Finding Your Muse

Every scrapbooker has one of those days now and again when it's impossible to create a decent page. As hard as you try, you can't get the pictures to look good on the page. Another situation is finding yourself in a rut. If every page starts looking then same, its time to take a break and get over your scrapbooker's block-find some new inspiration.

Inspiration is all around in the world. Turn on the television to check out your favorite celebrity's latest fashion, and this may lead to a new color scheme for one of your pages. Read a magazine and you may see a cute way of placing photographs and text on the page together. Billboards, advertisements, movie posters, and simply the scenes of your neighborhood can all become sources of inspiration if you look at the world with a scrapbooking eye.

Pictures are not the only things that can inspire a new page idea-words have a way of working themselves into your pages as well. A funny or moving quote can be used on a page as an embellishment, or perhaps a catchy phrase can become the theme and title of your layout. In any case, you may just need a break from the visual arts for awhile. Some of my best page ideas come to me when I'm doing something totally unrelated to layout design, such as reading. Take a break and walk away from your scrapbooking space. Perhaps a simple the change of scenery will motivate you to get back into the groove of creating original pages.

Friends can be a good source of inspiration as well. Ask for advice on your layout or, if they scrapbook as well, browse through some of their albums. You don't have to flat out copy their ideas, but perhaps a few of the elements you see on some of their pages can be put together to create a page of your own. You can also achieve this by browsing through scrapbooking publications such as magazines and books. Again, you don't have to create exactly what you see, but the mark of a good designer is the ability to make a technique his or her own.

The best source of inspiration should be your photographs. Pull colors from those in the pictures, and use the number and sizes of the pieces to determine what kinds of layouts are possible. Use your subject matter to inspire you as well. Children and pets work especially well for this, and with a little determination, you'll be back in the cropping chair again in no time.

Author: Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Scrapbooking: Computer-Aided Scrapbooking

There are infinite options for scrapbooking. It is just up to you on how beautiful your scrapbook will look when finished. Older generations have done theirs using the basic art materials available even to schoolchildren. But now in the digital age, computers will change the look of scrapbooks. Today, it is almost impossible to achieve anything without the use of computers. If magazines are not available to make up for a desired text to go along with the concept, graphics editors can do everything. The only requirement is the skill to do it.
Computer is the best tool for scrapbooking in the 21st century. How can computers aid in pre-designing each page of your scrapbook. Here are the pointers on how to use the best-known scrapbooking tool.
USE COMPUTER SOFTWARE:
Third party scrapbooking softwares commonly used around have ready-made pages to choose from. If the designs are satisfactory, why buy from books stores if you can print your own? Of course, the printing itself may cost, but using softwares, the designs can even be enhanced. These image-ready applications are very user-friendly and designed for people who don't have too much skill in primitive graphics design.
HELP YOURSELF WITH POPULAR GRAPHIC ARTS EDITOR:
If you find other ready-made designs from applications too impersonal, then you can do your own with the aid of graphic arts software. You can scan your old picture or take a shot with digital camera, make layouts from different backgrounds, combine multiple photos from your collection, and adjust how it will look on your page.
Graphic Arts Editors have built in good fonts to choose from. In this case, you can use any to satisfy your design liking. For professional outcome, this is only applicable to those who have the skill to use the editor. People whose works are inclined to digital arts have the advantage for creating very modern scrapbooks.
Graphic Arts Editor can enhance photos, correct lens errors, clean dust/specks, blur and sharpen images, change the color and many other corrective measures.
PRINTED FINISH
There are ways of accomplishing scrapbooks with the aid of computer printers. You can start a semi-finished scrapbook with bordered boxes for photos, or you can do a complete printable scrapbook with no more mess. In other words, you can print a designer page or the complete digital scrapbook.
What comes along is the choice of paper to use. Specific inkjet paper with varying thickness, surface and texture can be accommodated by branded printers. The scrapbook can be printed double-sided or one-sided.
RESOLUTION
When complexities started with computers, the most important aspect in doing printed materials with computer starts with resolutions. If the user is not so familiar on resolution behavior seen on screens versus the printed output, then it is the time to start asking an expert and have some background info on how it can affect the print from the start of the layout. For people with background on graphic arts, this is still not an average issue. It is a very crucial one in order to have the best print using a specified appropriate paper.
In conclusion, scrapbooking must adhere with modernization. The greatest advantage of using computer as basic tool is the capability to back up the file and keep it for future printing. Or even if you have done a conventional scrapbook, computers still can manage the scanning and reproduction of scrapbooks.
Article by: NICHOLAS TAN

