Scrapbook How To – Start From the Beginning
There may be many definitions of what a Scrapbook is but there is really only one reason we make them - we want to hold on to the
memories.
Just like the photos they may contain, Scrapbooks are vessels of precious moments that you want to revisit. Those moments are captured
in the photographs but they are enhanced by your creativity throughout the pages by every note, caption or journal that you’ve included.
Who says there are no time machines? Just pick up an old Scrapbook and get ready to be transported in time.
I’m going to give you some simple guidelines that you can modify and apply in various ways to your scrapbooking experience. Think of this as
a reference point from where you can begin. Hopefully, these words will be the seeds that grow into ideas of your own.
Whether you’ve started your own Scrapbook yet or not, I want you to look at your efforts as a way of preserving the past. How would you
like to remember this moment? How would you like others to experience your memories when they look at your book? How would you like to
be remembered by future generations browsing through your book?
Every Scrapbook is a work of art and you are the artist. That doesn’t mean that you have to take a course in Design or Fine Arts in College,
it just means that you put a lot of yourself into each and every Scrapbooking project so allow yourself to learn new techniques and
experiment because this is one Craft that never needs to get stale.
Starting that first page may seem daunting. Let’s face it, a blank piece of paper, canvas or cake just isn’t conducive to great bursts of
imagination for most of us. There are many products on the market that allow you to just place pictures on pre-made pages. However, with
just a little bit of confidence and courage, you’ll be making fabulous pages from scratch in no time.
We all have our own style but most people are oblivious as to what that style happens to be. A good way to get to know your style is to
make an Inspiration Board or Binder or, yes, even a Scrapbook with all sorts of things that you happen to like. Don’t be picky and don’t analyze
why you like something just be on the lookout for papers, fabrics, pictures, textures, words, quotes, etc. If you flip through a magazine and
see a picture of a kitchen that you like, put it on your board (or whatever you’ve chosen as your base). The more flexible you can make the
board, the better. In other words, try to make it so that you can move things around when the mood strikes. The collection that you will
inevitably end up with will define your style beautifully. You’ll be able to get inspiration from your board each and every time you look at it.
Don’t try to hide who you are. So many of us undermine our own strengths by thinking we’re not interesting enough. Play up your personality.
If you’re a girly-girl or a manly-man, be proud of it; incorporate it into your work. If you’re interested in ecology and recycling, make that a
theme in your books and make sure that everyone knows it’s important to you. If you’re a music buff, an old TV-show enthusiast, a sports fan,
a nature freak, a computer nerd, a…well, you get the picture, right? Don’t try to be “Martha Stewart” if you’re more like “Madonna” (early
Madonna that is). Just be yourself and let your personality shine through.
This brings me to another point. If wearing shoes that are 3 sizes too small became the latest fashion trend, would you do it? Most people
probably wouldn’t and I would gladly lead that parade! So don’t use techniques or produce Scrapbooks that aren’t a perfect fit for you simply
because it’s the “in” thing. I’m not saying don’t learn or try new techniques, by any means. However, just because a technique is popular,
doesn’t mean it belongs on your page.
Go with your strengths. If you’re a good writer, write. If your writing skills produce peels of laughter when you’re not trying to be humorous,
either get some help in the form of Journaling Books or find pre-written text that reflects your thoughts on the subject. Don’t pile up unfinished
pages because you’re afraid to tackle the journaling. You’ll inevitably get better at it so, for now, find another solution and don’t stress over it.
Scrapbooking should be an outlet for your creativity a conduit for your passion and a huge boost to your ego when you see what you’ve
created so don’t bottle that all up because you don’t think some aspect of your work is up to Da Vinci’s standards. Work through it, around it,
under it, over it or don’t work it at all – you’re in the driver’s seat.
When it comes to color, you may want to stick to your “comfortable” palette for a while or you may want to go wild. Don’t worry; remember to
do what feels right for you. If you want to try new color combinations, you may want to invest in a Color Wheel or one of many books on the
subject. Then again, why not take a good look at your Inspiration Board? You may just find some color combinations you hadn’t thought of.
Finally, I want to mention a new word that’s been introduced into the Scrapbooking world, “scraplifting”. I don’t particularly like the word because
it has criminal connotations in my mind and really, it just means borrowing or adapting someone else’s original idea into your own work and who in
the world hasn’t done that at one time or another? As a beginner, there will be pages or layouts that make you want to cry (some in a good way,
some not so good). There is absolutely nothing wrong with you trying to imitate someone’s work (unless you’re planning on profiting from it, of
course, then it’s plagiarism). In fact, it you’re really struggling to create that first page, try imitating a few pages that you love. This will help you
learn some techniques, organize your supplies and most importantly, conquer the “blank page syndrome”. Beware, though, you’ll probably find
yourself substituting, rearranging and changing things around sooner than you think because that darn personal style will get confident and start
imposing itself, as it should.
The most important thing you can do to make your Scrapbooks special is to truly enjoy every minute you spend on them. After all, they are the
reflection of the best part of you!
