Exhibition FlyerWhat is Scrapbooking?

I’ve been asked the question, what is scrapbooking many times and there’s really no one particular answer. Scrapbooking has of late evolved into a modern form of art and craft of varying facets of which I will endeavor to provide you with an understanding.

Essentially, in its rawest form, the following is the simplest answer.

Traditional scrapbooking is the art of preserving photographs and memorabilia in an album that will last for several lifetimes. Life is full of memorable moments. Scrapbooks can capture those moments and be passed on for generations to come as absolutely treasured family keepsakes.

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==>>Click Here To Learn About Hybrid Scrapbooking<<==

The key to making a ‘safe’ scrapbook is to use archival quality products. This means acid free paper, adhesives and albums. Having a good reliable source of srcapbooking supplies has never been better with the advent of the Internet.

Why Scrapbook?

  • Do you have a camera?
  • Are you interested in preserving your family tree?
  • Are your precious family photos being ruined in a magnetic album or collecting dust on some cold hard-drive?
  • Do you want to celebrate your family and leave a personal mark in history?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are taking the first step towards scrapbooking!! You can tell your families story and pass on family traditions and values through this rewarding craft.

What is Scrapbooking?

Scrapbooking keeps us in touch with who we are and what is important to us – family, friends and shared experiences. The simple process of accumulating photographs, writing down memories and saving memorabilia is a simple way of celebrating our existence and recording our history.

Organising and protecting your priceless photographs may be the very reason to start scrapbooking. Having your precious memories taking up space on your hard-drive and never getting to appreciate them is yet another reason.

Most folks today have digital cameras. In fact, it’s getting harder to have film developed now, as digital has become so mainstream.

For those that still have film cameras or have only recently made the change to digital, where are your valuable photos and negatives now? In boxes under the bed, in a damp hall cupboard or even in harmful magnetic albums? Get them out as soon as possible or risk losing them forever.

How to Scrapbook

If you want to know how to scrapbook, start by finding a workstation.

The best place to scrapbook is somewhere where you can lay everything out, and then leave it there undisturbed if necessary. This will make it easier whether you sit down for five minutes, or two hours! You can jot ideas and memories down and pickup layouts where you last left off.

If you don’t have a dedicated area, invest in a roll-away drawer unit. This way you can move from room to room as space for scrapbooking becomes free.

Organise your photos

Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before handling photos. This will remove traces of oils or hand-creams. The easiest ways to organise your photos can be either chronologically, family member or occasion depending on what theme you want your albums to take.

As you sort the pictures you should be noting down any important information – the who, what, when, where and whys’. Memorabilia that is to be scrapped with these photos should also be noted down and filed nearby.

You’ll soon find that after you have worked out the organisational system, the most difficult part of creating your scrapbook is over! Don’t get discouraged. Part of the fun of scrapbooking is uncovering the faces and events of the past.

How to Scrapbook Basic Essentials

To get started you will need a few tools of the trade. These will probably include:

  • acid free album
  • acid free paper
  • acid free pen
  • acid free glue/adhesive
  • good sharp scissors/craft knife
  • straight ruler

As you feel more confident and discover your personal style, you may want to add other embellishments to your layouts such as stickers, die cuts, punch art, fancy scissors etc. Let the fun begin!

How to Scrapbook Tips and Advice

Colours

Stumped about what colours to use on a page? Look at your photos and memorabilia. Try pulling out 2 or 3 colours from your photos and using them as a basis for your page. Use one colour as the background and the others as colours for mounting papers.

Flair

When working on a page sometimes it’s best to just “go with the flow” instead of following a pre-determined layout plan. It often works best to look at what is in your photos first, like colours and themes, and go from there.

Page Sizes

If you are making a 12 x 12 album, be sure to double check the paper size before starting your layout. Some papers are just a fraction more than the exact 11 3/4 x 11 3/4. Some card-stock is also 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 before you begin (measure twice, cut once!).

Polaroids

Never crop a Polaroid as acid can seep out when cut.

Simplicity

Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should! Does that page really need another bright sticker? Does it even go with the style you are trying to create? Don’t be afraid to use embellishments, but always remember the mood you are trying to capture.

Saving Photos

A tip for taking photos out of your old magnetic or black paged albums, is to take some dental floss and place it under the top of the picture. Work it down gently behind the photo and when you get to the bottom of the picture, it should just come right out.

Scrappers Glossary

Acid Free

Materials are acid free when they have a pH value of 7.0 or more. Acid is produced in paper when the paper making chemicals deteriorate, or when acid is absorbed from its environment. Acid breaks down over time causing paper to become brown and brittle.

Archival

A term that refers to materials that are chemically stable are therefore safe to use for the purpose of preservation.

Buffered

Buffered or alkaline paper is treated with a coating of calcium carbonate to absorb and neutralize acid. This is beneficial for countering the acidic nature of oils from fingers etc.

Cropping

Trimming or masking the edges of a photo to create new shapes and make the photos more interesting.

Deacidification

The process of penetrating paper with an akaline-salt process that raises that pH level of paper. This neutralises existing acids and prevents the development of future acids.

Lignin

Is a substance that gives plants and trees their strength when wood is broken down into paper the lignin becomes unstable. Paper that contains high amounts of Lignin is very acidic and turns yellow when exposed to light.

Magnetic Albums

Magnetic albums have self-adhesive pages made of PVC plastic that breaks down and gives off harmful gases. These eventually destroy photographs sealed within.

pH

pH is term used to describe the measurement of acidity and alkalinity. pH 7.0 is neutral, above 7.0 is alkaline (or acid free) and below 7.0 is acidic.

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

An unstable plastic, generally called vinyl that may emit acidic hydrogen-chloride gas. It is easily identified by a strong plastic smell and should not be used for page protectors, photo corners or any other scrapbooking supplies.

Should anyone now ask me that dreaded question… What is Scrapbooking? I will be able to point them to this explanation and either bore them to death or hopefully inspire them to get started scrapping. There is definitely enough how to scrapbook info here for anyone of any level.

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