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The first thing to
do is get those photos out of the magnetic albums immediately and throw away the
albums. That takes care of a lot of it right there. But then you might have some
pictures that are stuck! You’ll want to remove them very carefully, maybe with a
letter opener or a butter knife as they might tear. If they are very valuable to
you, take them to a photo shop and have them do it for you.
Next you will want to sort your pictures out chronologically and by subject or
person. You might want to work from the present and go back, since recent events
are much easier to remember.
If you want to scrap them, start from the present also and use archivally safe
materials. All materials should be acid-free with a ph level of 7 or above.
Acids might cause discoloring of paper, become inflexible, and eventually become
brittle as time passes. It can also destroy photographs or other memorabilia it
comes into contact with. Your memories are precious to you and you’ll want
preserve them properly to pass them on from generation to generation.
If you're just starting out with scrapbooking, you will also need an acid-free
adhesive, a paper cutter, acid-free pen, and of course acid-free cardstock and
patterned paper.
Journaling is very important in a scrapbook. It tells the “story” of the photos.
Remember that your journaling should include the who, what, when, where and why
or else it is really of no interest to the generations that follow if they don’t
know who the person is or the story behind it.
The photos that you have not scrapped yet should be placed in an acid free photo
box and properly labeled. If you have as many photos as I do, then you will know
why this is very important to sort and label everything. It saves a lot of time,
confusion and chaos.
Make sure you only put your favorite or best photos in a scrapbook. If they are
blurry or too dark or light, it’s not likely to look any better in a scrapbook.
Although you can crop or cut your own photos improving them to a certain extent.
The person or object may appear larger or you might want to just cut off objects
or people that do not belong in the picture.
When using cardstock or patterned paper, make sure that you color coordinate the
paper with the picture and mat the photo. Matting a photo means adhering the
photo to a piece of cardstock slightly larger than the photo creating a small
frame around it. This emphasizes the photo and makes it stand out.
There are various embellishments you can use to give your layout an added touch,
such as, eyelets, buttons, ribbons, metal letters or other objects, clips,
brads, snaps, hinges, stickers, diecuts, embossing, vellum, etc. This list is
very long! Have fun getting started!
About the Author
Jacqueline M.
Schimmel is a Professional Scrapbook Designer who designs custom scrapbooks,
cards and invitations for any occasion including exclusive gifts. The name of
her business is Memories Artwork located at
http://www.memoriesartwork.com.
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