Phew… now that you finished embellishing your page… you are now ready to enjoy… learn what attracts your eye and grow into more advanced concepts…

A great place to share with others and learn and grow (besides our classes & workshops) is Splitcoast Stampers.  There you will find an abundance of ideas and support as well as a place where you can share your artwork!

Now that you have learned how to crop and frame your picture, you now need to focus on telling your story creatively.  Just like you would decorate a home to make your home feel homey you can decorate your scrapbook page to make your story feel more heartsy.

There are a variety of embellishments you can use… but remember that your scrapbook
page needs to be able to go into the page protector. The more embellishments you place on
your scrapbook page, the more risk you have at not fitting the page into the page
protector.

Mandatory Embellishments:

• Scrapbook Titles – scrapbook titles really help the reader understand what picture you are trying to paint.  Experiment with rubber stamps or fonts to create fun and interesting titles.
• Journal Entries – journal entries add another dimension to your scrapbook page where your heart and motivation will really come through and bring the reader of your page to the same place your heart was when the memory was created.

Other Embellishments:

• Stickers that are acid free are a wonderful way to embellish your cherished memory.  Attach the sticker to solid color cardstock and trim a frame around it for a more interesting dimension.
• Ribbon is a wonderful and lightweight addition to your scrapbook page.  Experiment with different types of fibers and colors to bring out the photo.
• Hardware, eyelets and brads are also another wonderful dimension. Make sure the hardware you use is lighteight and acid free.  You can again draw a person’s eye using hardware to the area of the page or photo that is most important.
• Buttons are another way of drawing a person’s eye to the journal entry or photo.  Again ensure that the buttons you use are acid free.
• Tags and Envelopes and Pockets are another way to place elements related to your story on your page and can make the page more 3-D and interactive.

Things to avoid:

• Glitter!!! Loose glitter can actually ruin a cherished photo by scratching the surface. If you are scrapbooking for the purpose of long term usage – then avoid Glitter totally.
• Heavy Embellishments… heavily weighted embellishments can actually tear the page as  person flips it.  Avoid using these types of embellishments on your page to preserve your hard work.
• Rub on transfers.  Again over time if you do not rub properly, the rub on images can actually rub off the page or stick to the page protector causing you a lot of heartache.

Now that you have chosen your container and layout for your cherished memory, you now need to get your pictures ready to fit into your layout.  We call this cropping and there are an abundance of tools at Stampin’ Up! you can use to crop your photos so that they will fit into your layout.

To get started with cropping, you simple need a Paper Cutter that can handle all kinds of
paper sizes and types.  Remember you will be cutting thick cardstock as well as thinner
paper such as Stampin’ Up!s designer series paper.  The paper cutter I prefer for
beginners is the one in the Stampin’ Up! catalog where you can remove the blades when
they get dull.  The cutter also comes with a nifty scoring blade in the refill pack that will
help you score (create folds) in papers when you create embellishments…  For advanced
scrapbookers I recommend a Carl Cutter with the rotary blade.  I have one and love it and I can cut through multiple layers of cardstock with ease.  And again the blades are removeable when they get dull…

If you need to do an oval or circular crop, I highly recommend the oval and circular
cutter by EK Success as well as a glass cutting mat to use it with.  I recently purchased this and am in love with it!

Most of the time when a person begins to scrapbook, their first instinct is to crop everything. Sometimes cutting the person totally out of the photo and placing it on your page works aesthetically. But generally, cropping around the tops of heads is not very pleasing to the eye.

There is nothing wrong with cropping your photos, but it is not necessary to crop them all.  You end up with a much more eye-pleasing layout when you crop very little or crop multiple photos using same shapes.

Here’s some cropping tips:

• Do mat your focal point photo ( the main photo on the page). Make sure your mats are beautiful and compliment the photo’s color scheme.  Keep your mats simple enough so they do not overwhelm your photos.
• Avoid cropping photos taken with an instamatic camera or heritage photos taken before 1950.  Both types of photos have layers sandwhiched between the back and front of the photo.  By cropping you could cause the photo to come apart over time.
• Do Crop when the main aspect of the photo is off center.  Remember to use the rule of thirds – Divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. The points where those lines intersect are good starting points to place the main subject.
• Avoid amputations: Generally, cropping off people’s limbs at joints makes them look like amputees. It’s okay to crop off a hand, leg or even portions of a person’s head or face, but consider the other cropping and composition factors when doing so. The minds eye can fill in many blanks to complete a person’s torso, limb or part of their face or it can stop and wonder what happened to those parts.
• Do Experiment: Cropping for Dynamic Effect…This is perhaps where cropping can be the most fun since we get to bend the rules. Experiment with different aspect ratio’s, shapes and sizes. A circular or oval cameo can be a delightful way to crop out unwanted faces from a crowded picture while adding some aesthetic appeal. Choosing cropping aspect ratio’s which compliment the subject can help reinforce the composition and create a very dynamic image. Being brutal to focus the viewers attention and capture the essence of an image can create images which are truly dynamic.

