Basics of Scrapbooking
by Becca Huber
(sponsored by Classy Coordinates Scrapbook Club. Feel free to substitute Classy Pak with your own supplies.)
When you begin to scrapbook, you might want to think about why you are creating your keepsake albums. Are you trying to get your photos into a safe format so they last for many, many years? Do you want future generations to know your story after you are gone? Do you want to have scrapbooks to look through so you never forget the many happy memories of your past? These are common reasons to scrapbook. You might also want a creative outlet for your talents. This is also a good reason to get started. You can have other reasons, but knowing why you are doing this craft will help you stay motivated.
Where to start?
Beginning your first scrapbook page can be quite intimidating. I’ve listed some basic steps that will help you get started. It’s really not that difficult. Just keep telling yourself, “It’s only paper.” Have fun with it!
You can also check the Classy Coordinates Message Board for monthly classes to help you along the way. The board also has a fantastic gallery for you to browse through for ideas. Feel free to scraplift things you find in the layouts there. We can all learn so much from each other.
Supplies
You can start with your basic supplies. You can get the basic supplies...adhesive, trimmers etc at your local craft store. Your monthly Classy Pak will provide you with plenty papers and embellishments to get started and grow in your scrapbooking.
Photos--if possible, sort your photos in chronological order and group them by event. Store them in an archival, safe box.
An Album—make sure your album is photo safe. Scrapbooks come in various sizes. Choose one you can work with and make sure there are page protectors for sale that will fit your album. Expandability is also important. Look at what’s out there: strap hinge albums, post bound albums, 3 ring binders. Each of these have many positive points. Stop by a store and look at what they have to sell. Remember, a cheap album is just that--cheap. It will fall apart long before the pages and photos.
Paper—Grab your Classy Pak. It has some of the newest, coolest papers around. Your Classy Pak will often include heavy weight patterned papers that can be used as a background. The papers are designed to coordinate, so you don’t have to worry about mixing the papers. You’ll also want to get some cardstock which is available at your local craft or scrapbook stores. The Classy Coordinates newsletter usually lists colors of Bazzill cardstock that match the current Classy Pak. This will make your shopping easier.
Embellishments—Look throught the embellishments included in your Classy Coordinates Classy Pak. They were selected to coordinate with your Classy Pak.
Paper trimmer—a 12” trimmer will be your best investment here.
Scissors
Adhesive—make sure it’s acid free. There are many different types available and most have a specific use. Select a good all purpose adhesive for your pages.
Pens—a black, acid free, non bleeding scrapbook pen is a good place to start.
Make sure all the supplies that will touch your photos on your pages are acid free/archival. Acid laden papers and adhesives will destroy your photos over time. This can’t be stressed enough. Most products are clearly marked if they are acid free. Most (not all) supplies sold in a scrapbook store are acid free. The supplies in your Classy Coordinates Classy Pak are acid free and safe for your scrapbooks and photos.
Making Your First Page
Select Your Photos Now that you have your supplies together, it’s time to make your first page. It’s easiest to start with your current photos. Select 3 to 5 photos for your first page. Remember that not every photo you take has to go into your scrapbook. Some photos are blurry, shadowed or very similar to another shot. Consider leaving these photos out. You want to make the best page you can and you need your best photos for that page. Cropping Photos It’s okay to crop or cut away the areas of your photos that don’t add to the effect of the photo. Sometimes the excess background is distracting and needs to be cut away. Don’t cut them all, however. Some photos have things of historical or sentimental value in the background. You can get more photos on your page if they are cropped. Consider this in your photo selection.
Select Your Papers Lay out the papers from your Classy Coordinated Classy Pak. Select your background paper. You can use patterned paper or cardstock. Look at the photos you have selected for your layout and see how they look against different selections of papers from your Classy Paks. If there is a particular color in your photos that you want to highlight, make sure you have that color in your background paper. If you select patterned paper for you background, make sure you have 1 or 2 colors of coordinating cardstock for use on your page. You can also mix the patterned papers. The papers in the Classy Pak are from coordinating lines from the paper companies. They will look great together.
Matting Your Photos You can mat your photos on a coordinating color of cardstock. A simple cardstock mat will make your photos stand out on a patterned paper background. Some photos look great on the background paper without matting. To mat or not to mat is entirely up to you. You can use several layers of cardstock for matting if you choose.
You can also use the patterned paper from your Classy Pak for matting photos. Lay your photo on the corner of paper to see what it will look like. If you like it, adhere the photo and cut the mat with even edge dimensions on each side. For example, make your mat 1/8” larger than the photo on all 4 sides.
Arranging Your Photos on Your Page Play with different ways to arrange your matted/unmated photos on your background paper. Move them around until you find a pleasing layout design. Make sure you think about the photos you want to focus on. Also consider page balance. You don’t want everything to be on one side of your page. Also make sure you leave space for a title and journaling. Don’t be afraid of leaving “white space” or empty areas of a layout. Not every inch of a layout needs to be covered with photos or embellishments.
Titles and Journaling Titles can be hand written. If you don’t like your handwriting for titles, consider using sticker letters, die cut letters or computer generated titles.
Journaling can also be hand written or printed using a computer. You should consider journaling to be as important as your photos. In years to come, the photos won’t mean as much without your explanation in the journaling. Basically, who, what, when and where will provide the journaling you will need. You can also add quotes and favorite sayings that might apply to the page. You might consider writing your thoughts and memories of the event you are scrapbooking. This will be very meaningful to your children and grandchildren. Remember to tell the story behind the photos.
Add Embellishments Your Classy Coordinates Classy Paks have embellishments that will look great with your layouts. Lay them out on your layout and see what looks good. All Classy Paks include ribbon. A ribbon strip looks good across many layouts. You can also fold ribbon and staple it to the edges of photo mats or other accent pieces. Try different Classy Pak embellishments in different areas of your layout. See what looks good to you.
Adhesives It’s time to attach everything to your page. Apply adhesive to the corners of your photos/mats, title block, journal box, embellishments of your choice, and any other accents you have chosen for your page. There are numerous adhesives on the market and each has its positive points. Try not to use liquid adhesives directly on your photos. Liquid adhesive can leave warp marks that will show through.
Finish Your Page Once your page is completed, place it into a page protector in your scrapbook and show it to everyone!! Remember to upload it to the Classy Coordintes Gallery for all of us to see.
Questions? Ask them on the Classy Coordinates Message Board. There are many, many talented and helpful scrapbookers who gather here. We share our love of the craft and we love our Classy Paks. You will see so many different ways to use the papers and embellishments from each Classy Pak |
