Virtual Scrapbooking?

[calismum]

For a few years now I have been doing scrap booking as a hobby. I now display all my photographs that way and also use it to organise all my mementos from days out, holidays etc. I find it a great way to display all my cats pics.

I wondered if other people would like to start doing a scrapbook page or pages? Often people say they don't know how to get started.

We could have a virtual scrapbooking club.

Thought the way it would work is –
• Post the theme of your page e.g., cat in the garden or last weekend away etc.
• Decide the size of the page
• Post pictures of stage by stage build up of the page
• Discuss what decorations to use etc.
• Then finish up with a post of all the final pages.

You never know it could be the start of an addictive new hobby. Even if you only ever do one page, it could always be framed if you really like the result!

So, is anyone interested?

[alexgirl73]

I would love to start scrapbooking Calismum :D I already make my own cards and cross stitch so I figure that's the next step lol. Only prob is I have no idea how to start it. But count me in if you can give me some pointers.

[calismum]

Great - we'll give this post a bit to se how many are interested but I'm happy to suggest ideas etc.

I'd love to try card making. Already do x stitch and tapestry.

[angieh]

Well done CM! Yes, I'm interested. I've got so many possible themes, but I'd like to start with a Ramblers holiday I went on in 2001 to Sicily. It was the first holiday I went on with a friend whom I had met at work. She was the ideal holiday companion for me as we had enough interests in common and different things to keep our companionship fresh. Very sadly, she died 3 years ago in September. I'd like to start a memory book with all the photos and souvenirs etc. that I collected on that holiday.

I've never done anything like a modern scrapbook before, although I did wonder about doing an online one - so need lots of suggestions about how to decorate pages etc.

[calismum]

Well, we have a small group of three. Anyone else feel like joining in?

[angieh]

I do hope others may want to join along the way CM!

Can you give some idea of what a beginner would need in the way of materials to start a scrapbook/memory book?

Here's what I imagine would be essential
A book/folder - do they come with the plastic/vinyl pages already in?
Paper
Glue
Pen
(should the above be acid free?)

What would you advise in order to start making page displays attractive?

[calismum]

Can you give some idea of what a beginner would need in the way of materials to start a scrapbook/memory book?

Ok, here goes. Firstly – make your first page quite simple, make sure you are going to enjoy scrapbooking and have a look online or round craft shop/WH Smith to see what is to your taste. Simple or complex, plain or fussy.

For example, a friend and I have a scrapbook night now and then. She likes bright vibrant colours with strong contrasts. She is a lovely writer and makes a lot of her own labels and page titles. I much prefer pastel and matching shades. My writing is not as nice so I tend to use labels and rub on letters. She is quite fussy with her accessories, I am quite plain. So make a few pages to get comfy with your style before you commit something special to a page.

A book/folder - do they come with the plastic/vinyl pages already in?
- I would probably not go to this expense straight off. As long as you have somewhere flat to store your page while it is in progress then I’d wait to see if you think you’ll enjoy scrapbooking. If you don’t then you won’t have wasted £20+.

Paper
- Essential! Depending on what you are doing you will need anywhere between 1 and 4 papers for a page. Some bits you will reuse on other pages.
- If you like a layered look then you will build up sections of colour.
- Plain coloured papers to make mats for your photos.

Glue
- I use double sided sticky tape and glue dots. I also use very sticky glue to stick wood, metal, shells, slices of cork, dried leaves, flowers, petals, ribbons, beads, etc.
- I also use foam pads to make some things stand out more than others.

Pen
- You will need a pencil for marking sizes and ruler to draw straight lines.
- Pen – depending on what you are using it for – I have some gel pens so I can write with a colour to match my page.

(Should the above be acid free?)
- If you want to do it properly and make sure your pages last for ever then yes. I have to admit I’m not that fussy about that and tend to use things I like. I also like to see my memories when I look at a page.
- If you make a page of say a day out somewhere as well as photographs you may want to put the following sort of things on a page. Bits of the brochure, tickets, site map, wrist bands, small memento from souvenir shop, dried flowers, leafs etc. – none of these are acid free and you would need to make sure all these ‘memories’ were put in an acid free envelope.


What would you advise in order to start making page displays attractive?
- This is where personal taste comes into it and depends on the theme of the page. To discuss in part two!!

Why don't you decide what the theme of the first page is and then we could discuss what might look nice on you choice of theme?

[angieh]

Excellent start CM - I am going to think about my first page now!

Oh, just a wee point - what about page size???

[calismum]

Excellent start CM - I am going to think about my first page now!

Oh, just a wee point - what about page size???

Forgot that might be an essential thing to know:oops:

I use 12"x12" as I think you can get the best variety of papers and I think a decent layout.

But you can opt to use A4 or 8" x 8".

Up to you but I have never seen plastic pouches or binders for A4 and the 8 x 8 is very limited.

[alexgirl73]

Could you possibly show us some of your work CM, to give us an idea of what we should be doing :)

[angieh]

I was going to ask exactly the same thing, CM. I've been thinking - do I see the page as a photo album or a book or a diary or a mixture of all those things plus the graffiti that I would NEVER scribble on a book page, but may actually want to do?????? I'd love to see your interpretation.

