Ways to Recycle Scrapbooking Paper

Scrapbooking papers are not only for scrapbooking, you can find other uses for scrapbooking papers such as creating beautiful, artistic things that you can use around the house.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This saying is also true with scrapbooking papers. Whether used or unused, scrapbooking papers should not be wasted or thrown away. In a world where imagination and conservation relates to preservation of life, there are countless ways to preserve and extend the life of your scrapbook paper leftovers.

Mini Photo Albums

Paper scraps are great materials for mini photo albums. Even kids can have an enjoyable time cutting pages from paper scraps for mini photo albums. This is a great gift idea for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and the yuletide Season. It’s definitely earth-friendly and pocket-friendly. That’s just icing on the cake. These mini photo albums are priceless gift ideas for those who believe that gifts are made, not bought.

Photo Mats

If you have photos or prints to frame, use your scrapbooking paper as frame mats. Purchase inexpensive, plain frames. Cut out the center of a scrapbook paper to fit your photo for framing. Once done, your inexpensive photo frames will look like you bought them from an expensive novelty store.

Paper Lamp

Paper lamps are quite popular especially with the Japanese. From simple to elaborate designs, paper lamps recycled from scrapbooking papers are not just good to the environment but they are also very entertaining. Use paper lamps as decorative ornaments, to add accent to bedrooms and living rooms. Depending on one’s style and preference, designing and making paper lamps out of scrapbook paper leftovers is a fun way of expressing the artist in you.

Paper Toys

Long before the electronic invasion hit the toy kingdom, people used to create toys skillfully and painstakingly by hand. In the same tradition, moms and dads should also encourage their kids to use their imagination by hand-crafting toys out of scrapbooking papers. The activity will enhance your kid’s artistic inclination. In addition, the task itself is a perfect bonding activity between youngsters and adults. Instead of watching TV, let your artistic juice run freely and spend the weekend making paper toys with your loved ones. Some of the paper toys you can make are paper dolls, origami, pinwheels and many more.

Paper Envelope

Creating paper envelopes are other uses for scrapbooking papers. Colorful12”x 12” scrapbooking papers are quite useful for greeting cards, storing miscellaneous items such as weekly and monthly reminders, bills for payment and other assorted documents. Because of its quality, paper envelopes made from scrapbooking papers can last a long time.

Specialty Boxes and Gift Bags

Instead of buying an all-around container box, why not make your own? Cover old carton boxes with leftover scrapbook paper to produce a storage “chest.” Use scrapbooking papers to create specialty boxes for any occasion. In addition, you can also create gift bags instead of ready-made ones from stores. These items can be a source of extra income during the holiday season.

Decorative Accessories

Reuse scrapbooking papers to make paper collage, paper flowers, wall décor and even jewelry. Add a splash of color by using leftover scrapbooking paper of different designs and colors and put them inside a picture or print frame. Hang them in a series of threes along an expansive wall to create pizzazz to your décor. Create a paneled screen using rolls of scrapbooking papers to use as room dividers. This will help separate rooms and make your home cozier. These accessories and décor items are perfect gift ideas and are excellent home-based business ideas for those with artistic entrepreneurial qualities.

Scrapbooking papers are so versatile that you can find more ways to use them aside from just scrapbooking alone. You'll not only help the environment when you find other uses for scrapbooking papers, you'll save money, too.

Doodle Ideas for Decorating a Scrapbook With a Pen

Doodling is a popular free-form style of drawing by using any type of drawing tool. It's an extension of your personality and creativity. Inexpensive and not meant to be perfect, doodling adds whimsy and flair to scrapbook layouts and design. It is something that comes so naturally that many people don't even know they are doing it all the times. People start doodling as early as elementary school and some may start even early -- filling notebook pages with random drawings of self expression. Use that creativity and put it in the pages of your scrapbook design to create the accents that will make it unique and stylish.

Scrapbook Page Borders & Corners

Page borders add a finishing touch to scrapbook layouts. Make doodles free-hand directly on the background page or add them to stickers and color paper already used as borders. Even a few small doodles can change the look and feel of a page design. If you are scared of making a mistake free-hand, use a stencil for the base of your border and embellish with more doodling. Waves, zigzags, dashes, vines, vertical or horizontal lines make ideal borders. Doodles in the corner of pages can accent your theme and help utilize the full page design of your scrapbook layout.

