Getting Started with Scrapbooking
Whether you have 100 photos or 1,000, one thing is certain - each one is irreplaceable. Each photo captures a “moment in time,” not to be repeated or duplicated. Preserving these memories in a scrapbook to be held for future generations will create a priceless heirloom for all to come.
BASIC SUPPLIES:
Paper - Use only acid-free, lignin-free and buffered paper to protect your photos from yellowing and deteriorating over time. Pre-printed stationary and card stock that are acid-free are all safe for mounting photos. If in doubt of the quality of your paper, be sure to not allow any photos to touch the paper.
Page Protectors – To safeguard your completed pages for years to come, use archival-safe polypropylene page protectors that won’t yellow with age. Be sure these pages do not contain any PVC or plasticizers that can be harmful to photos. Poly pages are available in several types and sizes at your local craft store, or at an online distributor.
Adhesives - Any adhesive used to mount photos MUST be acid-free. Other safe alternatives for mounting photos include photo corners, double sided tape, and acid-free glue (in a stick, pen or water-based form).
Pens - Permanent, acid-free pigment pens and pigment ink colored pencils can be used to safely write text and decorate pages.
Stickers and Decals – Choose from a variety of acid-free stickers and archival safe decals that will stand the test of time without harming photos.
Scissors – Straight edged scissors are the easiest tool to crop photos. Decorative scissors can add a variety of sculpting to photos and borders.
You DO NOT have to be an artist or prolific author to record your memories in scrapbook albums. Simple pages can help you focus on your photos and the memories behind them. Decorative pages can be extremely time consuming and sometimes take the emphasis off the photo and/or memory; however, this is a matter of style and preference.
GETTING STARTED:
1) Selecting a Theme
First, you will want to decide on a theme for your album (i.e., birthdays, holidays, vacation, chronological order by year, baby, wedding, lifetime, special event, family, etc.). There is no particular right way to do it, it’s all how you want to present the memories. You may choose to record the memories strictly in chronological order, making a family album for each year. Or you can make a holiday album housing Christmas holiday memories over the years, a vacation album depicting various family adventures, or school albums with memories from each of your child(ren)’s years in school. Most croppers do a variety of theme albums. If you are just getting started, it might be easier to begin with a family album or child’s album. As you work on those, it might become more clear as to whether you would like to create something especially for other memories.
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| Storing negatives in protective sleeves helps keep them safe for years to come. |
2) Storing Negatives and Photos
If you were "handed down" family photos, you will probably spend a good deal of time sorting photos before actually starting to scrapbook. Photos and negatives should be stored in a climate-neutral environment, like a closet on a living floor, preferably not in the basement, attic, or garage. By employing some simple storage strategies, one can preserve precious negatives, and store photos in a way that you will be able to find them when you need them.
We recommend storing negatives in a large 3-ring binder in regular negative sleeves that you can pick up at any camera/photo shop. These are clear archival-safe polypropylene pocketed pages to fit a variety of negative sizes. There is a place for a title and date identifying the photos, then storage for 12 – 42 frames per page. Stored this way, negatives are easy to access when you may want to look for additional photos for a particular date or theme.
There are a variety of photo storage options. Large 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 file drawers work well and usually allow enough space to archive a year of photos at a time. You can get file boxes at any stationary or office supply store. Craft stores sell a variety of different sized boxes for safe photo storage. Avoid the once popular glassine envelopes. They are acidic and can damage your photos over time. Paper envelopes are fine for storage as long as they have seamed edges and the paper is acid-free and non-buffered.
Know your enemies! The worst enemies to your photo collection are heat, humidity and light. Keep your photos in a main living area, or closet, not in a basement or attic. Examine the contents periodically to avoid contamination of dust, insects, or mold. Photos should be stored in a place with good air exchange.