Give Your Album Some Flow - Scrapbook Themes

Scrapbooking starts when someone has a lot of pictures that he or she wants to organize in an eye-pleasing way. To do this, you can start creating pages on a whim and produce a random collection of photographs mounted on paper, or you can take the more effective approach and plan out a theme to your album. There are many album themes to consider when choosing the option that will best fit your needs.

The most often used theme for your album really isn't much of a theme at all-chronological order. Most beginning scrapbookers use this method of organization because it is convenient to use if you are trying to get all of your photographs out of boxes and into acid free albums. Chronological scrapbooks also make it easy to keep up with the album as you get new pictures developed. However, this is not the only type of album that can be created, and you should weigh all options before starting to scrapbook.

Consider creating a birthday or holiday album, which work especially well for scrapbookers with children. Rather than including pages with all your pictures throughout the year, choose one holiday and start an album with one layout for each year. The result will be a book that shows the progression of a child from year to year, and these make excellent graduation gifts or can become keepsakes as your children move out of the house. These are on-going projects, so you will need to devote many years to an album before it is complete.

Another theme that makes a beautiful album is people. This works nicely with the random pictures you may have that were not used in your chronological album. To make this kind of album, create one layout for each person, and show them throughout the years. Alternatively, if you take many pictures, you can create a single album all for one person. An album themed by people makes a good gift for someone with many grandchildren or for someone moving away from a group of friends.

However you chose to theme your album, think of its function before you start. Who will be looking at the album? Are you giving this album as a gift? What kind of pictures do you have available? Scrapbooking according to theme creates well-organized albums, and by choosing a theme before you start creating pages you can make an album that works well in your collection or as a gift.

Article By: Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Organizing Your Scrapbooking Area

With the hundreds of thousands of scrapbooking papers and embellishments available on the market, it is easy for your craft area to become overwhelmed by scrapbooking supplies. This becomes an especially difficult challenge for scrapbookers who live in small spaces such as apartments or dorm rooms. Never fear-with a little effort you can follow a few easy steps to create a space for your things that is organized, clean, and beautiful.

You will likely need the most time and space to organize your papers. A good option for this is a paper saver, as made by most of the larger scrapbooking companies. Usually made from plastic, these folder-like portfolios are large enough to hold hundreds of papers and include tabs to separate your pages into categories for easy organization. If you find that you do not have enough room in a paper saver, you might also find it useful to invest in a filing cabinet or one of the sets of drawers made especially for scrapbooking. These are available at all craft stores and online.

Once you own a tool for organization, the next step is to decide how you want to categorize your supplies. The option most often used is color, but you can also separate your paper into themes (holidays, wedding, etc) or by marking, such as solids and stripes. You can also use this system to organize flat embellishments, such as die cuts or stickers.

You also need a place to store your tools and embellishments that are not easily filed. One good way of doing this is by using baskets and a shelving system. Store cutting tools in one basket, glues in another, markers and paint in a third, and so on. By buying baskets in bulk, you will save more money then if you use photo boxes, and the display will be uniform and attractive. Remember to label your baskets so you save time when you're looking for a particular item.

If you need to save space, however, a basket and shelving system may not work for you. Instead, keep all your tools and supplies stored somewhere safe and out of the way and keep a "kit" of your most used items close at hand in a photo box, basket, tote bag, or other container. That way when you only have time to do a quick page or two, you can use your kit to complete it and then quickly clean up. On the other hand, when you can devote an entire day to scrapbooking, you can pull your supplies out of storage to complete many pages of your album.

