Some Essential Supplies For Scrapbooking

With scrapbooking becoming such a craze there is no dearth of scrapbooking supplies and you will be inundated with the various items in the market to facilitate your scrapbooking experience. You should follow some basic rules in the beginning. We bring you some scrapbooking supplies.

Album

As you know albums come in various sizes you should choose the one that is best suited for your purpose. Usually a 12 x 12 inch album is good enough for your pictures and journals and you can choose the smaller sized albums for making mini ones. There are 3 types of albums. The post-bound ones allow your pages to lie flat without any separation between the pages. With the 3 ring albums you can rearrange your pages easily and also add new pages. The strap-bound has a strap hinge that is expandable and can be opened like a notebook.

Pencils and Pens

These are one of the scrapbooking supplies required for writing journals. You should choose pencils which are of archival quality which would not fade and are also waterproof. You can choose pens from among the 50 differing colors including opaque ones. You will get pens that give you the embossing effect or a 3D look.

Kits

Among the scrapbooking supplies available there various tools for your convenience such as the embossing and distressing kits and tag makers and many more such items. These tools help to give a personal look to your scrapbooks.

Use of Stencils and Templates

To draw and cut precise shapes and for alphabet lettering you need the help of stencils and templates which are mandatory scrapbooking supplies. You need to be careful in choosing clear templates for the proper alignment and the colored ones will make your designs stand out as they are different from that of the scrapbook color.

Paper

You need to choose acid free paper so that your documents last longer. The use of paper and cardstock is for adding color to your work, and helping in the setting of the theme and tone of the layout. They emphasize the areas that need to be focused.

Storing

Storing your work is a very vital point as carelessness can lead to damage of your property. You need to protect your supplies from damage caused by water and fading caused due to exposure to the sun.

Punches and Paper Cutters

The punches and paper cutters are an integral part of scrapbooking supplies as they are meant for beautifying your pages by giving round or scalloped edges. The punches help you to cut different shapes also, and these shapes of different colors create a wonderful amalgamation.

Decorations

The decorative items that you can use to make your pages beautiful and unique are buttons, charms, alphabet tiles, paper flowers, ribbons, stamps, eyelets, stickers, tags, sequins and several others. The use of these decorative items adds glamor to your scrapbook.

Creating Digital Scrapbooking Layouts - Resizing Your Photos

If you are new to creating digital scrapbooking layouts, there are a few skills you will want to master early on. One of these is: How Do I Resize a Digital Photograph to fit the digital template I've chosen?

Let's look at a typical scenario:

A new mom has taken tons of pictures of her child (what new mother doesn't?)
She loves scrapbooking, and wants to create a mini-album with digital layouts featuring several small photos, or just part-photos, on each page.
She plans to use mostly head shots, and the standard 6x4s are too large for use on her page.
She wants to be able to print the multi-photo page(s) as a part of her mini-album.
She already has Photoshop Elements, but you'd follow the same overall process for most photo-editing software.

First, Open a Blank Canvas, then

Define the size and resolution of the page (250-300 dpi should give a good result when printing the page)
Choose RGB color mode, unless you want a monochrome grayscale finish
Set background color to transparent
You now have a canvas and are ready to start scrapbooking

Side Note: I find the checkered background you see (when color is set to transparent) makes it very easy to align photos and embellishments.

In PhotoShop each part of your design will be placed on a separate layer and you can adjust how far forward an item is by moving it up and down the layers.

Next, Open the Photo File to be resized.

There are now several options to resize your photo:

Simply make the whole photo larger or smaller.
Crop to a section of the photograph, thereby removing all that extra sky or foreground, then sizing the cropped image to what you need.
Use a mask which is an easy way to create identically sized photographs in a multi-photo layout.
1. Resize your whole Photograph:

Go to Image, resize, image size
in the 'Document size' section select your units (inches, mm, cm, pixels, etc) and enter the width or height you want
you will want a resolution of 250-300 dpi to get good printing results
2. Crop a Section of the Photo:

Select the crop tool and define the area to be kept
Drag the crop 'window' around your photo to make the best selection
Side Note: if you want several photos exactly the same size in a layout I recommend using one of the fixed options instead of the freehand ones.

3. Use a Mask to Reveal only the Part of your Photos You Want to Display:

This is a technique I wish I'd learned about much earlier in my journey into Digital Scrapbooking...

