Scrapbooking

Skill Level 1

1. What is the purpose of Scrapbooking?

There are several reasons for scrapbooking. It may be to record a special event in a Pathfinder's life, or it may be to remember a special person, or to act as a visual journal. At its very core, scrapbooking is a way of archiving photos safely and at the same time telling a story with those photos.

2. Why journal?

Pictures are only half the story. When the events happen and we "snap the photo", we remember every detail about what happened, who we were with, and how we felt about the occasion. However, as time passes, these memories fade. Ten tears later, we MIGHT be able to explain some of the details of the photograph, but we nay have forgotten the names of some of our friends or acquaintances, and we'll probably have forgotten the feelings involved when the event was captured on film. Journaling helps us remember all this by having us put the story with each photo. We need to make sure that as journal for our scrapbook, that we don't just record the who and where of the picture, but also how we felt about that event and why. Some of you may ask - What do I write about? Here's one easy step: Pretend that you're telling a family member or good friend about the picture and why its in your album. Whatever you'd say to them is probably what you should journal for your scrapbook! In summary, journal the five W's: who, what, when, where, why.

Remember, Journaling is everything dealing with words that you do on a scrap booking page. It includes the title, headers, captions, and of course the journal event entries.

Journaling is often done by hand. Most scrapbook papers have tiny faint lines to help us keep our Journaling straight. This may take the jitters out of some who are afraid that the page won't be pretty when they are done. Other people don't feel like their handwriting is preferred for Journaling in their scrapbook. If you're one of these, you might enjoy the sources online to download FREE fonts that will give you lots of choices when using your computer and word-processing software to print journal entries, headers, and captions.

Some creative Journaling ideas:

Write around the perimeter of a single photograph.
Write around the perimeter of the entire page, framing the grouping of photographs.
Use colored pens in inks that will complement or contrast the rest of the page.
Sometimes write in complete sentences, Other times, write just the facts in a bulleted list.
Draw a shape (such as a fish, a ball, a star) on the page lightly in pencil. Write the Journaling within the shape, filling up all of the shape. Erase the pencil line. The Journaling remains behind in the shape of the original pencil drawing.

NOTE:These ideas and others are available at http://www.scrapbookingcenter.com

3. What is cropping and why is it done?

Cropping is the process of "cutting-down" the photos that you wish to place in your scrapbook. It is do so they can fit in the album, as well as draw attention to the main subject you wish to highlight. There are all kinds of fancy scissors to create perforated edges on your photos and of course "scrapbook frames" that can provide interest for the photos.

CAUTION: Don't over-crop your photos. Once its cut, there's no turning back. Maybe instead , create a "frame" from colored or designed paper to highligh the main subject. If you're using polaroid photos never-ever cut them. The chemicals in the polaroid paper will leak and ruin your pictures and potentially your whole album!

4. What are the four (4) main types of scrapbooks used?

There are three types of scrapbooks that should be used for scrapbooking and one type that should never be used.

1. Three ring albums - These albums come with three round rings inside a binder. Sizes vary from ½" to well over three inches. Overall, these are the easiest to use and allow you to rearrange pages readily. The down side is that they often aren’t as pretty on the outside cover as some of the other types of albums, and the pages on the “3-ring side” often bend, or curl if overfilled, somtimes ruining a scrapbook over time. The quick fix: Don’t overfill the album or buy the 3-ring albums with the “flat side ring.” Also, you may not want to use both sides of this kind of album page, since if you rearrange the pages, the events shown on the back of each page may no longer match!

2. Post-bound albums - Allow adjacent pages to lie relatively flat when opened, with no separation between them. Just like the Three-ring albums, the pages can be arranged, though not as easily. Also, you’re not as limited by the number of pages in an album.

3. Strap-bound albums - This type of album has an expandable strap hinge. A disadvantage of this type of album is that the album must be taken apart to move pages. These albums, when opened, allow adjacent pages to lie flat without the hinge being seen. If you get an album where the page is bound to the strap, then you’ll need to get special page protectors. Some albums have the page protectors bound to the strap and pages can be slipped in and out through the top of the protector.