[calismum]

OK - I'll go and do a selection. Got the flash working in the camera so should be able to do quite a variety. Be back in howeverlong it takes to choose the pages, take the pics, and download, upload and describe - Tuesday should do it!!!!!!

[angieh]

No rush! Just like to think of you with something fun to do when the rain is lashing down and you've got wet sheep!!!

[calismum]

This is the first page I tried. Cali in my friends garden. Plain paper - no rivets or ribbons, beads, studs or anything,. The liitle sayings were copied out of a book and printed out on white paper. The border is just a few strips of plain paper and lots of press cut leaf shapes. The bottom right is a little metal photo frame.

A few dried flowers and some tiny garden tools finish it off.
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070170.jpg

It lets you see how little you need to get a reasonable result.

[calismum]

This page is of a Horse vaulting demo I watched. I loved the horse and was amazed at how small the vaulters were. I wanted to kep the page simple and coordinated. The paper and ribbon were chosen to match the vaulters outfits.

The ribbon has a little 'charm' attached which is actually an old earing joined to a swirl corner which you can buy in packs of 20.

The pictures are mounted on plain mats and I have rivetted them to the page. The ribbon is also rivetted.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070171.jpg

[alexgirl73]

they are gorgeous!! I so want to try this now :)

[calismum]

This is the first page in a series of three. It is of our holiday a few years back.

Top left is all the business cards from the hotels and B&B's we stayed in. Various tickets, receipts and pictures of the things we seen or events we attended.

If uyou look at the background you'll see that there are actually 3 papers used on this page. I done it this way so all 3 pages would have the same backgrounds.

Bottom right is a few room receipts wrapped like a little parcel.

The plain mats to mount the pics are all the same colour which keeps the theme running over all three pages.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070172.jpg

[calismum]

This, again, is an easy to do page. Alfie was a sleepy boy and I took photos of him as he rolled about in his bed trying to get just the right sleeping position. I have kept the pics running in sequence top to bottom so you can follow them.

A ribbon with his name in little hanging letters, a couple pics of him yawning and sound asleep. It is finished with the tag label with 'cat nap' in stick on lettering.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070174.jpg

[calismum]

This page again shows ripped papers. In this example the pale blue paper has been rubbed with chalk on the raw edge to give it a distressed look. The velum at the bottom is semi opaque and the striped background paper can be seen through it.

The theme of the page was Tarah jumping (which she did a lot!!). So I have used the word jump all over the page.

The top two pics I cut out the middle mounted the cut out on the same pale blue paper and then stuck back on the page in the middle of the outline. You can just see the pale blue border.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070176.jpg

[calismum]

Last example - this is one I am working on just now. It shows a double page. I usually try to have something that goes over the two pages. Either a word or in this example I have cut a picture. I've again used three papers and combined ripping and straight cuts. The mats are plain. I have tucked one of the pictures slightly under the paper to emphasise the 3d effect. The patterns on the page are on the paper.

I am not sure what I'm going to do with this to finish it. I find that I often start a page and can't quite figure out what I want to do next or think of the right thing to finish it off. I have about 4 'unfinished' pages just now.

http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd360/calismum/cats/Virtual%20scrapbook/P3070178.jpg

[calismum]

So - over to you guys, what theme are you thinking of?

[dandysmom]

I've enjoyed reading this thread, CM, and am impressed at your creativity! And how well you explain it. It's not something I want to do myself...have thought about tackling decoupage ..... but fascinating to see how you decide and work on the layout and display!

[angieh]

Thanks so much for posting those lovely pages of your as "examples" CM - I think you've just about answered all my questions and I've looked at your pages all twice until I understood what was going on! Just a couple of questions remain - I guess you can buy those pretty little cut leaf shapes and in your set of three where you use the three papers, are you layering one paper over another and then again - ie. one sheet is the "base"? I can also see that it's probably good as least when starting not to over burden the page with photos.

I am going to Hobbycraft tomorrow!

[calismum]

Sometimes I have one base paper other times it is patched on top of a plain paper or card - depends what I have in my paper pile!.

One other purchase I would advise is a paper cutter - fiskars or the like. It will give you nice crisp straight cuts.

Hope you get all you need.

Have you decided on a theme for your first page or are you jumping in at the deep end?

The leaf shapes were made from a press cutter - you can buy various shapes - you slot the paper in and press the shape out - hobbycraft will have loads.

[angieh]

Well, because I'm going to start with photos and bits and bobs of holidays in Sicily and Nice (if I get on well with Sicily!) both being Mediterranean venues, I thought I'd go basically for a colour theme because I love the colours I saw. It was early spring in Sicily and there was lots of orange blossom; in Nice it was the colour of the houses that struck me, pinks and blues and greens and earth colours. I am particularly fond of colours. We visited the house, now a museum, where Henri Matisse lived and worked. I love the colours in his paintings, so may go that way too. Thinking about it, I may start with the Nice pages!

I have got a guillotine but may have to get some new blades for my scalpel and a small cutting board - I have a metal ruler.