Scrapbooking Articles

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Add Chipboard for Great Scrapbooks

We love to use chipboard shapes and accents on our scrapbook pages and to decorate album covers. They come in different weights, and I recently used some heavy chipboard to make a CD holder as a gift - so they’re useful in other crafts too.

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Scrapbooking Multiple Photos that Clash

Sometimes a scrapbook page design calls for more than one photo. Perhaps you have a group of really cute photos on one topic you want to use: those first few teeth appearing - or disappearing; your daughter’s changing hairstyles; hubby’s mountain bike racing cronies; days out with the girls; nieces and nephews from different sides of the family - all are great photos but the colors clash abominably! Or maybe you just don’t have the right color paper in your stash to make a layout work. What can you do?

Yes, when using more than one photo in a scrapbook layout it can be difficult to choose or match the colors in your design. You can get round this quite easily if you make all the photos black and white. This leaves you free to choose your favorite color scheme or one that fits your theme.

You can easily change the color of digital photos but what if they are older photos? Two options spring to mind: scan them into your favorite photo editing program where you can manipulate them to your heart’s content. Or take them to your local photo store and ask for black and white copies.

Nothing stops a fervent scrapbooker from scrapbooking!

Make Great Scrapbooking Titles

To make great scrapbooking titles begin with a good supply of scrapbooking alphabets. As many of us are not happy with our own handwriting and we’re always on the lookout for alternatives, these make a great start.

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Scrapbooking Tips work for Cardmakers too

I’ve been busy cardmaking rather than scrapbooking this week as birthdays and anniversaries never come singly but always in groups. In our circle of family and friends March and April are the busiest months, with August and a couple of weeks in September/October following close behind.

So let me give you some tips that worked well for me this week. They will help scrapbookers and cardmakers alike …

1. To make expensive glue go farther just dip the tip of a toothpick into the glue bottle and spread on your paper.
2. Use cotton buds for adding chalk, ink or paint to your scrapbook layout elements and edges.
3. A damp cotton bud picks up small stray beads easily.
4. An emery board works well to distress papers, card embellishments or the edges of your photos.
5. If you plan to add small bows to your scrapbooking project tie the bow before cutting the ribbon.
6. Punches should be regularly sharpened and lubricated. How? Cut a few shapes from aluminum foil to sharpen and from wax paper to lubricate.

Ah, Guests …

Quick, get the coffee and chocolate cake. Uh-oh, we can’t! … Please take a look round while we decide what to do! Get some ideas, search our site (box above right), vote in the polls … Got it! If you make some comments we’ll give you a link to our fantastic chocolate cake recipe to share with family & friends instead of us!  Now how unselfish is that!  

Scrapbooking Sketch #2

We all have people and things in our lives we value. I wouldn’t be me if it were not for the treasures and pains in my life.

This scrapbooking sketch is reminiscent of bricks in a wall. What are the ‘treasures’ in your life, or what would you include in a layout about your foundations?

Or how would you use this template?

Email your page to Genie at Scrapbooking Gems.com using the usual email format. Include the products you used and credits. There will be a prize for the best. (Or send me the link.)

Go to it Girls and have fun with this new scrapbooking sketch! Then let us have a look … Thanks!

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Related Posts:

How Do I Use a Scrapbooking Sketch?

More Free Sketches

Recording your Scrapbooking Inspiration

I found the following idea in a notebook from a while back. Unfortunately I didn’t write whether it was entirely my idea or not.

Anyway here it is …

Write the information about what inspired you to make each [tag]scrapbook layout[/tag] and the products you used on the back of each scrapbook page.

Then you will always have the information if you want to tell a friend how you made it, or enter it in an online gallery or competition at some later stage. Having details to hand in this way you can [tag]acknowledge[/tag] those who inspired you no matter how much time has passed.

It’s very difficult to remember where scrapbook ideas come from. Sometimes the whole thing is original and other times an idea leapfrogs on the back of something else. As it’s good to give credit where credit is due this is a useful way to remember to do it.

Keeping a notebook with scrapbooking sketch ideas or quotes, is great too. And remember to make a note of where they came from. This information can be transferred to the back of your scrapbook page when it is complete.

 

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17 Tips for the Frugal Scrapbooker

The frugal scrapbooker is always on the look-out for ideas to make her scrapbook pages look good but cost less.

How often have you spent hours, days, and weeks on a jigsaw puzzle? You were so excited to have the end in sight … you were planning how to preserve your masterpiece … only to get to those final few pieces to discover the last crucial piece is missing! Aaagh! Not again!

You can’t do anything with an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. Even with just one piece missing it’s ruined and no use to anyone, is it?

Think again.

A frugal scrapbooker can make great use of it …

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Scrapbooking Tools - Papers

Scrapbooking papers

Whether it’s [tag]scrapbooking paper[/tag], writing paper or notebooks doesn’t matter … I love paper. I always have. I love to run my fingers over it and feel the weight, the quality, the texture of it. I love to work with it. I love the colors, patterns, styles. So learning to scrapbook came naturally, as it were.

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Scrapbooking Tools - Cardstock

You can’t build a scrapbook without paper and card. And perhaps we should add a caution before going any farther: Collecting card and patterned paper is highly addictive! Well actually collecting paper of any sort is highly addictive. Don’t say you were not warned! …

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Of Scrapbookers and National Craft Month

It’s March!

For those of us stuck with short days and little sunlight, the clouds around our ankles and snow up to our necks, or swimming in the rain and blown along by the storms …

From where I’m sitting these are only slight exaggeration … so, I’m sorry, little sympathy for those of you who have hot sunny weather! Me jealous? Never … well a little … did it really show? Bears and birds have it right: winter’s for hibernating or flying south! And just think what all that fasting or exercise would do for the waist girls! … and the hips … and … no I’ll not go on, you get the point, I’m sure.

Anyway, I was about to say there’s hope just around the corner. The long winter is drawing to an end and Spring will be here soon.

And it’s National Craft Month …

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