Scrapbooking Tips for Beginners by Guest Writer Theresa Momba

Scrap booking has been a real craze amongst creative types over the last few years and today Theresa Momber offers us her beginner tips for success!



Buy only the essentials. Don’t be overwhelmed by the enormous array of scrapbooking supplies available. Yes, it’s wonderful to have such an assortment to choose from, but you only need a few tools and supplies to get started. For now, save your money and only purchase the essentials. As you gain experience, you will get a good idea of what tools and supplies are important to you.

Here is my short list of essential scrapbooking supplies:

1. Scrapbooking album – These come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Try to choose one that you can add additional pages to.

2. Adhesive – You will need to choose some kind of adhesive for mounting your photos to the page. There are many types to choose from, including glue sticks, double sided tape, liquid glue pens, tape runners, and sticky tabs. Tape runners are my favorite because they are so quick and easy to and can also be used one handed.

3. Scissors – Nice sharp scissors will come in handy for a variety of uses. Most homes will already have scissors suitable for cutting paper, so this may not be an added expense for many of you.

4. Paper/Cardstock – Probably mostly solid colors are best to start with and maybe a few printed papers in colors or themes to match the some of the photos you plan use.

5. Corner Rounder – These handy little punches round the corners of your photos for a more finished look. My favorite is the Creative Memories corner rounder.

6. Paper Trimmer – You will need some kind of paper trimmer for cropping your photos and paper. Here is another area where you can choose whichever type appeals to you. There are rotary cutters and mats, straight blade cutters, scaled down versions of traditional paper cutters and exacto knives. At a later date, you may even want to invest in circle and oval cutters.

7. Journaling Pens – A few pens in some basic colors, including black should be fine to start. You will use these to add captions and chronicle your pages.

Important note – Always choose acid free supplies for scrapbooking. Using products that are not acid free may result in yellowing and degradation of your photos.


Keep it simple. As you are getting started try to keep your page layouts simple. For your first few pages, mount each of your photos on a complimentary colored paper with a small border to frame the picture. Arrange them on your page until you have a pleasing composition and then adhere to the page. Add some journaling and you’re done. As your confidence grows, experiment with new techniques and designs.


Attend “Crops.” Crops are scrapbooking workshops or classes. Attending crops can be one of the most useful things you can do as a scrapbooker. It gives you an outlet to share ideas, and ask for help and suggestions, as well as, an opportunity to make new friends. Above all, participating in crops keeps you on track and helps break through any creative blocks you may be experiencing.

Many local craft shops will offer scrapbooking classes and crops either for free or for a small fee (hoping you’ll make purchases). Another option is to find a Creative Memories consultant and attend crops through her. You can even organize your own crop with friends. What a great way to have fun and get the inspiration to you need to create more pages.


Don’t be afraid to slash and edit. Growing up I thought every photo that came back from the developer had to be included in our photo album, no matter how blurry or unflattering it might be. And even imagining cutting a photo was enough to send chills down my spine. I am now over my inhibitions and crop and edit my photos judiciously.

One of the things that is so wonderful about a well made scrapbook album is that each photo is special and typically cropped down, to remove background clutter or emphasize the subject. Editing out repetitive images and careful cropping makes each photo important and makes for a much more interesting album.


Plan ahead. Set aside and group photos for future pages. Jot down ideas for those pages. As you compile your photos and ideas, you’ll know what supplies (papers, stickers, embellishments, etc) you will need. Then when you find yourself at the craft store, you’ll be better prepared to make more effective purchases.

Also consider taking a few key photos along on your shopping excursions. This will better enable you to choose complimentary papers and embellishments. Nothing is more frustrating than sitting down to work on a page and realizing you are going to have to make a special trip to the craft store to finish it.

Planning your pages ahead can also help you create a more cohesive album. Ideally, your pages should flow naturally from one to the other and not jump around. If you plan well, your scrapbook will be a visual and emotional journey.

Cleans those edges. If your photos or papers have rough edges after cropping, you can use an emery board, find grit sandpaper or nail block to smooth them out. If the white photo paper is noticeable on the edges of your photo, you can disguise it by darkening the edge with color coordinated journaling pens or stamp pads.

Written by Theresa Momber
http://craftingtheweb.blogspot.com/



Theresa also runs a great craft forum where you can meet and chat to like minded crafters... Do check it out at http://cashcrafters.com/forum/smf_1-1-3_install/index.php