Just getting started in scrapping? Good choice!

My interest in scrapbooking started quite differently than most, but my reservations were quite similar to the feelings most people might face when embarking on a new adventure. I started out as my wife’s ‘assistant,’ helping with some titles and ideas that I thought would look nice. Even though in the back of my mind I toyed with the idea of doing my own layout, I was overwhelmed with thoughts like:

“I can’t do it as well as some of the other people I saw doing really gorgeous layouts.”

“I’m not artistic.”

“I have some ideas of what to do, but I don’t have the ability to put them on paper.”

The fact of the matter is, these were just excuses. You must get past these feelings of inferiority. (It took me quite a while before my first attempt.)

So, you need to put yourself in a relaxed mindset. Tell yourself and believe that whatever happens, you will have some preserved memories that will last a lifetime, no matter how exactly your page turns out. There is no such thing as a “failing page.”

Now chances are you’re getting started after seeing someone else’s scrapbook, whether you were invited to a bring-a-friend crop, saw a book when visiting a neighbor, or just picked up a magazine at a craft store. Keep in mind that the people who did these were once beginners too, and their layouts didn’t always look like that. I have learned that I should not compare my work to others. The more practice you get, the more comfortable you will be, and the more you will develop new skills.

Don’t strive for perfection. In some of my layouts, the edges of the pictures may not be even. I may have had to correct a word in my journaling, my stamping ink might have smudged, and I might have had to patch it. On this layout, I ended up coloring yellow over a mistake to mask it, then writing the rest of the title right over the error.

Believe it or not, I still like the layouts even when they’re not perfect.

Start off slow. It’s like math. You need to know how to add before you can multiply or do algebra. There are so many products to buy. You don’t need everything at the beginning. I started out basically with patterned paper, cardstock, and stickers. As you get used to laying out photos, you can always start trying new things. That is what happened with me. It came in stages...stamping, embellishments, fibers, all came in due time, but sometimes I like to go back to the ‘basics.’ In one of my most recent layouts, “Park Play,” I mostly use photos and stickers.

Also, you don’t need to try and conform to one particular style. Like I told my campers who had signed up for the scrapbooking club, “There is no right or wrong way to scrapbook. Everyone has their own styles, and you don’t have to have the same style every time.”

I personally have several “styles.”

My wife thinks I have a ‘cutesy’ style, like you see in “A Series of Smiles.”

Very often, I have a colorblocking style, like in “Shayna Punim.”

Whatever your pictures tell you to do at the time is how you’re going to create your layout. Let it happen.

Another helpful tip is to be aware of timing. When you’re having troubles, put those pictures on the side and go back at a later point. Very often, that short break could relax you for you to come up with new ideas.

Finally, I have found that most scrappers like to talk about their craft. Other customers in the scrapbook aisle at the big chain stores or employees at the local scrapbook stores are great people to ask questions or opinions. Of course, there is also this website. Ah ha! Hope to see your first few layouts posted in the gallery soon.

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See more of Ian's work in our gallery.