Beautiful Hand-Lettered Titles

Titles in your own handwriting add an authentic touch to your page layout especially the title of the page. Sometimes you just don't have the correct font type or sizes in your collection of stickers, rub-on transfers or die-cuts for titles. When this happens make your own font style from doodles. Draw a light line in pencil as a guide to keep your letters straight and erase it after you have finished your title. Chisel-tip pens held at a 45 degree angle are ideal for calligraphy lettering, while fin-tipped pens are best to add curls, dots and hearts to ordinary letters.

Polka Dots & Swirls

Random doodles are perfect for filling dead space on a page. You don't need expensive embellishments, stickers and die-cuts to liven up a page. To add a festive flair to your page try doodling stars, polka dots, swirls or random drawings. Thin-tipped markers work well for doodles. First draw your doodle lightly then once the ink is dry go over it again with the same pen or another color to accent it.

Stylish Photo Frames

Doodling a photo frame will liven up a photo. If you can't find the perfect paper to use as a mat just free-hand dashes, dots, waves, zigzags or your own thin and thick or add some color lines to create your own frame. The possibilities are endless to your imagination and creativities as to what you can draw to make a photo frame stand out. Have a layout that is pet-themed? Doodle small cat faces or paw prints all around your photo of you and your pets. Have a photo of a child's birthday? Doodle birthday candles or small cakes all around the photo to make it festive.

Ideas for the Construction of Scrapbook Pages

Scrapbookers enjoy seeing their photos displayed creatively in a memory book. It can be a very rewarding experience, however getting started on a layout can become cumbersome when you first begin. But, there are ways to make the construction process of your layouts easier. Don't just start gluing down photos without a plan; follow a few tips and put some thought behind your layout to create a page you will be proud of.

Theme

After choosing a few photos to be grouped together, it is important to determine the theme or sub-theme of the page. For example: the theme of the scrapbook might be honeymoon but the sub theme of a particular page is Spa Day. The theme will determine the style of papers you choose, title and the embellishments used on the layout. You will lay the photos out according to where you place your embellishments and how the title will be placed on the page. You can also look for creative quotes and tailor your captions to the theme.

Papers

Background paper and mats are important when constructing a scrapbook layout. Adding visual interest to the page, the papers can either make your photo pop or distract from the beauty of your photograph. Papers come in solid colors as well as a variety of patterns. You can go with all solids or choose a mixture of patterns and solids together. Look at the colors in the photograph and choose paper that compliments the photo. Some scrapbookers prefer to use papers within the same family throughout the entire scrapbook to pull it all together while others like for every page to be of a different color and pattern scheme.

Scrapbook Pockets

Sometimes scrapbooking your photos alone just isn't enough. If you are the type of person that collects souvenirs, tickets, ribbons, school assignments and other memorabilia along the way, you would benefit from adding a scrapbook pocket to your page. A big no-no in scrapbooking is over-cluttering a page. This pocket will display your memories making your page look organized and far from cluttered. To make a pocket use a medium to heavy-weight cardstock. Fold the paper upward to desired depth and press down on the crease. Glue the outer edges of the paper, press down and hold until the glue has dried.

Two-Page Layouts

Double-page layouts are ideal for utilizing multiple photos and letting your idea or theme flow onto more than one page. To balance the pages out use coordinating paper, mats and embellishments while trying to maintain a symmetrical layout. Also, treat the two 12-by-12 inch pages as if they were one large 12-by-24 inch page. Spread the photos, titles or embellishments across the pages and then actually cut straight down the middle of a photo or title to split it between the two pages. Avoid cutting down the middle of someone's face in a photo. This is a good method for a picture with two people in it or a landscape photograph.

Embellish Your Scrapbook Page

Now that you have learned how to crop and frame your picture, you now need to focus on telling your story creatively. Just like you would decorate a home to make your home feel homey you can decorate your scrapbook page to make your story feel more heartsy.

There are a variety of embellishments you can use… but remember that your scrapbook page needs to be able to go into the page protector. The more embellishments you place on your scrapbook page, the more risk you have at not fitting the page into the page protector.

Mandatory Embellishments:

• Scrapbook Titles - scrapbook titles really help the reader understand what picture you are trying to paint. Experiment with rubber stamps or fonts to create fun and interesting titles.
• Journal Entries - journal entries add another dimension to your scrapbook page where your heart and motivation will really come through and bring the reader of your page to the same place your heart was when the memory was created.

