in a fire proof safe. This can get
expensive some times, so you can always ask to see if they'll give you a discount for
getting so many pages copied. -- Kinsey T., Grassy Lake, Alberta |
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I save all my little
scraps of paper when I scrapbook. I throw them in a shoe box and when I have some spare
time (watching TV, riding in the car for a long time, etc...) and use my punches. Then I
sort them into one of those plastic cross-stitch boxes (the one that holds the floss
cards). These have about 12 to 15 squares that are about 1 1/2 inches deep. So when I want
to use them for a page, they are all ready categorized and I just need to pick a color.
Right now I only have six punches but I'm slowly buying more. -- Tiffany A., New Richmond,
WI |
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If you got into this
craze late as I did, instead of having a separate theme page for each holiday and year,
group several years together on one page. Example: Halloween - My son in costume ages 1 -
7! -- Cori W., Inglis, FL
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One of the ways to use
the new "Dauber Duos." You daub color across your page in coordinated colors to
your photos. Add daubs of gold and silver. Then, write titles or use silhouette pictures
on top and you get an awesome effect. -- Debbie H., Windham, NH |
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For a great
surrealistic look, cut out silhouettes of people in your pictures and put them against
pictures of scenery. They look like giants and the effect is again, awesome. -- Debbie H.,
Windham, NH |
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A really cute idea I've
found is to frame your photos with straight-edged scissors, leaving a wide space, then
punch out a few shapes out of a different color and glue on to the corners. Try it! --
Kinsey T., Grassy Lake, Alberta |
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At Thanksgiving me and
my sister left out for all the family a blank scrapbook page for all of our family and
friends to write what they were thankful for that year. We also took picture's of the day;
my favorite picture was of my youngest sister helping her 5 year old write in the book. We
then place the page beside the page with the pictures. -- Cindy L, Deatsville, AL |
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When backing photos in
a square shape, I first cut out a circle (from the backing paper!) with my circle cutter.
The circle doesn't show and not only do you get a circle ready when you need one but it
also helps keep your album from getting too thick!! -- Kelly D., Winter Haven, FL
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When trying to place
stickers on your page, lay a sheet of wax paper over the page in progress and experiment
with sticker placement on the wax paper. You can put them down and peel them back off,
without damaging your page. This works great when using sticker letters. -- Gina M., of
Greensboro, NC |
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Sometimes simple is
very striking. If you are stumped over what colors you can put together in a layout,
try just using a monochromatic theme of white and one other color. For example you
could use navy blue and white together and use coordinating printed papers all in navy
(navy and white hearts, navy and white plaid etc.) Try it - it's striking! |
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Use triangular pieces
of contrasting paper in the 4 corners of your page to help draw you eye towards the
pictures in the middle of the page. It may sound odd, but it really does help your
pictures be the focal point of the page! |
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If you get your
portraits done at chains like Wal-Mart or Kmart you always get strips of teeny tiny
pictures that you can do nothing with. You can use them for borders on your pages. -
Julie H., Derry, New Hampshire |
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A fun way to spruce up
a simple page is by adding a fun border around the whole page. Using a colored, fine
tip marker or pen that matches the color scheme of your page try adding stitch marks,
little zig-zags, dots, alternating 2 lines and 2 dots, or a pattern like this =||=||=||
etc... You get the picture. Any small pattern you can think of could be used.
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Love using stickers,
but never like the way they are placed on your page when you are finished? Try
placing your stickers in groups instead of randomly placing them all over your page.
Form a scene, or grouping from your stickers. It really helps them look
purposeful. For example, on a Christmas page I just finished using stickers from
Suzy's Zoo, I placed a sticker of a character holding Christmas lights and then attached
the other light string stickers to the strand he was holding. It made a nice border
on the bottom of the page and looked like it was supposed to go together. |
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The next time you start
a theme album also choose a color theme to go with it. For example, I created a
tribute album for my husband for his birthday and did it all in earth tones. It
really helped the album looked cohesive and made choosing colors easier! |
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Stumped about what
colors to use on a page? Try pulling out 2 or 3 colors in your pictures and using
them as a basis for your page. Use one color as the background and the others as
colors for mounting papers. |
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Try placing pictures,
punches etc. in groups of 3 on your pages. This is a design principle that helps the
page look balanced. |
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Julie W.
from London, Ontario sends us this great tip for when we mess up. She says,
"Use stickers to cover up mistakes!"
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Try
embossing on your photo corners for a classy look. Just make sure to hold the photo
corner with a clothes pin while you apply heat so that you don't burn yourself. |
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When punching out
shapes save the scraps. You can use them to stencil/stamp on your paper a border or as a
background. You can use ink pads or paints that are safe for scrapbooking. For bigger
prints you can use the squares around your die cuts also. - Diana, Virginia. |
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Using a colored
printer, print out clip art on acid free paper (from the net) Cut out the images and
presto, they're ready to use in your scrapbooks, and all acid free. Even the ink is acid
free!! (but don't forget to put acid free paper in your printer, otherwise your scrapbooks
will be a waste. -Julie, Toronto, Canada. |
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If your mounting paper
has a large print on it, it looks better if you make the border wider so you can get a
better look at the large design. Smaller printed papers do well for small, thin
borders. |
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Use a
post it sticky note to keep your stencil from slipping while you are using stencils to
sponge on your papers. |
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Send e-mail to scrappin@alysta.com with questions or comments. |