Create a new layer and select the Marquee Tool

Select the size you want (choose from freehand, fixed ratio, or fixed size options)
if you chose either the fixed ratio or freehand option:

Draw your mask shape on the new layer while holding down the left button on your mouse;
If you chose the fixed size option: (good when you want multiple images the same size)

Click on your new layer, and the fixed size you've chosen will appear in outline with the 'marching ants'
Whichever style you used, the next stage is to

Select the Paint Bucket Tool and fill the shape with color (just so that its easier to see while you are working)
Now you have a photo mask layer ready for use in your current project. You can also duplicate the layer for as many photos as you plan to use.

Place your photo on the layer above the photo mask, and clip the two layers together.

You can still move your photo to select the best part, and you can grab a corner to adjust the size.

Do this for each photo until you have all you need for your digital scrapbooking layouts.

Digital Scrapbooking Basics - Setting Up Your Document

From understanding resolution to what color mode to use, this tutorial walks you step-by-step on how to set up a document to start a new digital scrapbook layout.

The most common sizes for a digital scrapbook page are 12" x 12", 8" x 8" or 6" x 6". I like starting with a 12" x 12" page because I can always decrease the document to a smaller size later if I want. Remember that you never want to increase a document size after it's created because it will not look good and you'll be disappointed with the results.

I am using Photoshop Elements to describe the steps in this article but the instructions given here will apply to just about any digital imaging software. So to start, navigate the mouse cursor to select File => New => Blank file to open the dialog box for creating a new digital scrapbooking page.

The first thing we want to do is fairly intuitive and that is giving it a name. So enter whatever you'll remember easily into the name field.

Setting the Resolution

Now let's talk about resolution a bit. To set the resolution correctly, we need to know if we are going to print this digital page. The minimal resolution for good print quality is 200 and most people choose 300 as a standard resolution. A higher resolution contains more color information thus producing a better quality print.

Notice that increasing the resolution also increases the size of the image. So if I set the resolution to 72 pixels per inch, which is sufficient quality for images viewed on display screens, the image size is 2.14 MB. By upping the resolution to 200 PPI, the image size is now 16.5 MB. And taking the resolution up to 300 PPI makes the image size jump to 37.1 MB. (MB stands for megabytes and each megabyte is just over a thousand bytes of information.) And this is still a blank image file! Adding photos, embellishments, textures, backgrounds, brushes and text will swell the image size even more so don't be surprised at how large your document becomes as you add more and more digital scrapbook elements.

Setting the Color Mode

The next thing we want to set is the color mode. The three selections to choose from are Bitmap, Grayscale and RGB Color. Bitmap is not the greatest color mode to select and I never use it. Grayscale describes an image where black, white and all the gray tones in between comprise the entire color palette of the image. You can experiment with these two as you wish, but for now RGB Color is the selection we want to make.

RGB is an acronym for Red, Green and Blue and refers to the method in which these three primary colors are combined to create a broad array of colors. The RGB method is the primary basis on how your digital camera takes photos and it's also the way most of your scanners, televisions, computer monitors and LED screens work. I recommend you work in RGB Color most of the time.

Setting the Background Contents

The last item to select is the Background Contents and the choices are White, Background Color, and Transparent. Some people get confused by what background color is. Looking at your color selection palette, you will see two small colored squares representing the current settings of the foreground and background colors. The background color is the little square that sits slightly behind and slightly overlapped by the square representing the foreground color. If you have already selected the color that you want to be your background color, then you should select Background Color as your background contents. I personally prefer working on a transparent background myself.

Now click okay and your new blank page is ready for you to start adding photos and whatever other elements you choose to design your digital scrapbook page layout.

The Eight Steps to Scrapbooking Nirvana

Late in life, I set out on a quest to discover the secrets of scrapbooking. Many before had tried to convince me of their wisdom and experience, but it all sounded like veiled sales pitches: "Buy kits. Buy stickers. Go digital." But what was the true, pure path to enlightenment?

At last I found her. Wizened with adhesives. Anointed with paper cuts. Peaceful in spirit and rich with memories. I asked; "What is your secret to making scrapbooks filled with the essence of life?" She smiled, flicked some glitter from her nose, and replied: "My child, you must embrace the Eight Steps to Scrapbooking Nirvana..." And she began...

First step: Organize your memories. Start with your photos. It may be just you, but even better with family or friends. Label acid-free sorting boxes for each theme in your life; family, friends, babies, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, achievements and other precious events. Focus on the moments you want to remember, share and preserve. As you sort, mark the dates and names on the backs of the photos with a photo-safe pen. Abhor the ballpoint. Along with the photos, capture the ephemera of life; the cards and notes, drawings, documents, certificates, awards, newspaper clippings, tickets - even jewelry or locks of hair. Remember - anything you can hold in your hand can be scanned into a computer.

