Scrapbooking is a widely practiced craft. People from all over the world engage in scrapbooking. There are many ways to do a scrapbook and none of them are wrong or right. It is all about the person doing the scrapbook and how they feel they want their books to look. Still, there are many other styles and techniques out there for a scrapbooker. Thinking of all the different ways to scrapbook would make joining a scrapbooking group a great benefit to any scrapbooker.

You can join a scrapbooking group either on-line or at a local craft store. You can find scrapbooking groups in your local newspaper. If you don’t have a local group you should think about starting one. The benefit of just getting together and making new friends is a good reason to start a scrapbooking group. Many people in your area could benefit from it.

One of the many benefits for joining a scrapbooking group is that you will meet new people who share your same hobbies. You will be able to meet people in your area and get together with them to scrapbook or called cropping groups or cropping circles. If you join an on-line group you will also be able to meet many new people from around the world.

Sharing ideas is another great benefit for joining a scrapbooking group. Sometimes as you scrapbook you may run out of ideas. Turning to other people in your group can help you find more ideas to use. There are so many different scrapbooking ideas that to come together and share your ideas with others is a huge benefit. You can learn so many new things from different people. If you have joined an on-line scrapbooking group you can learn ways they do scrapbooking in other countries. You may be surprised at how many different ways there are to scrapbook.

You can learn new techniques from other people in your group. There may be some new techniques that you haven’t tried yet or have looked to hard to try. Having someone else show you these new techniques are a great benefit for joining a scrapbooking group.

You can share scrapbooking tools. These tools can be costly so sharing is a great way to save some money for everyone in the scrapbooking group. This is great for the newer techniques that you don’t want to try because the tools may be too expensive. If you all share the new tools or pitch in for the tools then it won’t become a financial burden.

Sharing the supplies is also a great benefit to joining a scrapbooking group. These supplies can be papers, embellishments or even just different markers. This way you again are not buying everything and it is easier to store just a few things. Papers can be split with other group members for the exact type of layout you are looking for. Most of the time you will buy more then you need anyway so sharing is a good way of helping others and getting what you want for your layout while being easy on the budget.

You may be able to get discounts on-line or from local craft stores in your groups. If you buy your supplies or tools in bulk you can usually get a better price. Get together with some of the other scrapbookers in your group to buy papers or embellishments such as ribbon, stickers, or beads. You can then trade some of the supplies you bought with the others to get the most out of your money.

The benefits of joining a scrapbooking group are vast. You can benefit from meeting new people both in your area or on-line, you can get new ideas from group members, you can learn new techniques and you can keep it all easy on your budget by sharing the many tools and supplies needed for scrapbooking.

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Fri 7 Mar 2008 No Comments 

Scrapbooking has many appealing characteristics.  Some of the most appealing reasons why people start and continue scrapbooking are that scrapbooking allows them to be creative and to do whatever it is that they want in the recording of their own personal memories.  There are no rules!  So to answer the question: "Should your scrapbook be chronological?" the answer is that your scrapbook "should" be whatever you decide that it should be. 

There are of course advantages to keeping your scrapbook chronological.  It is easier to remember most dates and events basically in the order in which they happened.  It can get confusing for you and for the reader of your scrapbook if you are jumping from date to date in your scrapbook.  When you make your scrapbook chronological it is also easier to look back and find the approximate place in your book where an event happened based on what occurred previously or just after that event.  For posterity or genealogical purposes, a chronological scrapbook is useful simply to stay organized.  So obviously there are some advantages to scrapbooking chronologically.  Basically, chronological order keeps you organized.  But do not worry; there are some fun ways to break out of the chronological order and to group together photos of all kinds.

On fun idea for how you can create a scrapbook page that is not completely in chronological order, but still makes sense in your scrapbook, is to group by using other topics or themes.  For example, let’s say that you want to scrapbook your last family vacation.  You can create layouts and spreads that show your family’s vacations for the last several years.  This is beneficial because on a few pages you can enjoy seeing how your family has had a fun time together throughout the years and how you and the children have grown during that time.  Because the theme of the photos is similar, this non-chronological page is not really confusing or out of place. 

Another fun way to throw out the chronological rule book is to use pictures that depict scenes that have taken place at different periods of time when a certain event is particularly monumental or nostalgic.  For example, a fun page layout for a child’s high school graduation could include pictures of that child graduating from kindergarten, attending grade school, and junior high school, and then finally a graduation photo.  In doing this you will have found a fun way not only to look back at past educational accomplishments easily, but a meaningful opportunity to see just how far your child has come and what was required to get to that point.  A purely chronological page layout would simply not be able to illustrate these points. 

