By Teresa Ambord
Scrapbooking isn’t what it used to be. As teenagers, we saved clippings of our favorite teen idols, from Ricky Nelson to David Cassidy and others. These days, making a scrapbook has been raised to both an art and an industry. The supplies are everywhere, with some stores dedicated only to scrapbooking. No longer are you limited to the big, plain books we had as teenagers. Now you can buy an infinite array of special pages, pens, punches… you name it. They make great gifts for event-centered occasions, like graduations or landmark birthdays.
Many scrapbook stores feature crop parties, where enthusiasts gather for hours at a time and work on their scrapbooks, using the facilities of the scrapbook store. There are even retreats available, like the one listed on this link, where you can get away and scrapbook while being pampered and served gourmet food, and with the option of massages.
Weekend Retreat
Or check this Web site to find the nearest Scrapbook Expo, where you can attend workshops, learn the latest techniques, enter contests, even check out cruises sponsored by the Expo.
Scrapbook Expo
If You’re a Novice Scrapbooker, Some Tips from the Pros:
• You’re more likely to spend time with your hobby if you keep your supplies organized.
• Have your photos ready ahead of time. If you’re not good at picture taking enhance your scrapbook efforts by taking some beginning photography classes.
• Don’t cut photos unless you have the negatives, and don’t cut pictures taken with instant cameras.
• Don’t laminate pictures. Laminating doesn’t preserve photos.
• If your scrapbook includes newspaper clippings, you need to preserve the clippings by spraying them with de-acidification spray. Newspaper is highly acidic and will quickly turn yellow if not preserved. It may be a good idea to have the articles copied onto acid-free cardstock before putting them in your scrapbook, since acid migrates.
• Avoid using magnetic photo albums, as they damage your photos very quickly. If your photos are currently in magnetic albums, you can halt the damage by removing them and putting them in a safe mode of photo storage.
• If your pictures are stuck, wiggle a piece of dental floss between them and the pages until they come unstuck, or try a product called Un-do (an adhesive-dissolving product made for photos).
You can spend a fortune on scrapbook accessories if you choose to, but you can get started for very little money. You’ll need photos (or other items you want to put in the book), sharp scissors, paper, adhesive like sticky tabs or glue stick, page protectors, and an album. Just make sure everything you use is acid-free (including your pens and glue). Otherwise, time and acid will combine to turn your pictures yellow.
If you’d like to learn more, here’s a Web site for a great scrapbooking magazine with free tips. While you’re there, you can sign up for a free scrapbooking newsletter:
Memory Makers
Also, here is a Web site with free scrapbooking layouts you might like:
Free Scrapbooking Layouts
Finally, take a look at these books that describe how some people are making money by creating scrapbooks for other people.
Scrapbooking as a Business
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