Scrapbooking 101: The Basics of Scrapbooking and Everything You Need

Learning how to scrapbook is for everyone. No matter how little or no experience you have with scrapbooking, it's a craft that everyone can easily learn and enjoy. It's a hobby that's gaining a lot of attention mainly because it's a wonderful pastime that allows you to immerse yourself in nostalgia.

Remembering happy (sometimes even bad) events and putting them in beautiful scrapbook layouts allows you to revisit memories from a better perspective. With just a few scrapbooking ideas put into actual pages, you'll also enjoy the fulfilling sensation of making stunning pages and spreads even with very little artistic talent.

Here's a quick and easy guide on what you need, what you can and should do when scrapbooking.

Tips on Organising Your Photos Before Making a Scrapbook

Before you get swept up in the excitement and start dreaming about all the pages you're going to make, it's important to make sure that all the photos you intend on using are neatly organized. This is a definite scrapbooking 101 rule you should always follow. This ensures that nothing gets lost and generally makes for a much more enjoyable, stress-free experience.

As most scrapbooking projects are based on one subject, it's best to sort all the photos into themes, such as 'family', 'friends', 'holidays' etc. This can either be done with the printed, physical copies in your hands, or on a computer by making a designated folder for all your resources. By sorting your pictures into themes, they are easily found whenever you find yourself inspired with inspirations and desire to scrapbook!

It's always easier to keep all your resources in one place. Believe me, it can be frustrating when you can't find things that you need in an arms reach right when you're filled with scrapbooking design inspirations.

If you want to have a more stress free scrapbooking experience, then you should check out this article and learn more scrapbook organization ideas!

Picking a theme for your page

Once you're organized, it's time to browse some simple scrapbook designs or think about what you might want to create a page on. No scrapbook page is the same, but This can be literally anything – your last family holiday, a wedding, your children's first days at school.

Whatever you decide, it's important to have a clear understanding of what the page should convey in terms of theme and emotion. Then you can decide whether you want to keep the page sweet and simple with just photos, titles, and memorabilia, or if you would like to add some extra sentiment by journaling your thoughts, feelings, and memories about this theme.

Now you can begin thinking of what embellishments you would like to use, which are little features that can bring a page to life with their quirky, colorful, or otherwise interesting characteristics.

A good example of embellishment is a button or ribbon. Once you have some scrapbook ideas and know what and how you would like to embellish your page, you are ready to sketch your layout. You can do this on a plain piece of A4 and roughly draw what photo, title, journaling, and embellishment will go where. Planning your page means that you will have a clearer idea of where things will go once you move on to the real page. It also means you'll never find yourself in a position where you've got no room left for any kind of journal entries (this used to happen to me regularly!)

Want more tips to elevate your scrapbooking to the next level? Click here and check out our Books!

What Scrapbooking Supplies and Tools You Will Need

While careful planning and an eye for bargain items can save you money, investing in the right resources for your scrapbook endeavor is worth it in terms of time and effort in the long run.

Here are some of the usual scrapbooking supplies and equipment or tools I suggest you get so you can get started right away bringing your scrapbook inspirations to life:

Cutting Tools:

scrapbooker's scissors
paper trimmer

Craft stores supplies:

easy stick adhesives or glue sticks

an album with a sheet or page protectors

colored acid-free cardstock (I often prefer acid-free paper)

oval template

themed or pattern scrapbook pages

embellishments such as stickers and buttons

page protectors

Craft store tools:

Ruler

Markers

Scrapbooking items:

albums (to store all your pages that are on a similar theme)

a memory book (to keep notes of the occasions you intend on scrapping)

a notebook (to jot down title ideas or sayings as and when they pop into your mind)

your diary (if you have one! To recall your 'feelings' or 'emotions' during the occasions you want to scrap)

From cutting tools to acid-free paper in a variety of sizes, creating scrap albums requires the best supplies whether you buy them or make them yourself.

You will be able to find these items at almost any good craft store or, alternatively, you can choose to buy from online shops that deliver to your area.

Start Scrapbooking!

Once you've gathered your photos, supplies and had a browse through our archive of cool scrapbook page sketches, it's time for the exciting part.

Pick your paper – for beginners, neutral is a good color as it's easiest to blend pictures and embellishments with them – by holding up the photos and seeing what they will look like together. That way, when you get home you won't have any problem with coordinating your features with the card stock!

This is the first step to making your pages look like beautiful artwork! And often just doing this simple step will spark layout ideas for me – such as doing a collage, or a photo grid-style layout!

If you want to avoid finding all the components of your scrapbook yourself, many craft stores sell scrapbooking kits that not only come with a range of wonderful embellishments but also simple options to bring your creativity to life!

We even have a number of tutorials, scrapbook designs, and books available, including '10,000 Instant Scrapbook Page Titles' and our best selling scrapbook sketches book.

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, you'll never experience scrapping block again!

We are your go-to guide for all your basic scrapbooking creative needs.

When it comes to scrapbooking, we know how to help you make the most of your experience whether you're a novice or a seasoned expert. Browse our site today for more scrapbooking inspiration that you can make your own.

On The Hunt For Scrapbooking Page Plans?

If so – you're in luck – here at Scrapbooking Coach we've got a bunch of helpful blog posts and how-to articles that will give you lots of ways to spark your imagination!

But before you jump in and discover the treasure trove of Scrapbooking trends and course classes, it's worth thinking of WHY you are scrapbooking.

You see many scrappers just jump into creating Scrapbook pages with very little idea of why they are scrapping in the first place.

Is it to preserve the precious memory of an unforgettable family vacation? The birth of a new baby? The graduation of your Grandchild? Have a clear understanding of what you want to scrapbook so you can confidently move onto the next step, and turn those scrapbook inspirations into a beautifully finished page.

Once you know your theme, ask yourself what kind of emotion or celebration do I want to capture on my Scrapbook page?

The answer to this question will narrow your focus and will help you find the projects that will complement the Scrapbook pages you're planning on creating.