Try to remember that keeping your space clean and organized will make scrapbooking easier and more enjoyable in the future. By labeling your storage containers and sorting your papers, you will be able to quickly find the tools you need. Organization is the key to stress-free scrapbooking and creating beautiful albums.

Written By: Tom Ambrozewicz, one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Beginners Layout Using Die Cuts

I wanted to do this scrapbooking page as a starting point for scrapbooking beginners to get the basic instructions to complete a layout. Also beginners should also read this post on Scrapbooking Glossary of Terms to help you out with common scrapbooking words..

Materials:
12x12 Patterned Paper - I have used GCD Studios 12x12 Designer Paper - Blue Swiss
12x12 Cardstock - I have used GCD Studios 12x12 Cardstock - Red Independence
Diecuts (or stickers) - I have used My Minds Eye At The Pool title, Snorkel, Bucket, Beach Ball.
3 Photos 13 x 9cm
Double -sided tape (photo corners)

Instructions:
1. First you have to mat your photos, to do this you adhere (stick) your 3 photos to the 12 x 12 piece of cardstock, leave about a 2mm border around your photos, as shown in photo below. Cut out your photos.

2. Adhere two photos 8cm down from the top of your background paper, which is the patterned paper. Then just below these two photos adhere the third photo in the center.
3. Add your die-cut title and images randomly to your page, overlapping the edges of your photos. Using the double-sided tape (or you could use double-sided foam to give your die-cuts a 3D look on your page).

4. You can then add some journaling to your scrapbooking layout by cutting a strip of cardstock 27 x 2cm and adhered it to the bottom of the layout.

Its as easy as that! You can add extra embellishments to the layout, like photo corners, gems or you could also add journaling by hanging tags to the die-cut title using ribbons and eyelets.

Scrapbooking Glossary of Terms

Here is a good guide for scrapbooking beginners to get to know some of the most commonly used scrapbooking terms.

Acid-Free
A term describing materials with a pH value of 7.0 or higher. Materials with pH level of 7.0 are neutral and those with pH level greater then 7.0 are alkaline. You should only use Acid-Free products on your scrapbooking pages.

Adhesive
Any substance that allows two or more surfaces to adhere to one another. Adhesives include double-sided tape, foam tape, photo taps, glue dots, glue sticks, sprays, liquid glue and xyron machine.

Album
Available in various sizes, 12"x12" albums are most commonly used in scrapbooking. Choose from a variety of styles like post bound, ring bound and strap hinge. Post bound ones are the most popular as you can add extra pages to them. Albums come with protective plastic sleeves that will house your layouts.

Archival Ink
Dye ink that is fade proof, waterproof, lightfast, acid-free and non smearing. This is ideal for stamping on your pages.

Brads
Similar to typical office brads, but now available in different sizes, colours and patterns for scrapbooking. They can be used as a functional tool or as an embellishment.

Brayer
A craft tool which looks ike a small rubber rolling pin on a handle. Made from sponge and used with plastic stencils to make background paper.

Buffer
An alkaline substance, generally calcium carbonate, added to the paper to make it acid-free.

Cardstock
A general term for heavier papers commonly used as the basis for pages, torn accents, photo matting, journaling blocks and lettering.

Chalk
Used for shading colouring and highlighting accents and titles, paper piecing and backgrounds. Decorative chalks are applied with cotton buds, eye shadow sponges or special applicators especially created for scrapbooking.

Charms
Embellishments for pages that usually dangle from decorative fibres, strings and ribbons.

Cropping
A term used to describe reshaping or re-sizing an original photograph.

Cutters
These include kraft knives, which are used for precision cutting, and have pointed, replaceable blades. There are also specialty decorative scissors that cut anything other then a straight line. Some popular styes include zig-zag and Victorian.

