The first step in scrapbooking is fairly obvious, but probably the most important – choosing the scrapbook itself. We stock a huge range of sketchbooks, notebooks and journals, like our extra large embossed leather sketchbook, £32.50, which consists of 120 pages of handmade heavyweight paper, ideal for sticking, drawing and printing on. If you fancy something with a more colourful cover, why not try our large silky sari notebook, £10, which is slightly smaller but packed with 120 pages of the same heavyweight paper. The reduced size makes it an ideal choice for a smaller scrapbook project, such as a travel journal or holiday memory book.
When getting your materials together for a scrapbooking project, the first thing you need to consider is paper – not the paper in the scrapbook itself, but the paper you’re going to add in to give your pages some life and colour. There are several hundred different places to find them, and another several hundred different designs, depending on how you want your scrapbook to look; bright and colourful, muted pastels, chevrons, spots, themes.... there really is something for everyone. A simple search on Google can turn up some interesting results, both to purchase online, and to download and print out at home, while Hobbycraft is an obvious choice if you prefer to buy in person. As great fans of anything retro here at Scaramanga, we love Kitschy Digitals – a vintage themed webshop dedicated to bright graphic papers, decals and fonts.
Once you’ve done your groundwork, the scrapbooking fun can really begin – it’s time to choose your decorations. The thing with creating projects like this is that you can either stick to a theme, or just focus on colours and patterns that you like. The one thing every scrapbooker needs is a good collection of Washi tapes – this Japanese sticky tape comes in a variety of colours, prints and finishes, and can be used to stick in photographs, create borders, or even write large titles. To jazz up your pages further, use anything from stickers to fancy fonts, overlays and retro decals – or even try printing onto your pages. Here at Scaramanga, we stock a wonderful range of printing blocks, that are perfect to use in any of our journals or sketchbooks, and work fantastically with any water based paints. Scrapbooking is about having fun and creating something beautiful, so don’t be afraid to add anything you think looks good.
The thing about creating a scrapbook is that it’s supposed to be two things; firstly, it should be enjoyable, and secondly, it should be unique to you. Anybody can go and buy a photograph album, but scrapbooking adds an individual touch to your images, and turns a few pictures into something marvellous. When choosing your embellishments and decorations, move away from flat objects such as paper, and think 3D – fabrics, buttons and printed bias binding tapes are all fun ways to add some colour to your project, and rather than using scrapbook papers as a background for your pictures, why not try other designs, such as vintage maps or retro advertising prints? These can all be found either online to download, on auction sites such as eBay or even in your local charity shops. There really is no limitation to the materials you can use in your scrapbooking adventures – don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun.
Are you creating a memory book for your children? Perhaps you’re making an album for a family holiday? Either way, if your young ones are going to feature in it, why not let them design their own page? Most children love nothing more than a good crafting session, so roll up their sleeves and let them get stuck in – anything from printing to stickers, crayons to pens, glitter to animals, anything goes. A photograph of your children mounted on a page designed by them is sure to raise many smiles in years to come.