Use your creativity to come up with your own ways of combining the chronological with the random.  You may find that as you are looking through photos that crating a mosaic of all kinds of different events might be fun.  Or maybe your concern is to simply get photos in a book and could care less about how they are organized so long as they are recorded and preserved. 

So, whether you decide to make your scrapbook chronological or not is your decision.  Usually it is best to stick to a generally chronological layout simply to keep the project simple for you to keep track of and easier for your future readers to understand.  There are certainly opportunities available for you to break out of the mold of being perfectly chronological but it is usually best to have some reasoning behind your decision to do so if you still want your scrapbook to tell an understandable story of time. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Journalling on Thu 6 Mar 2008 No Comments 

Introduction

While some believe that a scrapbook is simply a series of bound pages with photos, others see scrapbooks as actual books that tell the story of a family, individual or even group of friends.  Scrapbooks can be instrumental in telling the story of one’s life from their own perspective, a biography of sorts.  While for many people scrapbooks are for genealogical purposes, they have a difficult time telling the story of their past.

A scrapbook provides some unique opportunities for expression in a way that traditional photo albums do not.  Perhaps you do not have a lot of confidence in your ability to express yourself on paper.  No worries!  Scrapbooking allows you to use stickers, rub-on phrases, stamps and mementos to tell your story.  To make your scrapbook tell a story all you need is some imagination and the ability to pen down some important dates and facts. 

There are a number of subtle ways that you can turn your scrapbook into a story book.  The first is to create titles for your pages or for a sequence of pages that correspond to each other.  Titles need not be long.  In fact, punch-out letters are easy to find in any craft store or mega mart.  Simply give your series of pictures a category.  When you look back on the page that you just created, you should be able to see at a glance exactly what the page you will be looking at has to do with without even reading a caption or looking at a photo.

Instructions

Telling a story can be particularly challenging if your photos cannot be used to aid you.  Photos can often times tell a story without needing anything more than a date or perhaps a name to accompany them.  Many people simply do not have an eye for taking photos that tell a story.  In this case making a whole book of story-less pictures tell a story is quite the challenge!  You can learn how to take more telling photos by simply keeping the following points in mind: take photos with clear subjects and as many smaller details as possible, make sure that as you are looking through your lens you are capturing a shot that you can add a story to later, and do not be afraid to take candid photos. 

    In order for your photo to tell a story, there needs to be some central idea or focal person in the picture.  Chaos makes for confusing stories.  Try not to make your photo too busy by including as many people as possible doing as many things as possible. Rather, focus on one individual and maybe include some key elements in the background. 

    Talk to yourself while you are taking your pictures.  If you cannot think of a quote or caption for the picture that you are taking, it may not be telling the story that you are hoping to tell. 

    Lastly, candid photos make for some of the most powerful stories.  Candid photos capture the reality that is happening all around us.  A photo of individuals posing or of a group picture, although good for nostalgia, does not leave much to the imagination.  Candid photos capture a moment in time where a story really is unfolding.  Be creative and maybe even encourage others to go on as if you are not there taking their picture.

Conclusion

Making your scrapbook tell a story is not necessarily a difficult thing to do so much as it may be a difficult thing to remember to do. Often times we look at a picture that we recently took and have no problems at all remembering the story behind it.  It is remembering to preserve that story in a more tangible way that will really turn your scrapbook into a story of your life and the lives of those around you. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Journalling on Wed 5 Mar 2008 No Comments 

It seems like there is always a time or two in a scrapbooker’s career that it becomes difficult to think of new and creative ideas for scrapbook pages.  Many avid scrapbookers find themselves falling into a rut and need help creating unique themes.  If this is your situation, do not fear, usually all that it takes is a healthy brainstorming session and a few ideas from a fellow scrapbooker to get your creative juices flowing again. 

First of all, creating an entire scrapbook from your vacation may or may not be a good idea for someone without a book-full of layout ideas already in their head.  Some summer vacations simply may not warrant an entire scrapbook, unless of course you are creating a mini-scrapbook with only a few pages in it.  A routine trip to grandma’s house, for example, may not be the best vacation experience to scrapbook about in detail.  Unless, of course, the sequence of events that got you there was particularly unique or specifically worth describing.  This is not to say that you cannot think of creative themes with mundane or routine trips.  It is simply that it may be more challenging for you to do so.