Die-cut
A shape or letter cut from paper or cardstock with a special die-cutting machine. Popular brand in Cricut, Sizzix and Accu-Cut.

Embellishments
A variety of different decorations that include tabs, tags, eyelets, wire, charms, stickers, chipboard, frames, ribbon and fibres.

Embossing Paper
A fine plastic powder that will adhere to wet inks and tacky surfaces. The powder melts on heating to form a raised, glossy finish.

Eyelets
A metal ring for lining a small hole. Used for the passage of ribbon, cord, wire, string or as an embellishment on a layout. Available in a wide range of shapes and colours.

Eyelet Setter
The tool used to apply eyelets and snaps to various projects. With just a few taps of a standard hammer, the setter evenly splits the eyelet or snaps flat to the page.

Fibres and Ribbon
Used for attaching tags, creating embellishments or borders, they are flexible and come in a array of colours, textures and patterns.

Journaling
Refers to everything textual on the page. Can include titles, poems, stories, captions, stickers and phrases that are handwritten or computer-generated.

Lignin-Free
Lignin is an organic substance which, when combined with cellulose, forms the main part of woody tissue. It's important to make sure your products are free of it when scrapbooking pages.

Matting
This term is used when a photo is placed on a larger piece of cardstock that then becomes the frame or mount. This technique adds colour and dimension to your page and it's all about personal taste.

Paper
Available in many varieties including patterned, handmade, textured and specialty, and can be a feature, background or you can print text on it.

Paper Piecing
Paper piecing is collating a range of cut-off paper pieces to create a theme or idea. There are many patterns available, or you can create your own with scanned images or drawings.

Photo Tabs
Used in the corner of a photo when mounting it.

Punches
A hand tool available in different themes and sizes that "punches out" a particular shape, which can enhance the overall look of a page.

Stamp
Rubber impressions that, when pressed with ink, leave a permanent mark. Make sure you use ink that is acid-free, non-bleeding and fade-resistant.

Tag
A piece or strip of strong paper that can be hung loosely by thread or attached to the layout. You can also purchase metal rimmed tags.

Template
Anything used as the basis or guide for tracing a pattern, letter or shape.

Paper Trimmer
Offers precise, straight-edge cutting. Just lay the photo or paper down on the base and slide the blade across it.

Vellum
Normally used as an overlay, it can be patterned or plain and is semi-transparent, giving a great effect. You can also print journaling on it.

Article By: Melanie Pracas

Scrabooking With Memorabilia

Ticket stubs, newspaper clippings, and other forms of memorabilia can add that something special to your scrapbook. Alongside pictures, memorabilia acts as an embellishment, but also helps tell the story of the pictures on the scrapbook page. Memorabilia, unfortunately, is not always safe to use around your photographs because of their high acidity. Don't count these items out completely; there are now many items on the market that can help you include memorabilia while protecting your photographs from harm.

An easy but expensive way to safely add memorabilia to your pages is to purchase an agent that will equalize the acidity of the item. These come in the form of aerosol sprays and work well, but one can of the neutralizer might cost fifty dollars or more, so this is not a cheap option if you have lots of memorabilia to add to your scrapbook. Also, some products are made of better quality than others, but you will not be able to tell if your equalizer is made to last or not until many years down the road. By that time, a low-quality product will have ruined your photographs.

A more effective way to add memorabilia to your pages is to use photo safe plastic pouches. These acid free pockets are clear and can be mounted to your page to hold items while creating a barrier between your photographs and items with high acidity levels. Pouches are extremely convenient to use with items such as locks of hair, which are otherwise virtually impossible to mount to a page. However, it can be difficult to stick the plastic to the page, and you might find that the results are undesirable when the plastic of the pouch clings to the plastic page protector.

Another option that can be used with some forms of memorabilia is to photocopy your ticket stubs, playbill covers, etc onto scrapbooking paper. This is a sure-fire way to protect your photographs from the acid in the original items. Using photocopies can lose some of the effect and memories brought by the original piece, but it's a good option if you want to quickly and safely add some details.