Cropping is a fundamental tool in composing interesting and compelling images and today’s digital tool box makes experimentation safer, easier and more fun than ever. There are a variety of reasons why an image might be cropped and we’ve only touched up a few of the more common one’s here.

Once you have cropped your photo, you need to frame it.  Framing your photo simply
requires a ruler, your paper cutter and a few contrasting cardstock colors.  You simply
need to measure roughly1/4″ from each edge of the photo and create your photo mat using your paper cutter.

Mounting your photo to your frame is a matter of personal preference.  If you are going to
be removing the photo a lot, use photo corners to mount your photo onto your frame. Otherwise I prefer to use a photo-safe adhesive to mount my photo to the frame.  Ensure that the adhesive you choose is photo-safe containing no acids that would cause your photo to corrode over time.

Have fun mounting your photos with various colors and shapes. Create unique albums and unique pages by using your own imagination and creativity to decide how you’ll mount your photos.

Now that you know the Theme and Color Scheme of your scrapbook, you now need to focus on how you want to present your cherished story to your readers… do you want a
traditional 12″x12″ scrapbook to be used for years to come or do you want to be more
creative and present your cherished story in a memory box or journal or something
smaller like a brag book.

I find that it is much easier for beginners to use 12″x12″ scrapbook sized pages.  I prefer
the post style albums to the ring binder kind.  To me the post style albums are classier
and more durable over time.  Remember though the ring binder kind are easier to work with when you want to rearrange your pages… with post binders you need to remove all the pages leading up to the insertion point of where you want to put your cherished memory.  Stampin’ Up! has a wonderful selection of sizes and album types in both post and ring style.  They also have a beautiful leather bound album in the post style.

If you are journaling though, you might want to try something smaller like 8.5″x11″
where your journaling, not the picture would be the focus of your cherished memory.

As your scrapbooking skills get more experienced, you can learn easily to use smaller
sized papers…

Laying out your page takes time and patience and I suggest for your first couple of pages
to find a layout that attracts your eyes and heart and mimic it.  There is a lot of learning
in simply copying a layout… this way the hard work of laying out your pages is already
done for you… there are many many places on the internet where you can gleem ideas
from…

Here’s some quick tips on choosing a scrapbook layout:

1. Designate your focal point, first thing, by choosing your layout’s main photograph. Ask yourself, “Where do I want the viewer’s attention to be drawn first?” Then you can choose your supplementary, supporting photographs, if appropriate.
2. Group accents and small embellishments in groups of three or five. Aesthetically, we are drawn to groupings that contain an odd number of items.
3. Place related accents close in proximity so the eye processes them as one unit.
4. Create a triangle on the page, placing photos or embellishments at each of the triangle’s three points. Our eyes like that, too.
5. Create sections in multiples of two. Two sections or four sections are more aesthetically pleasing to our eyes than 3 or 5 sections.
6. Apply the “Rule of Thirds.” Think of your page as a grid, divided into thirds horizontally and vertically. Place your focal point on one of the convergences of these lines.
7. Maintain balance with the size of your elements. Consider both the size and complexity of your page elements as you distribute them in your layout.
8. Achieve a natural sense of flow by placing the photographs so that the eyes of your subjects turn toward the center of the page – or toward your focal point.
9. Use repetition. Repeat shapes, textures, sizes, colors, or other attributes.
10. Sketch your favorite layouts in books and scrapbooking magazines. Try to determine which design principles are at work to create such visual appeal and work to incorporate those principles into your own layouts.

The first rule of art, of course, is not to be bound by rules!!! The second rule of art is that
mistakes can turn into beautiful ideas… so don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Now that you know the basics of what our eyes are naturally attracted to, see what kind of beauty you can create.

When you begin scrapbooking,  the first thing you need to do is decide what story your beautiful scrapbook is going to tell..  are you telling a cherished story about your life? your child’s life? a vacation? a time capsule?

