Starting out in Scrapbooking

Are you flooded with photos that you would love to add to albums, but simply sliding them into plastic sleeves after seeing your friends' albums doesn't appeal to you? Feeling daunted by the idea of scrapbooking, but wishing with all your heart you knew where to pick up the skills? Well, fear not - this blog is exactly that starting blog. I show you how to select a page that will require very little skill to scrap and then walk you through the basic steps to complete the page. In no time you will have finished your first page and the ice is broken. Gradually I will introduce more skills and tricks and before you know it, you will be showing off your own masterpieces to your friends.

Select a page that already seems to have every conceivable element on it. It has a space for the photo(s), allocated space for text and even elements to pretty it up. At first glance, you only need to paste a photo in place, fill in the missing words and you are done. This is one of the easiest and quickest pages you can possibly do in scrapbooking since the page layout is predetermined for you. Two of the most used items in scrapbooking will be your non-slip metal ruler and a sharp craft knife. These are also the first two tools we will be using in this project.

Having fitted my photo to the existing frame on the page, I use the metal ruler and craft knife to cut tiny slits into the corners of the frame. I will slip my photo's corners into these slits. Always work on a self-healing cutting mat. It will make measuring and cutting much easier.

If your photo does not stay in place, you can put a small piece of double-sided tape in the centre of the back of the photograph. That will keep the photo in one place and you can easily slip the corners into the slits you made earlier.

I decide to add a couple of fabric flowers and butterflies to complete the page.

I use an awl to press holes through the centres of the flowers.

I then press a small split pin through the holes I created with the awl.

I carefully mark the spot where the centre of the flower will go on the page and make a super tiny slit there using my craft knife.

I then push the split pin in my flower through the paper so it comes out on the other side. There I simply open the legs on the pin, thereby securing my flower to the page. I repeat this with all three flowers I intend to add to the page.

I now use the fine point on my Tombow glue to adhere my fabric butterflies to the page.

My page has a distinct orange tone, yet my photo is mainly pink. This is why I choose to use the butterflies I opted for; their colour is a nice blend of orange with pink (peach) which assists in pulling my pink photograph into the page.

I like the colour on the small point Faber Castell Artist's Pitt Pen for the journaling.

 In no time at all I have created a beautiful page, celebrating the birth of a very special little lady.

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.

Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.

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