Scrapbooking - Getting started, a beginner's guide

You have probably come across various definitions of what a scrapbook is. And you may have even come up with your own definition. But there is one central meaning to all those definitions of scrapbooking. What is it? Keeping memories!

As with photos, scrapbooks are keepers of precious moments that you want to always be able bring back. Scrapbooks just do it in a much more meaningful way than the simple pictures within. The moments that you have captured in pictures are deeply embedded in every page, note, caption, and journal in your scrapbook. Your creativity brings the precious moments in the scrapbook back time and time again.

Not all of us are avid scrapbookers. Most have not even have tried starting one. However, we all have an idea of how to preserve our past. Scrapbooking is like that, only you have to add some creativity, art, and design into it.

The hardest part about scrapbooking is to start from scratch. Scrapbooking may look simple at first glance, but all ideas you have to invest in them and the time it takes can be so enormous that many find themselves initially frustrated.

I have given some guidelines below that you can modify and apply to your own experiences. Basically, this is just a collection of ideas that will help you get started in scrapbooking without your mind running wild on you.

First off you have to have your own style.

Let your personality shine through. It will show in your scrapbook and make it better in the end. If you are not sure as to what truly is your preference when making the design or the layout of your scrapbook, it's best for you to analyze your self first. Know your personal tastes and stick with them. Refrain from following the hype and fads of the scrapbooking industry. That way you will be more likely to produce original and personal ideas that will work best in your own scrapbooks.

Sometimes, we have to find outlets for our personalities to come to life. Some people do writing projects, others go into less serious practices. Scrapbooking can fill the gap between the two.

If you are finding it really difficult to produce an original idea, you can go ahead and take ideas from other scrapbooker's works.

Many find great uses in other people's designs. Sometimes, they even bring out the best in themselves by adopting somebody else’s concept into their own. This technique is called scraplifting.

Veteran scrapbookers usually choose not to follow this concept. However, for beginners it can be a lot easier to follow what has already worked for others. Somewhere along the way you will find your own scrapbooking methods and techniques.

Create your own mood board.

Mood boards are commonly used in the fashion industry as testing grounds for new ideas. These are like boards where cutouts, drafts of designs and fabric swatches are portrayed to provide initial impressions of the new trend. In fact, anything that will help the viewer's see the direction and concepts of the designers are placed on the mood board.

By making use of mood boards, you may easily find your own style. Placing concepts into more tangible mediums will construct foundations for your layouts and intentions.

Don't be too critical in this process. While flipping through magazines, you don't necessarily need to know why a picture or an image attracts you. If it produces positive reaction then go ahead and tear it out. This is one good test to determine your style.

Next, you will want to check on color combinations. For some of us, we have already set definite grounds on what our favorite color is and what colors we will most likely not use. Using a single group of shades is good if you can manipulate and mix them into varying combinations.

However, most people find it hard to detract themselves from a single concept. It won't be bad if you experiment on some other concepts. When your inspiration turns bad and there seems to be no color available for you, look at the butterflies for help.

Well that's it for this article. The above ideas should help you to get started on your first scrapbook. Of course, there are a lot more details, ideas, concepts, and techniques that go into scrapbooking but they are beyond the scope of one article. I encourage you to look into my ultimate scrapbooking guide for everything you need to know about getting started on your first scrapbook and many more to come.

One day, you'll take a look at the scrapbooks you have created and they will take you back in time to the moments when everything in the world was perfect.

About The Author
Trisha Browning has been scrapbooking for years and she has helped hundreds of people get started in this wonderful hobby. She is also the creator of the Ultimate Scrapbooking Guide.

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