Rules of Scrapbooking

Are you a beginner? Was your New Year's Resolution to learn how to Scrapbook? Well, I will go over the Rules of Scrapbooking for you!

Rule#1 - Use Acid-Free and Lignin-Free products - Most scrapbooking supplies will state whether they are acid-free and lignin-free and you should look for products free of acid and lignin. The presence of acid and lignin (a chemical compound that is most likely found in wood) will damage your photographs over time. This is why newspaper clippings turn yellow over time.
How to Break Rule #1 - If something isn't acid-free or lignin-free you need to isolate it from the items on your page. For example, if you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to use the first leaf of Fall (i.e. lignin) in your scrapbook page you can laminate it (if it isn't too dried out) or you could scan it or take a photo and print "the leaf". For newspaper clippings, if you want to use the actual newspaper clipping instead of a copy, you can use Krylon's Make it Acid-Free Spray to make it safe for your scrapbook. Likewise, Tim Holtz's Grungeboard is not acid-free so it needs to be
isolated or coated with something acid-free like ink, acrylic paint, glimmer mist, ect.

Rule #2 - Page Titles - Generally speaking scrapbook pages have a page title. You can think of it as the Headline of a Newspaper - it should grab your attention and give you a teaser about what you are scrapping. Some examples for a New Year's Layout would be "Ringing in 2009", "Partying till it's 2009!" or "Waiting for the Ball to Drop".


Rule #3 - Journaling - Some people think of journaling as a four letter word; however, journaling doesn't need to be a dreaded task. Scrapbooks are a way to preserve memories and without the four W's (Who, What, When & Where) it makes it easy to forget what was going on at the time. There are lots of excuses (I don't like my handwriting, there isn't any room left on the page, and on and on), but there are also lots of solutions. If you don't like your handwriting, try doing it on the computer or writing a little note and hide it behind a photo (hidden journaling). If you absolutely hate to journal try incorporating little bits of info into the layout. You can put the date on an embellishment or write the people's names beneath their photos. Sometimes the title says it all, so you don't really need to journal.

Rule #4 - Rules are meant to be BROKEN! - Remember, this is YOUR scrapbook, your memories and your life. You don't need to go crazy learning every technique under the sun or make pages exactly like the "scrapbook celebrities", just scrap your photos and get your memories preserved. Don't be afraid to try scrapbooking because your layouts won't look like everyone else's - they aren't supposed to!