Scrapbooking 101

Scrapbooking, it seems, has become the latest great American past time, at least for a lot of MOMS I know. For those of you who have seen your friends' beautiful albums and wish you could do it to, I've got some great news for you-you can! So, let's get started!

Getting Organized

Sample from Lifesketch.com Tackling that seemingly mountainous stack of photos can seem like a daunting task, but organizing your photos and memorabilia is your first step in getting your photos into safe scrapbook albums. Here are a few tips:

Gather all your photos and memorabilia into one place.
Decide on album themes. While you are gathering your photographs, begin thinking about what kind of album(s) to make. Some examples include Baby, Wedding, Toddler Years, School Years, Vacation, Anniversary, Sports, Reunion, Grandparents, ABC… The list is endless!
Sort your photographs and memorabilia based on the album themes you have chosen.
Commit to working on your album! Find a couple hours at least once a month to work on your album(s). Workshops held at local scrapbook supply stores, by your Creative Memories Consultant, or with a couple of other scrapbook enthusiasts are a great way to get some uninterrupted scrapping time.

Basic Supplies

Now that you're organized-or at least organized enough to start on your first album-what do you need to get started? The sheer number of scrapbooking products available is enough to overwhelm even the experienced scrapper. All these wonderful products can be broken into just a few categories:

Albums: There are numerous sizes and types of albums available. The most common sizes are 5x7, 8x10, 8½ x11 and 12x12. The size you choose is dependent on your album theme and how many photos/memorabilia you have for the album. There are also various types of albums, including Strap-Hinge, Post Bound, Spiral, and 3-Ring. Again, the type of album you choose will depend on your theme and whether or not you need to add or rearrange pages in your album. Whatever you choose, there are a few things you should keep in mind about the safety and quality of your album.

Use only ACID-FREE products. Acid is the substance that will eventually turn paper and photographs to dust. When photographs are exposed to acidic environments such as magnetic photo albums, some pocket page albums, and construction paper, they will fade and deteriorate at a faster rate.
Choose pages and paper that are 100% LIGNEN-FREE. Lignin, which is naturally found in paper pulp, causes paper to turn yellow. An interesting tidbit of information-newspaper is 96% lignin-free and we all know how quickly newspapers yellow!
Always use page protectors. The page protector is essential in protecting your photographs from fingerprints, dust, moisture, etc.
Choose albums that are guaranteed by the manufacturer. Your photographs and memories are precious to you. You want to be sure that the time and effort you put into your album isn't in vain should your album start to fall apart. Some manufacturers (such as Creative Memories) offer guarantees on their albums so that if you ever have a problem with it, you can have it repaired or replaced free of charge.

Cutting Tools: To make the most of the scrapping space provided by the album of your choice, you may want to crop your photographs to get rid of unnecessary background images. I've also found that cropping photographs is a great way to shave pounds off my thighs, hips, butt… Some must-have cutting tools include:

A "personal" paper trimmer of some sort. This is generally a portable trimmer that allows you to easily crop up to a 5x7 photograph. Creative Memories and other companies make what looks like a miniature version of the standard-issue grade school paper cutter. The cutting table is approximately 4½ x 6½ and it has a finger guide which keeps your photograph from slipping when cutting (about $14). Fiskars also makes a flat trimmer with a sliding blade that allows you to cut a photo or piece of paper up to 8½ inches ($12-$15).
Corner Rounder. A corner rounder is a quick easy way to add a little softness and variety to the shape of your photographs. You can get the basic rounder or decorative rounders. Start with the plain rounder. You can always add more decorative corners later if you decide you really like the look. If the idea of picking up all those clipped corners seems a little tedious, consider a rounder with a nifty built-in catcher ($8).
Other Cutters to Add Later: If you are going to be mounting photographs or cutting paper larger than 8½ inches, you will need to have a larger paper cutter. The 12" trimmer from Fiskars (again, flat with a sliding blade) is great. They normally sell for about $20. Watch for the 40% off coupon at Michaels and pick one up for about $12. It also comes with a scoring blade for all you stamping enthusiasts. Of course you can use the larger trimmer for photographs too. NOTE: I can't live without mine. I was at the store purchasing my second 12" trimmer the day after dropping it on the floor and breaking it-it was a Saturday evening and I had to wait for the 40% off coupon (and the store to open) otherwise I would have replaced it the same day!
Circle/Oval Cutter or Templates. To add even more variety to your photographs, you can purchase circle cutters, oval cutters, or the more economical trace and cut templates. Be careful-once you use a circle or oval cutter, you will never want to go back to the tedious templates! I believe you can get circle cutters and oval cutters for about $20-$25 (each). Creative Memories has a cutting system that allows you to purchase a cutting mat, 2 blades, and either circle (12 size options) or oval patterns (16 size options) for $33.50. The additional patterns (circles, ovals, or a 12" straight edge) can be added for another $14.
Decorative Scissors. The options here are endless. Many scrapbook supply stores will allow you to try their decorative scissors before purchasing them. Michaels usually has the best prices on scissors.

Adhesives: Things to look for in adhesives include photo safety, permanence and ease of use. Adhesives to stay away from: scotch tape (cracks and yellows) and glue sticks (not permanent and the colored glue can bleed through your photograph). Try a couple and use what works best for you.

Pens: Let's face it, the most important part of scrapbooking is the journaling-telling the stories behind the photographs. If you're not telling the stories, you could just as well put those photographs in an acid-free, photo-safe pocket photo album or photo box. When journaling in your album, you want to make sure the pens you use are permanent, fade resistant and waterproof. To ensure that the words you write will still be there long after you're not, choose pens that are made with PIGMA ink (not pigment). At a minimum, you will want to purchase a black fine-tip PIGMA ink pen/marker. You can always add more colors and tip widths to your collection as you go.

Enhancers: Enhancers include photo mounting paper, stickers (decorative and ABC), page toppers, die cuts-anything to enhance the look of your page. I always say that half the fun of scrapbooking is shopping for supplies-and believe me, the sky is the limit when it comes to enhancers! Creative You (on West Broadway) and Archivers in Maple Grove have an excellent selection of individual colored and patterned papers (both 8½x11 and 12x12), stickers and diecuts. Buying paper, stickers and diecuts in packs tends to be slightly more economical-and a great way to get "stuff" quickly without agonizing too much about what to get. Creative Memories is a great source for paper packs (both solid and printed--$10.50 for 34 sheets of 10x12), themed sticker packs (15 strips for $5.50) and themed diecut packs ($4.50).

Putting Your Page Together

OK. You're organized. You've got your supplies. Now what?

Select. Select your best photos-no duplicates or blurred photos necessary. Then select the best part of your photos-this is where the cropping comes in.
Mount your photographs and memorabilia.
Journal-don't forget to tell the stories behind the pictures.
Enhance your page with stickers and/or diecuts. Be careful-you don't want to detract from your photos by adding too many stickers. For some hands-on learning, you can always attend (or host your own) Creative Memories home class, or check out class schedules at your local scrapbook store.

Where Can You Get All This Great Stuff?

Creative You (West Broadway and 85th Avenue in Brooklyn Park)
Archivers (Maple Grove, in the Kohls/Old Navy strip mall)
Past and Present (Maple Grove, across from the strip mall by the theater)
Michael's (not as good a selection, but the 40% off coupon found in the Sunday paper is great!)
Creative Memories Consultants