Sorting It All Out

Creating the Perfect Memory

By Kristen Burgess

One of the benefits of scrapbooking is the organized and attractive way your memories are preserved. It’s important to take your time with the initial layout because that’s what really makes the core of your design. A good layout will be beautiful to look at and it will preserve your memories so you and the generations to come will truly enjoy them.

Your imagination is one of the best places to start your layouts. Just take a look at the number of pictures you have and the themes you’d like to create and go from there. But, if like everybody, you find yourself stuck for ideas sometimes that’s OK. There are lots of places to look for inspiration.

Scrapbooking idea books and magazines are great for getting ideas. They have lots of layouts and you can often find them centering around a theme, such as “baby’s first year” or “school days.” This will help jump start your own creativity.

You can also find lots of layout ideas online. Spend time browsing scrapbooking sites and looking at galleries of the pages others have put together. You’ll get some excellent ideas.

Don’t limit yourself to just scrapbooking resources, though. Pay attention to the layouts of your favorite web pages and magazines. You’ll find a wealth of beautiful layouts to draw inspiration from.

Kits and software are excellent sources of pre-made layouts. If you’re just getting started with scrapbooking they can help you create beautiful pages right away. You will find that you can come up with your own ideas more easily as you gain experience.

Start planning your layout by taking stock of what you have to work with. How many pictures are you going to be using? Do you want to add a lot of words (journaling) to this particular page or spread? Is there children’s artwork to be incorporated into the layout. How about mementos such as napkins, invitations, or programs? These things will all influence how you should lay your page out.

Are you going to have one picture be the focal point, or will you have many pictures and mementos working together to build your memory? Layouts often center on details of each photograph, in which case the pictures are cropped and several smaller pictures are used together. Then there are always classic pictures that deserve to be the focal point of your entire page.

Go with simple layouts. Pictures and words will get lost on a page that’s too cluttered. It also helps to have a consistent look and feel for an entire album, so consider what will be going into it. Don’t forget to leave space for journaling.

Remember that themed kits can be a great way to get started with scrapbooking. They’re also wonderful if you’re going to be creating your scrapbook as a gift for someone else. They contain a nice selection of stencils, card stock, and embellishments that match the overall theme of the kit. You’ll find kits for everything from babies, to weddings, to anniversaries, to graduations, to birthdays, and more.

Taking the time to plan out your layouts before you actually start working on your scrapbook pages will help you create the perfect memory in an attractive and organized way. So spend a little while thinking about it and trying different things to get the look you want.

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Photographs make a whole part of your scrapbook. For some, this is the whole point of your scrapbook. So when you’re making your scrapbook, take care not to repeat too many same layouts for your photographs because this will bore viewers and won’t help beginners get some scrapbooking ideas. Here are a few tips to make your scrapbook look unique and yet simple:

Focal Point Photos

Choose a focal point photo to front your scrapbooking pages. This photo has to be clear and the center of what you’re trying to say for your scrapbook. Best location for focal point photos is usually the top left of the scrapbooking page as this is how the viewer will be reading.

Accessory Photos

Accessory photos help to highlight the focal point photo, thus, these are the photos that just happened randomly, or at the event. Using the accessory photos as one of your scrapbooking ideas will show your scrapbook is in order and has a pattern for itself.

Mat

Don’t mat all the photos. Although matting is one of the important scrapbooking ideas that can be useful, not all photos need to be matted. Only mat those you really want to stand out like the focal point photo.

Sticking

Don’t just stick to glue and paste. Use creative means of sticking the photo onto your scrapbook. Use colored tacks, adhesive dots, stickers, ribbons or even yarn to hold down your photos for you. Sticking to glue and paste will drive you out of an even more creative outcome for your photos and scrapbook.

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Careful storage of photos pays off. When you’re getting started, this is a daunting task, but once you have everything sorted, labeled and filed in acid-free envelopes in sturdy boxes, or plastic sleeves in three-ring binders, sitting down to do a quick page or begin an album becomes a breeze. Remember not to have any liquid come in contact with your work. It’s best to keep albums and photos, etc. in a dry area and avoid having drinks on the worktable. Keep photos, albums and negatives out of direct sunlight. Extreme temperatures and humidity, such as in an attic, should be avoided, and watch fingerprints too. Even if you can’t see them now, they may show up over time ruining your picture!

Dedicate some space.

Try to find a closet or cabinet to organize and store scrapbooking materials when not in use. Kitchen drawer divider trays or tackle boxes work well – anything with small sections. Even if you’re not the most organized person, try to put like items together for ease of assembly when you do have some time to work.

If you can’t find the eyelet tool at the moment when you need it, you’ll be frustrated and give up!

Save ribbon.

I keep a drawer with scraps of ribbon to reuse. It seems like everything comes tied with a ribbon lately. Rather than throwing away, just tuck those in bag or drawer to pull out when you need to make a quick tag!

Use color to enhance.

Remember to pull colors from your pictures when choosing background and frame patterned and solid papers. This will visually draw your eye to the pictures. Then use embellishments to add interest. If there is a design element to the picture, maybe mimic that.

Crop and layer photos.

Photos usually look better when matted, but not always. Decide the layout and background papers, and then really take a hard look at how you crop the photos. Sometimes, blowing up a closely cropped photo works best visually, but to keep things diverse, use a wide shot the next time. How you crop really determines the look of the page.