Now with a longer trip, chances are that you will have had more experiences and therefore more opportunities to be creative and unique with the themes for your summer vacation scrapbook.  The first thing that you may want to do is decide before you even leave to go on your vacation, what sorts of themes that you will want to scrapbook.  Here are some examples:

    Exact time line - This idea includes the recording of exact times during your trip that certain noteworthy events took place and having corresponding photos that go with them.  An example might be something like: 4:34 AM - Got a flat tire, 7:57 AM - Stopped for Breakfast, etc.  You can obviously add more details and only include events that you found were particularly noteworthy. 

    Through your child’s eyes - For those of us vacationing with our children, chances are that as parents you have tailored some of the vacation plans to fit their needs.  It is a fun idea to then scrapbook these moments through the eyes of your child.  Get down to their level when you take photos so that you can see events through their eyes.  Make sure to include lots of pictures where the child that you are scrapbooking is the focal point.

    Summer vacations through the ages - Maybe your family does the same thing every year for your summer vacation.  If this is the case, consider compiling photos and memories from vacations past to include in your summer vacation scrapbook.  It is fun to see how people have changed as the years have gone by and how the same experiences may have different significance depending on the year. 

By planning ahead and keeping in mind these specific themes that you will want to include in you vacation scrapbook, while you are on your vacation you can record and take photos of the things that you will need that will make putting together your scrapbook later, that much easier. 

Creating unique themes for your summer vacation scrapbook may even be as simple as obtaining new supplies that force you to think differently about how you will organize your layouts.  There are plenty of great ideas waiting to be utilized in a fun summer vacation scrapbook.  Whatever theme you decide on, your efforts to scrapbook those fun summer vacation memories are sure to provide you and your family with many more years of enjoyment. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Tue 4 Mar 2008 No Comments 

Choosing a layout for your scrapbook is probably the most challenging part of the whole scrapbooking process.  While some simply choose page-by-page layouts based on the photos or mementos that they have, others decide to make their entire scrapbook with a specific theme in mind.  Choosing a layout for your scrapbook pages and choosing a layout for your scrapbook itself present their own unique challenges. 

When you are deciding on a layout for your scrapbook you will most likely need to decide on a very general topic. Such topics might be things like the Holidays, birthdays, individual children, vacations, baby books, school books, etc.  This general layout can then guide you when you decide what types of things you will include in your scrapbook.  Generally if you want to carry the same layout type throughout the whole scrapbook you will also want to think of how you will coordinate the photos that you wish to include with the paper, patterns and other embellishments that you will be using.  Generally a themed scrapbook will not vary too far from a specific look that the scrapbooker is trying to achieve.

Now if your dilemma is choosing a layout for your scrapbook’s individual pages that is an entirely different issue to address.  Many scrapbookers find themselves in a type of creative block when it comes to choosing layouts because they themselves are out of ideas or the ideas that they do come across simply do not fit into the theme that they are trying to achieve or incorporate the use of materials that they do not have. 

Choosing just the right layout for each of your scrapbooking pages will certainly take some time.  But for many, that time spent contemplating the layout is recreational and relaxing.  If you are not the type of scrapbooker who enjoys brainstorming, here are a few tips that may help you to choose a layout for your pages:

    Use what you have - With so many different layout ideas floating around out there and hundreds if not thousands more being printed and otherwise made available to us; it is hard to know where to start when it comes to your own layouts.  An easy answer is to simply start with what you have.  Go ahead and look at those scrapbooking magazines and find layouts that you like, but only after coming to the conclusion that you already have in your scrapbooking collection what you will need to follow the layout through form start to finish.  Make adjustments if needed but try your best to stick with what you have now. 

    Scrapbook with others - Scrapbooking with others is a great way to get help both with inspiration for layout ideas and suggestions for when those layout ideas do not turn out exactly as you had planned.  Scrapbooking with a group could also provide you with access to materials that you may not have in your own collection, not to mention good company.

    Photos as inspiration - Often times the layout of the page takes precedence over the purpose of having the page to begin with, the pictures.  Try using the photos that you have as your inspiration for a layout.  Pull out the colors and themes of the photos to get the layout that will best display your memories.

    Don’t forget the journaling - You know not to forget the photos, but also remember not to forget the importance of journaling or somehow recording in your own words what is taking place in the photos that you have placed in your layout.  By planning ahead where you will include the journaling portion of your scrapbook, you can get a better idea for what you overall layout will need to look like.

