Beginning Scrapbooking: Making Your First Layout

Beginning Scrapbooking

Once you have obtained the basic tools, you can begin to scrapbook. Follow these easy steps to create a beautiful page.

Step 1: Locate pictures and mementos from the specific event or time frame you wish to scrapbook. You will want to choose the only the best pictures that capture the moment.

Step 2: Decide which kind of album you will use. If you are going to scrapbook a few smaller pictures, you may want to opt for a 8×8 album, or if you are scrapbooking your families summer vacation to Disneyland, you may want to choose a large 12×12 album, with lots of room for pictures and mementos such as ticket stubs or brochures.

Step 3: Look to see if there is a specific theme. Sometimes pictures and what is contained in their background can help you decide on a theme. This could include holiday or special occasion theme, or even just a color theme. This will help you decide which papers and embellishments to use. Typically you want to choose at least two colors that will compliment your photos.

Step 4: Look at your collection of cardstock, papers, stickers, and embellishments. It is now time to choose which products you may want to use. Typically it is best to layout the pieces around each other to make sure they all match and go well together.

Step 5: Measure your paper or cardstock. You can use either color or printed cardstock or paper to create the background. You should use your paper trimmer to cut the paper or cardstock to the according size, depending on what size album you are using.

Step 6: Adhere paper or cardstock to album. Some albums have white pages that come inside. You can just use your rolling adhesive or glue stick to adhere it to the white page. If your album just has page protectors only, then you can skip this step. Your paper or cardstock will be the actual “page”.

Step 7: Choose how you want to layout your photos and any space for journaling, the page title, mementos, and embellishments. Try to visualize what you want the end product to look like, and lay out your items accordingly. You may have to cut pictures down to fit, which is also okay. Just be sure not to cut out the important parts! Once you have everything temporarily positioned on your page, you can choose if you would like to adhere the photos directly to the background, or if you want to mount them on another different piece of paper or cardstock. Mounting them will add visual interest and creates clean and polished borders for pictures. Not mounting them also creates a neat look; the choice is basically personal preference.

Step 8: Cut the appropriate papers for mounting or layering, and adhere accordingly. If you are mounting your photos, you will want to cut the paper to be just slightly larger than the photo. A good measurement to aim for is 1/8 to 1/4 inch larger on each side of the picture. This way, there will be a frame of color or pattern all the way around the sides of the photo. You would use photo splits to adhere the photo to the paper for mounting, or if you choose not to mount the photos, you can use the photo splits to adhere the photo directly to the page. Layering refers to cutting various sizes of paper or cardstock to create a design of some sort in the background. These papers can be cut to different sizes depending on what you like and adhered to the background paper to add to the layout design. You should use your rolling adhesive or glue stick to adhere any layering papers.

Step 9: Place your title and journaling. If using title stickers, just apply wherever you like! If using die cuts, then you will have to put adhesive of some sort on the backs of the letters and apply them to the page. You can use either a glue stick or rolling adhesive for this as well, or you can use a dimensional pop up adhesive to give your title a 3D effect.

If you are going to hand write your journaling, you will want to put a journaling card, sticker, or even just trace notebook lines into the page with a ruler, to give you some kind of guide to write on. You can just write right on the paper without any of these, just be sure to write in a straight line. You may want to use an edge of a paper as a guide. If you are typing your journaling, you will want to type it on the computer and print it on either cardstock or paper suitable for scrapbooking. You can adhere any paper or journal cards to your page with rolling adhesive or a glue stick.

Step 10: Accessorize. Now you can finally add any stickers, buttons, brads, tags, metal embellishments, ribbons, or any other type of decorative features to your page. Just make sure to secure each piece appropriately. Once your page is complete with embellishments, you can put the page protector over the page, and enjoy for years to come.