Scrapbooking | Scrapbook | Products | Ideas | Supplies

Scrapbooking albums come in all shapes and sizes. There is no one specific album size that is "best" to use, but here are some tips on the various sizes available:

The 12 x 12 papers are readily available and this particular size seems to be a good size to fit pictures and other memorabilia on the pages without too much crowding. You can also buy ready-to-make pages kits in the 12 x 12 size. If you want a smaller size book go with a 9 x 9 or 6 x 6 size. These sizes are great for children to start with because they are smaller and easier to work with for tiny hands.

It can never be said enough, use archival-safe, acid-free, photo-safe materials. They will not only add to the beauty of your project but they will also help them stay that way. Paper has a natural tendency to deteriorate in time. Acids in paper, adhesives and embellishments that are in contact with your pictures make them brittle and fade.

The pH factor simply refers to the acidity of paper. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. Acid free products have a pH of 7 to 8.5. To determine the acidity in products, you can purchase a pH tester pen.

Choose a focal-point photo. Treat other photos as "accessories" that help you to tell the rest of the story. As we read from left to right, the top-left hand corner is an excellent point for your focal-point photo when you have several photos you want to use on your layout.

To add more visual interest to your flower accents, add a brad to the flower centre. And brads can help you fasten the flower to the page.

Want to position your text perfectly on your layout? Print your text on transparency and you can easily position it wherever you want it to go.

Find it a challenge to coordinate papers? Keep a lookout for companies that offer lines of coordinating papers. These coordinating papers can easily match one another on a layout. Reduce your coordinating time and spend more time scrapbooking.

Keeping your supplies organized is an important task, but one that can seem overwhelming. You can purchase special organizational kits for your scrapbook supplies, including folders, binders and carrying cases. Another idea is to purchase your own plastic containers for storage of your scrapbooking supplies. Store your stickers in zip lock bags and place them in a plastic tote. Make sure to store your paper flat so it does not get wrinkled. Try hanging folders for this.

Don't know what to say on your scrapbooking pages? Instead of leaving your scrapbook pages blank without any journaling, how about sourcing for some appropriate quotes or poems? This is an absolutely effective way to add elegance and beautifully expressed thoughts to your pages.

Racking your brains for more creative titles? How about looking to movie titles to create your next page theme? "My Best Friend's Wedding", "A Cinderella Story", "Chocolate Girls" …there are thousands of great movie titles!

Want to direct the eye of your readers? You can use little arrows or one big arrow cut out from cardstock (just cut a "v" shape) to direct your reader's eyes from the photo to your journaling.

Want to create a cool and metallic twist to your black and white photo? Insert silver brads along the edge of the photo.

Originality in scrapbooking is essential. You can create original pages with exclusive ideas. Including journaling on your layouts is one way to tell about the photographs and help you remember what was going on during that time period. Srapbooking quotes for your pages are a wonderful way to add some "elegance" to your page layouts. Famous quotes for your era are fun to have in your books. You can also include quotes from family members about the people in the pictures. Including quotes in on your pages will make them unique but make them interesting for others to view.