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Scrapbooking Tips
By Karen | January 9, 2008
Tips for creating gift scrapbooks.
It is very difficult to create a scrapbook for someone without having their photos. When I made the baby girl scrapbook for a baby shower gift (look under Categories:Baby), I assumed the recipient would be using 4×6 or cutting them down to 3×5 (I often do this because I’m not a good photographer and there’s always “noise” in the background). I tried to make layouts that you could lay a photo down on matted or unmated. When you scrapbook with pictures, most often you pull out colors from the photos and use that for your mat. You cut down the mat to fit the photo perfectly. When you don’t have pictures, you should go with a theme. A good choice is to use a color scheme with 3-4 elements. Here’s some information on color schemes. I don’t follow these rules religiously. Mostly, I pull a bunch of papers together and see how they look. Sometimes, if you’re stuck, a color wheel can be useful. Anyway, if you use multiple colors, the recipient will have a better chance of pulling a color from their photos. Often, they could use a mat of another color that will then somehow tie in to your color scheme. For gift albums, a theme works best because you can use typical color schemes that would probably make use of a color the person had in their photo (i.e., babies are often dressed in pastels, so you would use a pastel theme with coordinating embellishments).
Another good tip is to have templates of various sizes. You can use typical photo sizes and also have some templates for typical scrapbook sizes (6×6”, 8×8”, 8.5×11”, 12×12”). You might also have some favorite photos that work for certain colors and themes. Have them printed in several sizes and use these when creating a new project. When I put down my layout I move around my templates to see if they’ll fit. After I know everything works, I adhere everything. I then try to fit the templates one more time to make sure it works. This is a good time to ensure embellishments and other elements are functioning. For example, if you have photo corners or pockets, or anything interactive, test to make sure things fit easily and make any necessary adjustments. Don’t forget to place your scrapbook page into your album before adhering anything. Often times, a scrapbook album will say it’s a certain size and it’s off slightly. I can’t tell you the number of times I had to scramble at the last minute and trim down entire completed layouts because they wouldn’t fit into the page protector/sleeve (my hubby and kids have been put to work rearranging things and we have arrived late to a party LOL). Do this for each individual page because individual sizes may vary slighty as well.
Happy Scrapping!
Karen
Topics: Scrapbooking, Tip of the Month |
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