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| It's important not to overcrowd your layout with pictures, leaving room for titles, journaling and more. |
3) Photo Selection for Layout and Cropping
Toss the blurry photos, unless they are the only ones you have of something/someone special. Look at how the photo can be "cropped" or cut to highlight the most significant part. Get rid of the excess background (leave the background in place if it contains things that may be special to you – like grandma’s kitchen, pictures on the wall, etc.).
Cropping tools can be purchased at your local craft store, or through independent consultants catering to scrapbookers. The most common shapes when cropping photos are rectangles, squares, circles, and ovals. However, almost any shape will work. Diamonds, stars, hearts, triangles and abstract shapes can all be used. When cutting photos, rectangular and oval shapes are most pleasing to the eye. While there are exceptions, it's good to limit circle and other geometric shapes to 1-2 per page.
4) Consider the Size of the Page for Layout
Do you have enough photos for a double page layout? Would you like to highlight a single photo for the starting page of an album, such as a baby or wedding photo? Do you have so many photos of the event that it will take a few pages? Lay out the photos in several arrangements until you are satisfied with their placement, and that you have enough room for journaling or explaining the story behind the photos, as well as enough room for a title or embellishments such as die cuts or stickers.
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| Journaling can simply describe the photos or add in your feelings about them for more intimacy. Adding the prayer that the girls recite each night was something I wanted to share with them. |
5) Consider Journaling Space
Consider for whom you are creating the album. Is it a creative outlet for yourself, or documentation of family history and events made for future generations? When you have answered these questions, you will have a better idea of how much room to leave for journaling.
For the creative and visually artistic individual who likes beautiful detailed pages and generally doesn’t like to have journaling on their pages, you can add a decorative journaling box that matches the photo layout.
For others, journaling or telling the story behind the photos is paramount. This style tends to prefer simple pages with lots of space for writing. For those who want to provide a history, we recommend journaling on every page. Pretend your future daughter-in-law wants to know more about her husband’s childhood; or, if you should pass from the earth today, what would you want your children to know about a particular person, event or family tradition?
Journaling answers the following questions: Who is in the photo? Where and When did it happen? What is the story behind the photo? Use blank spaces, or dedicate a page to share future dreams, etc.
6) Choose a Title for Your Page
This is important, as it gives a quick reference to the subject and prepares the viewer. Titles can be placed anywhere on the page, including down the side(s), through the middle or across the top or bottom. They are brief captions such as Happy Birthday, Summer Fun, First day of School or Me and My Daddy, that pull the photos together for that particular page. Simpler titles can be hand written, stenciled or spelled out with die cuts or stickers. More involved titles may be multi faceted with tags, wire, and/or glitter. The possibilities are endless!
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| Using angel stickers with stars and complimentary colored paper, a simple border emerged. Adding a simple swirly line gives a sweet and feminine look. |
7) Photo Layout
Now it’s time to lay out the photos on the page to get an idea of how to space them, or cluster them. If you have much journaling, it’s good to cluster the photos together so that you have a designated space to write. Darker photos look best towards the bottom of the page. At this stage, your page may look stark. Don’t be afraid of the blank, bare space. There’s lots to do to jazz it up!
Photos should be mounted with an adhesive that is photo safe.
8) Paper Enhancers
Make photos jump off the page by using multi-colored paper to mount on scrapbook pages. You can create a matte or template out of colored card stock in any desired shape or size. Trim the mat with decorative scissors for a whimsical look. Mount the photo to the mat before attaching it to the page.
9) Journal
Journaling should be left until after the photos are mounted. It is much easier to add a sentence or increase the size of the letter than it is to remove and move photos once they are mounted.
10) Stickers and Embellishments
Stickers, die cuts, brads, eyelets, beads, feathers, etc. can all be used to jazz up the page in coordinating colors and patterns. These should be applied after journaling in the spaces still left unfilled. These items can also be used to cover a journaling error or to fill an open space that still needs that little something. When adding any embellishments, be sure they are photo-safe or do not allow them to touch the photos.