Other Embellishments:

• Stickers that are acid free are a wonderful way to embellish your cherished memory. Attach the sticker to solid color cardstock and trim a frame around it for a more interesting dimension.
• Ribbon is a wonderful and lightweight addition to your scrapbook page. Experiment with different types of fibers and colors to bring out the photo.
• Hardware, eyelets and brads are also another wonderful dimension. Make sure the hardware you use is lighteight and acid free. You can again draw a person’s eye using hardware to the area of the page or photo that is most important.
• Buttons are another way of drawing a person’s eye to the journal entry or photo. Again ensure that the buttons you use are acid free.
• Tags and Envelopes and Pockets are another way to place elements related to your story on your page and can make the page more 3-D and interactive.

Things to avoid:

• Glitter!!! Loose glitter can actually ruin a cherished photo by scratching the surface. If you are scrapbooking for the purpose of long term usage - then avoid Glitter totally.
• Heavy Embellishments… heavily weighted embellishments can actually tear the page as person flips it. Avoid using these types of embellishments on your page to preserve your hard work.
• Rub on transfers. Again over time if you do not rub properly, the rub on images can actually rub off the page or stick to the page protector causing you a lot of heartache.

Paper Traditional Scrapbooking

What is Scrapbooking?

Scrapbooking has been around since Victorian times, and has evolved into as many different forms as there are personality types. Basically, it involves the preservation of information by compiling photos, memorabilia and written words into a book in order to to tell a story or relay memories.

How is Scrapbooking Accomplished?

Scrapbooking almost always involves photos and written words (journaling), but it can also include as many other components as the creator desires. Some common scrapbook additions include memorabilia (like ticket stubs, news clippings, maps, etc.), specialty papers and other decorations like ribbons or buttons – the possibilities are limitless!
Once all of the elements needed for the scrapbook are gathered, they are assembled in a pleasing way and adhered to a scrapbook page. Journaling is then added to relay information about the contents of the page. Finally, pages are included in specially designed albums or sometimes they can be displayed in other ways; like in a picture frame.

What Supplies are Needed to Get Started in Scrapbooking?

Most scrapbooking starts with photographs that have meaning behind them (although, a story can still be told even if there are no photos). It is also great if there are other keepsakes to include along with the photos in the scrapbook (a first place ribbon to go with the pie baking contest photo, for example).

Next, there needs to be something to preserve the mementos in, which is usually in the form of a scrapbook album. There are countless styles of scrapbooks on the market; some are completely blank and ready to be decorated and some come already decorated and just need photos added.

Once an album is chosen, the memorabilia can be arranged and adhered in the album in a way that appeals to the scrapbooker. There are vastly differing approaches to this step, because what is appealing differs from person to person. Some take a very minimalist approach, while others use many embellishments to decorate their pages. The very minimum supplies needed for this step are the pages and an adhesive (there are many types of adhesive on the market that are specifically designed for scrapbooking). Take a stroll down the aisles of the local scrapbook store (LSS), and it will soon be discovered that there are plenty more options available as well!

Now all that is left to be done is the journaling. This often includes a title for the page (like: “Tom’s First Day of School”) and some words to provide further information (like the date and a description of the day’s highlights). There are several ways to add the journaling; from simply writing it on the page by hand to using stickers with words or letters on them or even printing out journaling that has been typed on a computer. Depending on the method of journaling, the supplies needed can vary. The most basic supply would be a pen specifically designed for scrapbooking, which resists fading and won’t damage photos.

Are Acid-free and Lignin-free Supplies Best?

Because so much time and effort is involved in the process of scrapbooking, it is recommended that you choose supplies that are safe for use with photos and emorabilia. Many scrapbookers consider it very important to make sure that albums, papers, decorative elements and adhesives used are acid and lignin free so that they will preserve, not destroy the scrapbook contents, especially if the items on the page are irreplaceable.

That being said, I often find it very freeing to use all kinds of things that inspire me on my scrapbook pages; many of which are not considered safe for “archival” purposes. This allows my artistic, creative side to take over and not be stifled by limited options. I am usually using photos that I have digital copies of anyway, which can easily be reproduced if something were to happen to my scrapbook page. I also often photograph my final scrapbook page, so that I have a digital copy, in case the original fades or is damaged in some way in the future. So, just be sure so think carefully about what you use on your pages so that they will stand the test of time!