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Layouts on Mon 3 Mar 2008 No Comments 

Baby scrapbooks are unique in that you are preserving memories of which your child has no recollection.  Of course you should feel free to include anything that you wish in your baby scrapbook.  There are no rules to what should and what should not be in a scrapbook.  The problem that most people encounter is that they feel like they have too much stuff to scrapbook or that they fear that they will miss scrapbooking something.

Scrapbooking cannot capture moments in the same way as a video recorder could, but you can preserve your little one’s first years in your own unique way.  Below are just a few suggestions for things that every scrapbook for a baby ought to include.  How you include these items is completely up to you.

Milestones/information

Perhaps tied with photos as the most important thing in your scrapbook are the statistics and journaling information for the milestones that your child will experience.  Without written information, a scrapbook would simply be a fancy photo album.  Including this information means that you can then look back with your child at important pictures and mementos and know from reading the explanation where those items came from and the history behind them.  Milestones that should be included are events such as what happened on the day or your child’s birth, vital statistics, favorite things as a baby, first crawl, first tooth, first haircut, etc, you get the idea.

First pictures (with mom, dad, doctor, grandparents, etc.)

A scrapbook would not be a scrapbook without photos.  Photos are central to preserving memories.  Of course you will have a lot of other trinkets and scraps that you will want to include on a page but never underestimate how important your photos will be.  Some must have pictures for your baby book include the first picture taken with various members of the family (including mom and dad of course).  Also, you may want to take a picture of your baby’s first home and nursery.  Of course corresponding photos are needed when developmental milestones are reached.

Mementos

Scrapbooks provide people with an opportunity to preserve just about anything that will stick to a scrapbook page.  In a baby book such things include the baby bracelets that were worn, a patch from baby’s first blanket or hat, first foot or hand prints, etc.  These sentimental objects serve a much better purpose displayed neatly in a book versus being stored in a box for future admiration.  If you have an object that you would like to find a place for in your scrapbook but it is too large or awkward for the book, consider taking a picture of it and then displaying the picture in your scrapbook.

Color

Color is one of those things that can perfectly compliment your photos and journaling but often times goes unnoticed.  Do not underestimate the impact that the right background colors and paper can add to your page.  Most people choose a lightly colored or pastel color scheme that corresponds to the sex of the baby.  Of course you can supplement the standards pink and blue colors with pleasant yellows and greens as well.

Archival quality

Be sure that you remember that not all paper, adhesives, and other embellishments are created equal when it comes to archival quality.  You want your scrapbook to last forever, so make sure that you are using materials that will not deteriorate too quickly over time.  Look on the packaging or back of the paper that you buy for the words "acid and lignin free."  Being free of these chemicals is a great start but if you really want to make sure that you do not have to worry about deterioration in your lifetime, also look for products of the highest archival quality. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Sun 2 Mar 2008 No Comments 

Scrapbooks come in all shapes and sizes.  Some scrapbooks are made entirely by hand (album and all) and other scrapbooks are made with the use of a computer or supplies from a scrapbooking store.  No matter how you make your scrapbook, chances are that you had some sort of reason for wanting to make that scrapbook. 

There are many themes that you can use for your scrapbook.  Some people choose a theme such as a baby book.  Other people choose their scrapbooking theme based solely on the span of time that will be included in the scrapbook.  There are scrapbookers who make separate books for each of their children or other family members so that the theme of the book is a look back at the life of a specific individual.  Using a theme throughout your scrapbook is really more a matter of remembering that you want to stick to a theme than anything else.

There are a number of different ways that you can use a theme throughout your scrapbook. One way that you can carry a theme throughout an entire album is to make sure that you base papers are all coordinated in some way.  "Base papers" is the term being used to define the paper that serves as the background and holds all of your photos and other embellishments.  If you want a really easy way for making sure that your them carries throughout your whole book, you can find a set or package of paper that all belong to the same series.  These coordinated sets take a lot of the guess work out of coordinating the look of your pages.

If you are looking for a more obvious way to make sure that your theme is really used throughout your scrapbook, you may consider using titles and fonts that remind the reader at every page that is turned to that each page belongs to the theme of the book.  You can certainly use words to incorporate your theme in a very apparent way.  Large titles are not difficult to incorporate and further emphasize the theme not only of the specific page, but can help to tie that one page into the theme of the book as a whole. 

