Getting Started in Scrapbooking

Don’t try to tackle 20 years worth of photos in one sitting. Choose a specific project: one that has a beginning, middle and end. i.e. a trip, baby’s first 6 months, school album, family reunions, pet album, relatives, career etc….

Choosing the right album for each project is imperative. Figure out how many pages you will need and what size of album is best suited for each project. A smaller 8 x 8 size is easier for children to handle and for older people to store, while a full 12 x 12 size will accomadate a lot more pictures. In any case, always buy a good quality album after all you will expect this album to last through the generations. Your album should be expandable to at least the number of pages that you will need. The album should lay flat when opened and should have sheet protectors.

Everything that you put in your album, besides photos, must be acid free and lignin free. Do not use cut outs from magazines or newspapers as they have a high content of acid and other ingredients that will harm and discolour your photos.

Any items that are not acid free can be sprayed with a special product which renders them acid free and then they can be included in your album. An alternative to the spray would be to photocopy them on acid free paper.

In order to enhance the colours of your photos, acid free colour cardstock is used either as the whole page or simply placed behind the photos as mats. Stickers, meshing, die cuts and other embellishments are used to add the finishing touches to your pages.

Precut double sided tabs are used to adhere photos to the pages. Do not use glue. Glue tends to be messy and does not allow the repositioning of photos.

Journaling: writing the story behind the photos. This is by far the most important part of this whole exercise. The very minimum that you can get away with will be: who, what, where, when and why. We are always encouraged to go well beyond that. Writing the story becomes much easier when we keep in mind that some years from now, we will not be able to remember all the details but our journaling will there to help us. So be generous with not only the facts but your thoughts and feelings as well. Your writing tool must have the following qualities: acid free, fade proof, non bleeding, permanent and waterproof.

  You will need a few tools to start with: a good paper trimmer, corner rounder, precision scissors and a shape cutting system. Choose your tools wisely because they will be the reason you love your work or the reason you are so frustrated you don’t want to finish your project. When purchasing tools, do not leave the store until you are confident on how to use them, this will ensure that you use them properly and get the most use out of them.