Second step: Organize your space. Find a table where half-finished pages can be left undisturbed. Create a simple, accessible storage system for your tools, your glues and tapes, your paper materials, your embellishments. Categorize your rubber stamps and ink pads. Store markers and blender pens horizontally. Invest in good lighting.

Third Step: Envision a single memory. Jot down your top-of-mind reactions in terms of colors and textures, meaningful items, elements from nature. Think about the sounds and smells and feelings. Examine the photos from that event - who is there? What are they wearing? What is in the background? What happened before and after? How can my page be an extension of not just what the event looked like, but what it meant to be there? Remember: This can be a family activity.

Fourth Step: Journal from your heart. A scrapbook is a diary of life, and your story is told in pictures and words. Journaling is the difference between a scrapbook and a photo album. Think about your great-great-grandchild finding this in the attic someday. What would you want your scrapbook to say? Write the who, what, when, where and why of each memory, narrated in your unique voice. Don't forget the magic of laughter or the power of an evocative heading.

Fifth Step: Map it out. It may be a single page. It may be an entire album. Sketch your visual ideas, always considering the focus of each page; the connections between the photos and your journaling; leading the reader's eye; creating emphasis through size, color or technique; headlines; embellishments. Trust your design preferences. Like white space? Use it. Wild colors excite you? Get wild. Be influenced by what others have done, the techniques and products you want to try, but don't lose sight of the story you want to tell. Use copies of photos and scraps of actual materials if it helps you. Always remember: Coloring, resizing, cropping and silhouetting can be the ultimate makeovers for the average photo.

Sixth Step: Gather ye stuff. Make copies of your photos and protect your originals - mistakes happen. Select your papers, adhesives (archival, of course), cutting implements, and decorative elements. If you must, put what you have in a zip-lock bag and hasten to the craft store to choose the right details. Have everything close at hand. Do not run with scissors.

Seventh Step: Bring your page together. Cut your papers and materials. Lay out your elements according to your sketch. Leave space for hand-writing your journaling, or print or rubber-stamp your words. Keep your hands off the glue until you have staged your page, closed your eyes for 10 seconds while repeating "I've never seen this before," and then viewing it again with new eyes. You'll probably move some things around.

Eigth Step: Finishing touches. If your project was a single page, add the final embellishments: embossing; antiquing; buttons, bows, grommets, lace, stitching or anything that adds a touch of whimsy or nostalgia. Always ask: Is everything here a part of my story? and, Just how heavy and busy should this page be? Your final reckoning will come with your cover binding, so keep your ambitions practical as well as meaningful.

With those words, this wise, wise woman picked up a photo of a tiny, newborn baby. With a glistening eye and a tremble in her hand she said, "Someday he will be a man and begin to contemplate his past and how he came to be. Let him find his answers in a scrapbooked story lovingly told and masterfully presented, and he too may choose to follow the Eight Steps to Scrapbooking Nirvana for his child." She closed her eyes. Her voice became a murmur. "Unless, of course... acid..." And she began to snore.

Scrapbooking With Vellum

Wispy, see-through, and nearly invisible, vellum is an incredibly versatile paper. It is used to create a decorative overlay or pockets in your scrapbook layouts. The translucent look of vellum also makes an ideal accent such as champagne glasses, windows, clouds, bath bubbles, ice, angle wings, wedding veils or anything that requires sheerness. Vellum is available in an assortment of weights, colors, and patterns. There are all sorts of interesting looks you can create with this easy to use paper.

Making realistic accents with vellum is just one way to use this paper. Here are a few more tips and ideas to get you going.

Use vellum to print your titles and journaling. Place your title on a different shade of paper that is in your color scheme to accent the title. If you are using it for journaling, print your words and either add them to a photo matte or lay them over a picture.

Lay vellum over your photos or the whole page. If you lay them over the photo, this will give them a smokey look. If you lay it over the full page, cut a square or oval over the picture for a framed look with your journaling either underneath the vellum or printed on the top.

Create a pocket and put special items in it that you want saved from your special event that you are scrapping. Example of this is confetti from a birthday party, sand from the beach, fall leaves, etc. You can make an open pocket to add journaling tags that you can remove and read in your pockets for a unique twist on your page.

Use different colors of vellum and cut into different shapes and sizes. Place the squares in different positions on your base pages to create a collage as your back drop.

Remember when scrapping with vellum that you need to be careful about the adhesive that you use. Use only clear two-sided tapes or clear glues or you will have the adhesives showing through. The uses for vellum are unlimited, be creative and you will be amazed with what you can come up with in this unique paper.