Using a theme throughout your scrapbook should be something that you do by choice rather than something that you feel obligated to do.  If you find that the theme that you have selected for your scrapbook is providing setbacks and discouragement, change your theme.  Say for example you decide to start a sports themed book for your children.  For the first few months on the school year you may have a lot of fun scrapbooking your active children, but as time wares on perhaps your children grow tired of their sport and want to drop out.  Of perhaps you hit a "writer’s block" of sorts and simply cannot think of another sports related scrapbook layout.  You can easily change the theme of your book so that you widen your options and still find use for the pages that you have already done.  Going along with this same example, perhaps you would want to alter the theme of sports to something like "playing" or "kids will be kids."  These themes are still in keeping with the theme of the pages that you have already created, but now you have more options to work from.

Using a theme throughout your scrapbook can provide you with much needed direction especially if you are the kind of person who has a strong creative side.  Remember that using a theme throughout your scrapbook can help you to stay organized and can help those who will be looking at your scrapbook to better understand the stories behind the memories that you have preserved. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Sat 1 Mar 2008 No Comments 

One of the best ways to enhance the appearance of your different scrapbook pages is by using die cutting, especially by using Cricut.  Cricut can make your scrapbook more fun by adding lettering, adding pictures, adding shapes, and by adding other decorations to your scrapbook layouts. Here are some tips that can help you create cleaner and crisper die cutting for your scrapbook layouts and embellishments when you are using Cricut to make your scrapbook more fun.
Cricut is one of the most popular die cutting machines.  You can find the entire line of their machines and their different cartridges on their website, which is just www.cricut.com.  You can purchase either a basic Cricut machine, or you can purchase Cricut Expressions for even more variations and control of your die cutting.  You can then purchase a number of different font cartridges for your die cutting, and image cartridges that also can be used with the special Cricut paper for great die cutting that will be perfect for your scrapbooks.
After you purchase your Cricut machine, purchase your die.  Purchase the die that you would like.  You can choose, for example, from an angel, from apples, from all kinds of different die cuts that you can purchase for your die cut machine.  Make sure that you only purchase dies that work with Cricut machines, because dies that go with other die cutters will not work with Cricut.
Here are some tips for using Cricut to make your scrapbook more fun.  Use your Cricut die cut machine and a die for your machine.  Make sure that you purchase acid-free adhesive for when you put your die cuts on your layout pages, because if you use adhesive that is not acid-free then eventually the adhesive will eat through your paper and your photographs and destroy your photographs.  You will also need foam dots, stickers and pens, and circle punches.  A great way to make angels that are linked together is to accordion-fold your paper and then place the paper between the blades on your die.  Then you can embellish your die-cut angels however you want them to look and be after you unfold your paper.  Then glue your angels onto your scrapbook page and enjoy the beautiful layout that you now have.
Cricut takes die cutting to a whole new level by including both font cartridges and shape cartridges.  You can use these cartridges to create any print and any shape combination that you would like.  Visit www.cricut.com for tips and tricks on how to create fantastic scrapbook layouts with Cricut.  Each cartridge will have different fonts that you can change around.  You can print in all caps, you can print in different sizes, and more!  You can create shadow effects and underlining and all of the cool stuff that you wish that you could do with more traditional die cuts, but that seemed absolutely impossible!    You can also combine shapes, such as a flower and a circle, to create a sand dollar.  All that you have to do is input the shapes, and since Cricut is a computer, then it will print them out on your special Cricut paper.  You can also use Cricut for more than just the coolest scrapbook pages you’ve ever seen; Cricut works for making place cards, gift tags, and anything else where you want something to look really awesome and really fun.  Cricut will be the best investment that you ever make for your scrapbooks.  Many craft stores and scrapbooking stores hold classes to help you learn how to get the most out of your Cricut, and Cricut also offers online support and training so that you can learn your way around this simple and effective machine.

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Fri 29 Feb 2008 No Comments 

All political correctness aside, we know that boys and girls are different.  They have different likes and dislikes, different attitudes, and different overall personalities.  Of course there are some girls who enjoy hobbies or activities that may be considered "Tomboy-ish" and there are boys who enjoy activities that may be "girly."  But in general, your boys and girls are going to stick to the stereotypes that their gender mandates and that society reinforces. 