4. The Magnetic Album - This type of album lets journal entries and photos “stick” to the paper. Its really easy to get a nice looking album together fast. HOWEVER, the acid in the paper will quickly deteriorate your photos and memorabelia. See Caution note below!

CAUTION:Make sure that no matter what type or size of album that you end of using, that you get an album that is archival. That means that it uses acid free materials and that all papers / pages in it are lignin free. Also, never, ever use a magnetic album to store photos in. In just a few years, the photos will STICK to the magnetic stuff, and you’ll never get them free without ruining them.

5. What is the purpose of using acid-free products?

Acid pages such as those used in magnetic albums will cause your pictures to age prematurely. This includes sticking to the page, chemically breaking down, and yellowing. Acid-free products help you PRESERVE your memories for years to come. Acid-free glue, pages, corners, stickers, pens, and much more will help you keep your album safe and pretty for years to come.

6. What are the four (4) different types of acid-free adhesive?

Photo Stickers - Small squares of double-sided tape.
Photo corners - These come in a variety of colors and are good for mounting square pictures.
Double sided tape - Good for mounting lite-weight memorabelia.
Glue - This comes in both temporary and permanent varieties.

7. What 'tool' is used to sharpen scissors and punches when they get dull?

To sharpen your scissors or punch, cut fine sandpaper or aluminum foil. To keep them clean, cut wax paper! More tips: http://scrapbook.lifetips.com

8. Name five (5) different types of acid-free paper used in Scrapbooking.

Vellum - Really nice fancy paper for special projects. It was once made from animal gut, but is now manufactured from wood fibre which is, beaten until clear, or plastic. It has wonderful translucent quality and is slow to absorb ink.

Cardstock - This is easiest and cheapest scrapbook paper. Its available in lots of colors.

Printed Paper - This may be cardstock or other type of paper, but it has designs pre-printed on the paper.

Cover Paper - This paper is heavier weight, and is usually reserved for decorating the front-cover of your scrapbook. It comes in a variety of colors and designs.

Paper Shapes - Pre-cut paper designs used to decorate themed pages. They can at times be 3-dimensional or artistically rendered.

Textured Paper

9. Make a scrapbook of at least 12 pages (8 1/2 x 11 or larger) on one of the following themes, and incorporating the use of colored paper, stickers, decorative scissors, matting and journaling.

School Year
Sporting Events
Vacations'
Holidays
Building Projects (mission trips, new home, etc.)
Wedding
Birthday Party
All About Me (birth to now)
Family Reunions

Some tips for getting started:

1. Get organized. Find one place to put all the stuff you want to put in your album. This includes the photos, but may also include other “relics” or memorabelia that you wish to include. For example, if you’re doing a scrapbook on your school year, you may want to have a report card, a balloon from a special party, and the championship medal you won. These will all go into your scrapbook soon.

2. Choose your Scrapbook type. Is your scrapbook going to be a chronological record of events, or a memory of a special theme or event? Once you’ve decided, start to organize your photos accordingly.

3. Collect, create, or organize your journal entries. See requirement #2 for more details.

4. Collect your scrapbooking supplies. Many stores sell scrapbook kits. Some basic supplies include: a scrapbook album, refill pages, acid-free adhesive, a acid-free pen, cardstock and printed papers (see req. 8), and a sharp set of scissors. Other helpful supplies such as paper cutters, corners, etc. can be purchased/used as necessary and as the budget allows.

Note: Remember that Pathfinders come from many backgrounds, and you need to be sensitive to limited budgets and resources. In this AY Honor, we’re introducing them to the craft, not funding the craft! However, if there is someone in the Pathfinder community that will let the club borrow their scrapbooking supplies, enjoy them and say thank you when you return the well-cared for supplies.