If you step back for a moment, you will begin to see that you have many many cherished
stories to tell…

Now let’s pick a title for your scrapbook page… here’s an excellent website that can inspire
your imagination:

•  The Perfect Title

Once you pick your theme, you next need to pick a color scheme for your story…  picking
a color scheme helps your pages flow together and keeps your scrapbooking simple… it also helps your readers emotionally connect to your cherished story…

If you are using Stampin’ Up! Colors… please check this site out… it will help you decide
on color combinations using Stampin’ Up! colors!

Here’s some of my all time favorite color combinations from Stampin’ Up!:

If you notice, the same Stampin’ Up! colors are used in different themes… this way I
can mix and match colors that I have with a few new ones to keep my supply investment
amount lower and I can use scraps from one page to another… These color schemes also have Simply Scrappin’ Kits to match… so if I need to scrap a page quickly… I can simply order a Simply Scrappin’ Kit to match my favorite colors!

Also there are many Stampin’ Up! coordinating designer series papers that match the above color schemes… this allows me to be creative and still keep my scrappin’ investment amount low…

As you get more advanced, you can experiment a bit and try more advanced color
combinations. Here’s some tips that can help you bring your cherished memories alive:

1. Less Colors allow more focus to your photo.  Remember your photograph is colorful enough.  Adding too many colors to your page could actually distract instead of attract the eye.
2. Colors can actually bring meaning to emotions.  If you have a sunset photo you are using, use more soothing warm colors.  If you have an action photo, use more bolder colors that cause you to think energy and excitement.
3. Fashion always helps us when it comes to colors and what looks great and what does not.  Use your mom’s golden rule:  Brown matches everything and looks great.
4. Stickwith three color combinations and use different amounts of each color.  Use a neutral color to be your main color and the dominant color (used most) in your photo to be the highlight color (used least) and then pick a third color to add interest (used between the dominant and highlight color)
5. Decide what your photo’s focal point color is and choose a dominant color that is darker than the focal point color.

Colors can cause a person to feel emotions.  Here’s a few guides to help you:

• Stampaloooza’s Colorology Chart
• Color Psychology

Being able to crop a photo is essential in the world of scrapbooking and the tools used to crop a photo come in many different sizes and needs.  Below are some of the basic tools you will need to get your scrapbook page looking beautiful.  Make sure that whatever your preferred paper cutter is, that you keep your blades sharp and lubricated.

• Scissors

Scissors for scrapbooking come in many different sizes.  The most important element about scrapbooking scissors is the blade – it needs to be very sharp. The second most important element is the grip. Your hand should fit comfortably into the scissors handles.

• Paper Cutter

Paper Cutters come in a variety of sizes to support your cropping needs.  There are rotary paper cutters where the blade is circular and then there are guillotine type cutters where there is a handle that lowers the blade to the paper.  Carl Cutters are the top-of-the-line while Fiskar paper cutters are the most popular. Some cutter simply cut in a straight line where as others cut in a square or circular/oval line.

• Exacto Knives

Exacto Knifes are a special blade used to cut out intricate corners and designs from the paper and cardstock you use.  You use this with a special cutting mat.  Make sure that the exacto knife you selected has a cover for it to cover the blade.

• Cutting Mats

Cutting mats preserve desktops when using special cutting tools called exacto knives and hand held blades that require the cutting surface to be protected.  Cutting mats come in two flavors:  Self Healing (least expensive) and glass (most expensive).  Self healing cutting mats are made out of rubber and are self healing.  The knife blade does not move as smoothly as  it would on a glass mat.  Occassionally the knife blade does cut through the cutting mat or the mat does not self heal properly causing a ridge where the knife blade was.  Glass mats allow the knife blade to pass through the surface smoothly giving a better and smoother cut.

• Paper Punches

Paper Punches make cutting shapes so much easier.  Whether you need a balloon for a birthday page or a special flower, paper punches allow for a smooth and professional cut.  Guideline Tip:  Paper punches do get dull.  To keep your paper punches in good condition, occassionally punch through tin foil to keep the blade sharp and punch through wax paper to prevent your punches from sticking.

Each precious photo, beautiful journal and special embellishment will need to be
attached to your beautiful scrapbook page.  You use special adhesives that are acid free and strong and last over time.

Adhesives come in four different flavors:  Permanent, Repositionable, Vellum and Photo Corners:

• Permanent Adhesives

Permanent Adhesives allow you to permanently attach your photos and embellishments to your beautiful scrapbook page.  Permanent adhesives can be liquid or dry (tape dispenser or glue do).  Only use these adhesives when you are sure about your page layout.  Permanent adhesives also come in a variety of sizes to help you mount your photo or embellishment… glue dots for smaller items and very wide tape dispensers for larger items.  There’s even special glue dots that have foam between them to add dimension to your scrapbook project.