You know your boys and your girls better than anyone else and that knowledge should be your guide when it comes to choosing a scrapbooking theme and page layouts.  After all, the scrapbook is a reflection of your child.  It is most likely going to be during the first several years of your child’s life that you are using scrapbooking techniques based on whether or not your have a girl or a boy because your child has not yet developed very many hobbies on their own.  So if you are looking for scrapbooking ideas for a girl versus for a boy, here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Scrapbooking for girls

There are some things that we look at and automatically think "girl."  Colors are particularly telling of the gender of the individual whose page you are scrapbooking.  Pinks and purples scream female.  Patterns are also very telling.  Female patterns are usually softer, with edges that are free-flowing and colors that are light and soft.  Patterned paper with images on it such as purses, dolls, hearts, etc. will definitely add that feminine touch to your page. 

Titles can also give away a female feel.  Page titles are used to describe the contents of the page and when these titles are short and sweet, when you look at the page you will be thinking of the title.  Using key words that are uniquely female can make a page seem more girly even if the patterns and the colors that you used on the page do not scream that you were scrapbooking for a girl.

Certain embellishment materials are more commonly used when scrapbooking for a girl versus a boy.  Lace and more ornate ribbons are typically reserved for a female page.  Various shaped brads and stickers can also add to the overall tone of the page as these objects add more dimension to the page and the eye is drawn to the embellishments first.

Scrapbooking for boys

Just as there are some cues that automatically make us think of girls, there are also cues that make us think of things that we consider as uniquely masculine.  Again color can be a big indicator but not nearly as powerful as for girls.  Sure the color blue is generally associated with boys but some shades of blue can look feminine.  In order to leave no doubt in the mind of the individual looking at your page as to whether or not you are scrapbooking for a boy or for a girl, you had best stick with masculine embellishments and strong titles. 

Embellishments may be more important to use to emphasize a masculine feel that to express a feminine feeling.  Embellishments for a boy’s scrapbook pages are usually large and widely spaced or small and minimal in detail.  You do not want to make a boy’s scrapbooking page overly ornate.  Large sports balls, bold titles and less fluff, typically make a page look more suited for a boy.  Speaking of titles, just as with the girl’s page, a carefully thought out and clearly places title can really make a world of difference in setting the tone of the page. 

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Fri 29 Feb 2008 No Comments 

Two great ways to create a 3D effect on each of your scrapbook layout pages is by creating peek-a-boo pages and by making paper patches and piecing.  While both of these different techniques are rather recent, they are incredibly popular and are a lot of fun for you to make and for people to look at in your scrapbook.  Don’t be scared of 3D effects!
Peek-A-Boo pages
You can use these peek-a-boo pages for any title page in your scrapbooks or for a multiple page layout inside your scrapbook.
Materials needed for peek-a-boo pages:
– album pages or cardstock
– a ruler
– a circle cutter
– a circle cutter template
– an exacto knife
– a pencil
A peek-a-boo title page will use 2 album pages or 2 pieces of cardstock.  Design your layout on page 2 with the pages that you have decided you want to show through the title page (be the peek of the peek-a-boo).  Decide on the shape that you want the hole for your peek-a-boo to be.  Use either a window or a light box and your pencil in order to determine where your holes will be in the first page.  Trace the shape of your hole onto the page with your pencil.  Then use either a circle cutter or regular scissors to cut away the paper where the hole will be so that the picture behind can peek through the top page.  Then add the title and any journalizing to your pages and add a page protector.
Paper piecing and patches
Paper piecing has been gaining popularity for quite a while now.  You can either purchase commercial patterns or you can use your own patterns from coloring books or any pictures that you find and that you particularly like.  The company that is primarily responsible for the growth in popularity of paper piecing in Windows of Time, which publishes a number of great books of patterns, along with individual patterns.
Whether you purchase a commercial pattern or use your own pattern, you can always enlarge or reduce that pattern using either a scanner or your copying machine.  This is especially important if your pages are 12 x 12, but you are using a pattern that was intended for an 8 ½ by 1 page.
Use ZIG 2 way glue as a tack in order to keep the pattern stuck to the cardstock.  Before you use the pattern, let the glue dry all of the way.  The glue will then be clear when it is dry.   You can then use ZIG memory pencils in order to start making your outline.  If you don’t want to draw your patterns freehand, then you can use the pattern in order to draw all of the lines of the pattern.  Make sure that when you are looking at patterns to choose, if you are just a beginner, you will want to ensure that your patterns do not have pieces that are too small.  Otherwise it will be too complicated for you to cut out the patterns and you will have a hard time cutting out all of the pieces and tracing them.

Posted by Don under Scrapbook Embellishments , Scrapbook Techniques on Thu 28 Feb 2008 No Comments