The best and most effective way to add memorabilia to your scrapbook is to create two-page layouts. Keep your pictures on one side and add memorabilia and other embellishments that are not photo safe to the other side of the layout. The plastic protector will save your pictures from yellowing. With this option, always keep in mind that page protectors are double-sided, so put two memorabilia pages back to back to keep the layout behind the first memorabilia page safe. Of course, with this option, you do not get rid of the acid in the item, so your pieces of memorabilia will most likely fade and discolor over time.

The most important thing when choosing a way to add memorabilia to your album is to keep your pictures safe. By protecting your photographs by one of these methods, you can keep your album looking like new for many years, but still include memorabilia to help remember events.

Written by Tom Ambrozewicz.
Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

The Importance of Scrapbook Journaling

One of the most important aspects of scrapbooking is journaling. For new scrappers, journaling is the part of your book that is the written material on the page. You might know what each picture represents, but those who read through your scrapbook don't and words help to enhance the pictures. The information you put down can be as simple as listing the names of people in the photos or writing down a date and place where the picture was taken. You can also go into great detail and include the whole story behind the picture for even better lasting memories.

One of the best ways to ensure that your journaling is accurate and heart felt is to keep an actual journal as part of your scrapbooking supplies. When you have an event that you take some pictures of, jot down in the journal what is happening and how you are feeling. That way, even if it is months (or even years) later when you come to scrapbook those photographs, you will be able to look back and remember exactly why that photograph was taken, and what it meant to you at the time. This journal does not have to be fancy or detailed, just a place where you can jot down a few thoughts when something interesting or funny occurs.

Journaling in your scrapbook should be heartfelt. Make sure that you record how you are feeling about a person or place on the page. This is especially important when you are scrapbooking family. You want your children to be able to look at your scrapbook and know exactly how important they are to you.

Poems make interesting additions to your journaling. You might be thinking, "I cannot write a poem!" That is fine! Purchase a few small books with witty poems and quotes, and borrow from those. Find a verse that matches what you are feeling, and jot it down on your page. It does not have to be your own actual wording to make the statement you desire to share.

When you think about it, nobody writes anything by hand anymore. Although composing your journal entries on the computer gives your scrapbook a sharp, clean look, writing your entries by hand can add a certain charm you won't get from your computer. You might want to use a printed banner for a title on the page and make your other notations by hand. If you do choose to create a page with computer-generated text, keep your fonts consistent, as mixing up fonts can be distracting to the reader.

Journaling is a way to preserve the story of your family for future generations. While it can be frustrating at times for the scrapbooker, do not overlook its importance. You might be tempted to skip a journal on a particular page because you are certain that you will not forget the significance behind those pictures. But stop and think about the picture you took ten or twenty years ago. Do you honestly remember everything that was going on that made those pictures so special? Chances are you do not. Record your thoughts and feelings while they are fresh, and the journaling will keep your scrapbook and pictures fresh and lively for years to come.

Article By: Graham Johns - Graham Johns runs and writes regularly for http://easyscrapbookingideas.com where you can read many more articles on children and families. Also go to http://www.wellspokenaudio.com for a wide range of informative and entertaining audio books.

7 Ideas to Make Beautiful Scrapbooks

1. Vellum
Vellum is a transparent, translucent material. Vellum can be used to create a slight shadow or shade change to background or embellishment colors. This can be used as a softening agent for baby scrapbooks, as a touch of elegance to gift scrapbooks, or to create dimension in a boring flat page.

To reduce the cloudiness effect caused by gluing, apply only a thin line of glue along the edges of the vellum. In this way, you will see a slight shadow only along the very edge. This will look like a border to the vellum. Vellum is available in both acidic and non acidic forms.

2. Shadow Boxes
A great way to add depth to your scrapbook page is to add shadow boxes. Basically shadow boxes add a shadow to your images. Shadow boxes are also a great way to make your most important photographs or text boxes stand out form the rest of the page. Shadow boxes can also be to emphasis dedications.