• Repositionable Adhesives

Repositionable Adhesives are temporary adhesives that allow you to stick your photo or embellishment to the mat and then reposition it to another place is need be.  These adhesives allow you to play around with your scrapbook layout a bit without the fear of permanently gluing to the scrapbook page until you are ready.  Some repositionable Adhesives will turn into permanent adhesives if you allow the item being glued to remain in the same position over 10 minutes.

• Vellumn Adhesive

Working with vellum paper requires a different type of adhesive, one that does not show through the vellum and is completely invisible but strong.  These adhesives come in all kinds of shapes and sizes to help you with your scrapbooking needs.

• Photo Corners

Photocorners are really handy when you want a very special look and need to repeatedly remove the photo from the beatiful scrapbook page you are creating. They do take a little longer to position and mount, but the results are very beautiful.  You can even make your own photocorners using patternered paper.

Regardless of what adhesive you choose to go with, make sure you have plenty on hand and a variety of adhesives.  Try out different adhesives to determine which ones best suits your scrapbooking style and needs.  Stampin’ Up! has a variety of adhesives to support an abundance of scrapbooking needs!

During the process of creating your beautiful scrapbook page,  you may want to journal a bit or use a few special stamps to enhance and help your family members and friends capture the heart behind the memory.

Journaling allows you to add important information and feelings to your beautiful scrapbook page.  Journaling in its highest form, is story telling. You become the narrator.  Future generations will not know what the stories were without your personal thoughts and feelings.

The ink/art medium you use for scrapbooking/journaling needs to be special ink that is permanent and acid free.

Art mediums you can choose from:

• Pigment-Based Ink Pad

Ink Pads can be used in conjunction with Rubber Stamps.  Pigment-Based Ink Pads allow for longevity in the items you stamp.  The pigment is absorbed in the paper and permanently dyes to paper beneath the paper’s surface.

• Dye-Based Ink Pad

Dye-Based Ink Pads allow for quicker drying images and less longevity.  The ink pads are generally cheaper than the Pigment-Based Ink pads but are color fast in the items you stamp.  The color dye is not absorbed in the paper and simply dries onto of the paper’s surface. The dye usually breaks down over time and they are not waterproof.

• Chalk

Those of you who have been rubber stamping for a while are way ahead of most scrapbookers when it comes to using chalks. Only recently have chalks, sometimes called pastels, been introduced to scrapbooking. However, once you try them, you are sure to love them. This fairly inexpensive embellishing tool will allow you to turn boring, flat die-cut shapes into works of art with depth and personality in seconds.

• Watercolor Crayons

Watercolor Crayons are another very special art medium that is very versatile.  They are specially designed crayons with vibrant colors that you can
use a dampened paint brush or blender pen to color with. Whether you need to color in a stamped image or simply blend a few colors together for a really beautiful paper, you will find Watercolor Crayons eventually creeping into your cherished scrapbooking supplies and you won’t regret it!

• Markers

Markers are usually the first choice of scrapbookers.  They are easy and have a variety of uses.  Like ink pads, markers come with two different ink types: pigment based and dye based.  Markers have two types of tips as well… brush tip for coloring larger areas in and pen tipped for journaling and creating fine lines.

• Watercolor Pencils/Blender Pens

Watercolor pencils allow for beautifully soft graduated shading and professional looking blending effects.  Embossed designs look beautiful when lightly shaded with colored pencils. Watercolor pencils are more versatile than regular colored pencils and have a softer lead.  A special type of pen called a Blender Pen allows you to spread the color from the Watercolor pencil around in a very soft and controlled way. Colored pencils can be used only for coloring in an already stamped design. They cannot be used directly on your stamps.

Tips on Journaling:

• Include who, what, where, when, and why.
• Use tiny stamped images as bullets for a list of facts.
• Write in paragraph form as if telling a story.
• Write captions around the outside edge of your photos.
• Make titles to introduce your page.

Besides your cherished photograph, a piece of cardstock will be the foundation of your beautiful scrapbook page.

Building a scrapbook page is very similar to building a house:  You have a foundation (what you put your cherished photograph on) and then you have your rooms (different areas of your page that tell a story) and then you have your interior decorating(elements on your page that bring out your story).  Also the quality of the materials you choose will determine how your family members and friends understand and appreciate your special story you are telling.

