Scrapbook Basics!

In a scrapbooking rut? Here are a few ideas to help you get started again.

Just do it. Have some recent or favorite photos that you want to scrapbook but no gumption to do so? One of the best ways to get some scrapbooking done is to simply sit down and scrap. Get your photos in front of you, pick papers and any embellishments or journaling spots from your stash, and mock-up a page without fussing too much over it. Once you get the creativity flowing with a basic page design, then play with embellishments, adding ribbons and trims, using border punches for dressed-up edges, etc. Make a page you like and be done with it. Don’t get bogged down trying to make the best page ever; just make a page you like, and treat yourself for finishing it quickly.

Make an idea jar. Pretty good at sitting down to create, but never know where to start? Use your creative skills to make a cute jar or bowl filled with little idea cards. Use a fun scalloped punch, small scored cards, shipping tags, whatever you like; then, write one scrapbooking or creative idea on each. Once you have a jar full of fun ideas, pick one and follow its instruction. No put-backs! You’re on your honor to follow your pick and get your creativity going.

Take a set of photos to your favorite scrapbook goods store, and buy something new to scrapbook them with. You don’t have to overdo it on new stuff or tax your budget, but add some new goodies to your stash and you won’t wait long to get scrapping. The key here is to buy goodies only to use with the photos you’re ready to scrap and nothing more this time around; doing this keeps you on task and on budget, and also keeps you from being overwhelmed with too much scrapping to do once you get home.

Make use of media. If you’re like many scrapbookers, you have scrap magazines stacked up around your house. It doesn’t matter if they are the latest issues; grab an issue from within the past few months or so, find some pages that light up your design eyes, and, yes, scraplift one of them. Scraplifting, as you know, is copying for your own purposes someone else’s design idea, either in part or in whole. Do not, of course, submit for publication or contest a scraplifted page, but, by all means, use the magazines for ideas and get some of your own pages done. That’s what the magazines are for.

If having too much stuff you want to scrap with is a problem, don’t worry until you’ve played with page design for a bit. Try out all the things you want to use (and what you have spent money on), and see what works best. Usually, several things will look good together on a page or page spread even if they didn’t come together from the same vendor or line. And remember the old fashion advice about getting completely dressed – before you leave home, remove one item. This could work for your scrapbook pages, too, when you’re not sure if you’ve overdone the embellishments.

Remember to have fun…paper crafting should not be stressful under any circumstances, ever. You could even promise yourself a treat when you finish a page or project: a latte from your favorite coffee stop, some shoe shopping (even if just for fun), or whatever says “treat” to you. What a great reason to scrapbook!

Article & Thanks go to: Tracey Rhodes of the Des Moines Scrapbooking Examiner