To make a shadow box, simply cut a box shape out of paper. Next, put your embellishment on a larger square of cardstock. Then, add glue to all four sides of the cardstock square and attach it to the back of your paper. The embellishment will show through, adding greater dimension to your page.

3. Patterned Paper
Patterned paper can be used for backgrounds, borders, and embellishments. Often plain white backgrounds look rather boring and dull. Patterned backgrounds add a touch of excitement to your page. The right pattern tailored to your theme and purpose can also increase that professional look.

Colors and patterns can be used to coordinate with your photographs or to add dramatic effects. Paper with various themes and patterns is widely available. For instance, a birthday scrapbook could have a background made of your favorite gift wrap. This could add a touch of elegance or a touch of humor depending upon the patterned paper you choose.

4. Textured Paper
Textured paper can add extra dimension to your scrapbooking page. Textured paper can be used to highlight focus items on your scrapbook page. Textured paper can also be used as a backgrounds or border to give your page an interesting fresh look.

5. Book Jacket Backgrounds
For an added personal touch and artist flair use a book jacket as a background. This scrapbook technique looks especially nice when the book jacket is the reader's favorite book or author, adding a wonderful personalized touch.

Be aware, however, that the glossy coating on the book jacket creates an added challenge to sticking objects to this background. Alternative attachment methods include sewing and eyelets.

6. Adding Dimension
One good way to add dimension to images is to use double stick foam tape. Double stick foam tape literally allows items to pop out at your reader adding realism to items. This technique is especially useful in children's art and educational scrapbooks.

Simply, cut the foam tape into whatever shape and size you want. Then, attach to shape onto your scrapbook page. Double stick foam tape is available at most craft stores in various colors and thicknesses.

7. Ribbons and Lace
Ribbon and lace are by far the most common, and most beautiful, border embellishment. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory scrapbooks.

Moreover, ribbon is easy to glue and attach. Lace requires a bit more patience.

For an interesting change from ribbon and lace, try using jute or raffia.
Article by: Lena Fields

Organizing Digital Photos for Scrapbooking

Digital cameras are becoming more and more popular as time goes by. As a scrapbooker, I find it easier to store and organize digital photos then regular photos. This is how I organize them.

After loading your photos onto your computer, create folders. Copy and paste photos by date and event. I like to even take this a step further and copy and paste what photos I want per layout. So when it's time to scrapbook, I simply look at my different folders and decide which one I want to work on. I then look to see how many pictures there are and figure out a layout that would work well. I take in consideration different sizes I could print the photo, with regular film processing you can't do that. I then print out only the ones I want to work with.

With digital photos, you can crop, trim, or change color tints on your photos. Think black and white photos would look better then the scattered colored photo? No problem, simply got to your photo editing program and play with the coloring. If the subject of your photo is off center or something distracting is in the picture, use your photo editing program to crop or zoom in.

Digital photo is the way to go! They are so much easier to work with and take up only computer space!
Article By: Debbie Luker

Basic Color Theory for Scrapbooking

Looking for a simple, versatile scrapbooking idea that can make your pages interesting and great looking' Try using the color wheel that you learned about in grade school to design well-coordinated eye-pleasing pages that really shine. The simple color theories that you learned in grade school can serve you very well in scrapbooking today, and after reviewing the basics you'll be ready to create an unlimited number of great looking pages.

Remember the color wheel' Colors arranged in a circle, similar to a rainbow, and all of the colors related' Red combines with yellow to make orange, yellow and blue combine to make green, and red and blue make purple, remember' Visit your local craft store and invest in a simple color wheel to get you going. Most of the art departments will have one, and EK Success now makes a fancy one just for scrapbooking. Any color wheel will allow you to use these simple ideas.