There are generally three types of papers that you will use on your beautiful scrapbook page:

• Cardstock 

The foundation of your scrapbook page must be strong enough to hold all the aspects of your page.  A special heavy duty paper called cardstock allows you to have a great foundation for your page.  The weight of this paper should range anywhere from 60lbs - 80lbs.  At Stampin’ Up! all of our cardstock is 80lbs in weight providing you with the highest quality available and a great foundation for your beautiful scrapbook page.

•  Patterned Paper

You might choose a patterned paper to convey the theme or story of your page (rose-patterned paper for a wedding, for example). When using patterned paper, do remember the Golden Rule: Always mat your photo on a solid paper so the photo and the pattern don’t compete. Matting simply means that you attach a piece of solid paper or cardstock to the back of  your photo then trim about 1/16-1/2” around the photo so you have a border.  This gives a bit of space between your photo and the patterned paper.

•  Chipboard

It seems that chipboard is all the rage these days. You’ll find it on scrapbook pages, altered art, and more. But this is one hot trend that differs from many others in a few key ways. It’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s fast.  It is very similar to the back of a notebook.  You can purchase sheets of chipboard and cut shapes out yourself or simply purchase precut shapes.  Once you have your shapes cut out you can paint, attach patterened paper and embellish to make unqiue and very cute decorations for your beautiful scrapbook page.

If selecting papers seems confusing, take a look at the Stampin’ Up! idea book or their Color Coach Wheel for coordinating patterned papers grouped by theme or color combination. Stampin’ Up! has wonderful color families that are sure to help you tell your story with style.

You can also start very simply with Stampin’ Up!’s Simply Scrappin Kits! It has coordinating color themes with embellishments and cardstock already selected for you!

You may not realize it now, but your friends and family will be forever grateful to you for preserving your memories.  There are sooo many ways you can preserve your cherished memories with albums, journals, accordian books or mini albums… Four important things that an album must have in order to be “archival safe” are lignin-free, acid-free, buffered, and PVC-free to ensure your friends and family will enjoy your beautiful memories for years to come.

Four Important things your album must have:

• lignin-free

Lignin is a natural pigment found in trees. It is the thing in paper products such as newspaper that causes them to yellow over time. Lignin-free products keep your paper, pages, and pictures from turning yellow.

• acid-free

Acid can discolor your pages and photos as well as deteriorate them. This is most noticeable in very old albums where the pictures have become one with the page and the edges look like they have been eaten. Acid-free products keep your photos and journaling safe for many generations to come.

• buffered

Buffered refers to a covering on album pages that keeps anything acidic from bleeding onto the album page and onto other photos and memorabilia. Most memorabilia contain acid, which can deteriorate your album page and other pictures surrounding the memorabilia. Buffered pages keep that deterioration from occurring.

• PVC-free

PVC is another type of material that can deteriorate your photos and pages. It is mainly seen in magnetic albums. It is the plastic overlay that covers your photos. It contains chemicals that can destroy your photos.

Scrapbook Album Types you can choose from:

• Post Albums

Post Albums have a special way of fastening your scrapbook pages to the album binder using special metal posts that unscrew.  They come in a variety of sizes as well as different cover types: Cloth or Leather.  This type of album prevents wear and tear on binding holes allowing your scrapbook pages to be flipped over and over again
for many years.  Use this type of album when you are needing your memories to be preserved for generations to come.

• Ring Binder Albums

Ring Binder Albums are very similar to the ring binder albums you used when you
were in school.  They fasten your scrapbook pages to the album binder using special metal rings that flip open and shut.  These binders come in a variety of sizes and different cover types: Plastic, Cloth or Leather. This type of album allows for a large volume of pages as well as easy page insertion.  Use this type of album when you are needing to update your album over time by inserting pages between pages already completed or you need a larger volume of pages.

• Journals

Journals are really wonderful books of archive safe paper that come lined or unlined for you to write your cherished stories.  These are geared towards capturing a moment or special period of your life through words and pictures. Use this type of album when you desire a more diary type format.

• Accordian books

Accordian books are really fun albums that you can capture a very special moment in a small way to give as a gift. These are geared towards gifts or brag type books that capture one day or moment of your life.  You can usually fit one picture per page and generally there are 4 or 5 pages in the album.  Use this type of albumn when you desire a quick gift or finished album in a day’s sitting.

You can find these Albums in a variety of places.    Remember that you need to ensure your memories are going to be preserved properly.  Here’s a few places that have wonderfully beautiful albums that will last for years to come:

•  Stampin’ Up! – Stampaloooza Paper Art Studios

Explore the variety of options Stampin’ Up! provides to help you capture any theme or occasion. With Stampin’ Up!, you can preserve your memories so that your family will enjoy reminiscing and poring over your albums in the future.