Getting Into The World Of Scrapbooking
We all need a hobby, and to some degree, what that hobby is doesn’t matter, or rather, what matters is choosing the right hobby for you. If you have a penchant for crafts, something of a sentimental side, and you wish that you were able to better document and savor the passing of the year, then there are a few hobbies that can be just as good at rewarding that as scrapbooking. Here, we’re going to look at what it takes to get into this super-relaxing and fulfilling past-time.
Stick to a topic, theme, or story you want to tell
While some people will start off building up a big craftbook project that’s designed to be a comprehensive collection of every important, noteworthy, or emotionally involved event that happens in their life, it’s super easy to fill those books up before too long. Going too big can also be a little overwhelming, and make it stressful to decide what you should be excluding to make sure you have enough space for everything else, so you should consider instead narrowing it down to a specific theme, story, or topic. There are a host of great scrapbooking themes you can follow, and there’s nothing to stop you from starting another project at the same time if you want to follow a different theme, too.
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Determine your aesthetic
Once you have a theme in mind, then picking out an aesthetic can actually be a lot easier. You might already start getting color schemes or certain kinds of imagery in mind when you start thinking about a particular topic. How you build up that aesthetic can be a little trickier, but it’s always a good idea to start by thinking about what color of paper you’re going to use, whether it’s white, cream, or some form of kraft or colored paper. Then, you start picking out the additions that either complement or contrast with the base paper, and there you have it, that’s your color scheme. How each color scheme turns out is going to depend on you, but having a planned scheme in mind can stop things from looking a little too all over the place.
Pick a layout
Once you have an idea of what you want your scrapbook to be, you should start thinking about how you’re going to arrange it, as well. Some people will take a more off-the-wall and organic approach, sticking in what sticks out to them in the moment, but there are online tools like Page Maps that can help you design your layout ahead of time, right down to the sizes of each individual photo that goes in place. From there, it’s all about finding the right materials to go in each spot. There’s no limit to the wide range of layouts that you can use, either, so feel free to explore to your heart’s content.
Build up your supply
When you’ve got to grips with the basics and you do have a good understanding of the fundamentals on how to start scrapbooking, then it’s all about showing off your creativity, personalizing your projects, and creating scrapbooks that reflect the feelings that you want them to. Aside from choosing the right materials to put in them, you should also consider looking at sites and stores like CraftDirect that can help you grow the sheer diversity of craftbooking materials at your disposal. Build up your collection, over time, and you will be able to work on a whole host of different projects with changing aesthetics and styles to suit your moods, tastes, and the kind of energy you want the finished thing to have.
Avoid the common scrapbooking mistakes
Scrapbooking is a delicate process using a lot of different materials and tools, you should expect that you’re going to make a mistake or two along the way. However, there are some you can avoid right now, such as making sure that you don’t lose your smaller supplies by keeping them in pill organizers. You should use dry glue to fix your design elements to pages instead of white glue, as it’s not only cleaner, but it’s also less likely to cause pages to crumple under the moisture. Make sure that you choose acid free paper, as well, as otherwise, they might not gel well with older photos, breaking them down and damaging them.
If scrapbooking is right for you, all you have to do is get started. The barrier for entry is super low, but the potential to create gorgeous, custom scrapbooks is near limitless. With the tips above, you’re ready to dive in.