Let your picture be your guide in choosing a color scheme for your page. Choose one color from the photograph to be your 'key' color. It may be a color from a flower in the foreground, or the color of the shirt your child is wearing. Whatever you choose, it will be the starting point for your color themed page design.

The first color scheme is monochromatic. Say you've chosen the blue of your son's eyes. Since every color comes in many values, choose two or three additional values of the blue color you want to use. You may choose one lighter value and one darker value, or two lighter or darker values, it's up to you. Now do all of your work on the page in these three colors. The result will be restful, calming and cohesive. Your page will be pleasing to the eye and stylish, no matter how you accessorize.

Choosing two or three adjoining colors is called an analogous color scheme. These combinations tend to be either warm (from the red side of the color wheel) or cool (from the blue side of the color wheel). They are pleasing to the eye, restful and attractive. Certain combinations lend themselves very well to different themes as well. Consider a combination of red, orange yellow and orange for a striking fall layout, or a combination of icy blues and purples for a frosty winter page.

The third basic type of color scheme is complimentary. Choosing colors across the wheel from each other creates contrast and is a good way to make the items on your page stand out. On a blue page, mat the photos in orange and use orange toned accents and your details will really stand out. Red and green are also complimentary, another reason that those Christmas pages are usually so striking. Every color on the color wheel has a compliment. Consider basing your page on one color and accent with its compliment for a striking, impressive effect.

The basics of color theory that we learned in grade school are worth reviewing when you're looking for ideas to get started on your next scrapbook page. Invest in a color wheel and put those great papers to work for you!
Written by: Jay Moncliff

Tips For Scrapbooking Beginners - Where To Start

Taking Pictures
The first thing a potential scrapbooker should know is how to take a good picture, as the vast majority of scrapbooks are centered around our photographs. Visit our photography page for specific tips on taking pictures.

Photo Storage
I have found that the system that works best for me is to store my not-so-great pictures in those inexpensive photo storage boxes (in chronological order). All of my other pictures go into regular photo albums immediately after being developed so I can keep them in order. Then, as I update my scrapbook, I simply flip through the album and decide which pictures are scrapbook worthy. Since using a digital camera, I sometimes order extras that I know will be used in my scrapbook so that another copy can stay in the regular album.

Scrapbook Design
After gathering and organizing your pictures, the next step is to decide what theme you want for your scrapbook. You could create one for a child's life, a wedding, vacations, family, or any specific theme that ties your pictures together. Personally, I have a scrapbook for the 1st year of life for each of my two daughters, and continue to add pages to additional scrapbooks to capture memories as they happen chronologically.

Photo Selection
Once you have decided on a theme for your scrapbook, select several pictures to be grouped on each page. The most popular size scrapbook is 12x12, which usually holds about 3 pictures plus journaling, though this is extremely flexible. Sometimes, a special picture might be placed alone on a page with more embellishments, or many cropped (trimmed) pictures can be squeezed on. There are no rules!

Cropping Photos
Most scrapbookers like to crop their pictures. Cropping is cutting out any distracting or unnecessary background to focus on your subject. This is best done using a personal paper trimmer, which makes a quick, clean, level cut.

Choosing Paper
After cropping your pictures, the next step is usually deciding on background paper and mat paper for your page. (I say usually because, again, there are not rules. You may decide not to use a mat for your photo, or use several or no papers for your background.) The background paper can be chosen by theme (for example, holly paper for a Christmas layout) or you can select papers that complement the colors of your photos. For example, if your child is wearing a purple hat and you want to emphasize it, mat your photos on matching purple paper (and find a background paper to complement).

Journaling
Descriptive text added to expand on the layout is called a journal block. This can be handwritten or done on the computer, and adds a personal touch besides complementing the photos to present a complete collection of memories for the layout. When journaling, focus on answering the "who-what-when-where-why" questions of your photos.

Embellishment
Embellishments such as die-cuts (cardstock cut into various shapes), stickers, eyelets, fibers, glitter, etc. can be added to really give your layout some "punch". Let your creative juices flow!

Article By: Paula McDonald