Scrapbooking with Kids

Scrapbooking is a terrific hobby for kids and it is a great way to keep your kids amused. In addition, it helps you to organize your photos and preserve memories of vacations, birthdays, sporting events, holidays, and special occasions like weddings and graduations. Many avoid scrapbooking because there are so many choices that it appears to be difficult.  We can make scrapbooking for you easy and enjoyable.  You do not need to be a great photographer or a creative genius to make a great scapbook page.  In fact,  I think that you will find that scrapbooking is probably one of the most forgiving yet rewarding hobbies you could choose.

Start out by making a page and use whatever you have available around the house.  It may not be as durable but it will allow you to get a feel for the craft before you go out to a craft store and spend money.  If you have all or some of the following items then you are good to start your project: wrapping paper, construction paper, brown paper bags, tissue paper, scissors, glue, ribbon, beads, buttons, wire, pipe cleaners , rubber stamps, clear ruler and markers.  IF you do a page along with your child it will help them to come up with some creative ideas.

When you are ready to advance beyond a beginner, after you have made a few pages with your at home supplies, then you can consider purchasing additional materials. Always try and purchase these items when they are on sale.  You will find that once you purchase the basic items the additional supplies that you will want or need will be theme related.

Gathering supplies:

Album:  There are four types: 3 ring binder like a school notebook, spiral bound, post bound (uses threaded bolts to bind pages) or strap hinge (flexible plastic strips allow the book to open flat). Albums can be purchased at wholesale stores like BJ's or Costco in bulk.

Scissors:  Pointed blade work best.

Craft Knife and Cutting Mat:  Allow for detailed, hard to reach cuts and protection from scratches.

Adhesive:  It is best to use "dry" which comes on a roll in dots or strips for the majority of your work.  Clear liquid can however be used for transparent  items or small pieces.   Make sure the adhesive is labeled photosafe.  Again, these items can be purchased in multi-packs or refillable format which will reduce cost.

Card stock:  Be sure your card stock is acid free or archival paper which does not contain any photo damaging chemicals.  You can purchase card stock , which is a heavy paper, in all different colors.

Journal pens:  These can be purchased in a multi-pack.  It should be permanent acid-free ink.  If you are purchasing just one then it should be black.

Paper trimmer:  This is used to create borders and to cut paper to the size and shape needed.  Look for one capable of trimming 12 inch sheets of paper.  It should also have a replaceable blade.

Clear ruler:  Needed to line up items on a page.

Creating a Page:

This is where your creativity can turn a piece of paper into a masterpiece.  Each page should contain the following information and items:  Page title, interesting photos, matting, embellishments, and a story.

Decide on a Theme:  Your theme should be reflective of the pictures that you are putting on the page.  Be creative and think beyond parties, vacations and holidays.  For example: Dance lessons, Best Friends, Cousins day out, Mommy and Me, School Play, Wrestling Mania, Soccer Superstar, All Star Activities, Fun in the Sun, First Day of School, Playing Music.  Themes could also be color based, pattern based, contemporary, historical, or nature based.  This will help you pick out the proper photos, album, and supplies.

Select your photos:  You should have one central photo that either summarizes the event or is your favorite.   Then choose additional photos that will reveal additional information about the event.  These photos should answer the who, what, where or when of the event. Basically you are trying to create a strong visual story.

Pick the album:  Choose the type of album that works best for your theme.

Gather craft items: Card stock, pens and embellishments.  Select 2 or 3 colors of paper that will work well with the photos on that page.

Determine a page title:  This should be a short, clear title.

Create the proper wording:   This can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. It can be a quote, poem or song lyric.  You can write a short paragraph referring to the event. The writing can be produced on the computer with fancy fonts or by writing directly on the page.  If your write on the page be sure to do it in pencil first.

Organize the page:  You need to select your background paper.  Then organize your photos to tell a story and arrange embellishments to create a fun scene.  Consider including things like tickets, or event stubs. It is best to do this arranging BEFORE using any adhesives. This will give you the ability to move things around until you get it perfect.

Creating a fun scene:  Items to mix and match to make every page interesting:

• Stickers -- great and easy way to decorate especially for kids.
• Stamps -- You can use either rubber stamps with an ink pad or foam stamps with acrylic paint for lettering and/or decorating.
• Rub on transfers -- These are great for words or letters.
• Die cuts: Shapes and objects cut out from cardstock paper and used to accent the page.
• Embellishments -- Ribbon, fabric, silk flowers, rick-rack are all considered to be soft embellishments. Things such as charms, metal letters, buttons, beads are hard embellishments.  You should have a mix of the both types of embellishments on your page.
• Eyelets: Tiny pieces of colored metal with a hole in the center. Great for threading ribbon across pages. To use these, you'll also need an eyelet tool.

Slip the completed page into the page protector. 

Admire your work!!!

Helpful Hints...

Wrap ribbons around your focal-point photo to add emphasis.

A fine-tipped pen is great for a simple look and a bolder pen can be used for a casual look.

Use ribbon or a printout of the peoples names or places in the pictures as borders.

Don't mat every photo -- variety is important.

Use Vellum (translucent paper) for layering, dry embossing, stamping.

Patterned paper is great for backgrounds and accents.

Customize your patterned paper by layering a piece of vellum or printed transparency over it.