When beginning to scrapbook, it can be very intimidating and overwhelming. Below you will find the basic elements of a page. Keep these things in mind and it should lessen the fears of “where do I start?”

First, if you don’t already have your supplies, you may want to check out the article for basic supplies then come back to this one.

Remember, as you become more confident with your own style, feel free to change the rules and then change them some more but here is a great place to get command of the basics.

Crop Photos

Choose photos for a page, beginning with 2-4 photosfor a single or 4-7 photos for a two-page spread. Trim them down, or crop them, getting rid of the stuff that distracts from the photo’s focal point. Be careful not to chop off people’s hands, feet, etc. It’s better to trim at the shoulder. Also, don’t forget to occasionally keep images that will someday be historic such as street signs, automobiles, growing trees, etc. Here are a couple of examples of cropped photos:

Title

A title is used to sum up what is happening on the page. It can be simple or elaborate but should give a solid idea of the theme with one glance. Many scrapbookers use quotes or lyrics for a title or just a verb to entice those viewing the page. Here are a few examples using different media.

Computer printed title

Rub-on letters title

Die-cut letters title

Stickers with marker embellishment

Stamped title and subhead

Meaningful Journaling

Every layout tells a story but the story may be lost to future generations without journaling. In the years to come as people enjoy your work, they will want to know the who, what, where, when and why of the pages. Include names, relationships, what is happening, where they are, when it occurred, and some interesting facts. Journaling may be visible or hidden, depending on the design. Consider including ages of children. Write funny quips about what is going on, special little memories few of us know (and may someday forget).

Visible journaling printed on vellum.

Hidden journaling in a pocket.

Both these happen to be on tags but journaling can go almost anywhere.

Choose papers

Once you have your photos ready, give some thought to the design. There’s no right way to go about it but here is one suggestion to continuing with the design process. After cropping, lay photos on the work surface and choose papers that coordinate. There are a million options for cardstocks and patterned papers. Check out ScrapFriends Reviews if you need some help with paper products.

To begin, choose some colors that are already in the photos. Sometimes just grabbing some colors that you like and laying the photos on top can help move the process along. Watch what happens to the skin tones and see which colors give the subject/s a warm glow. You might be surprised what works. Here are four examples of one photo mounted on four different papers.

Nice pale blue color but it washes out her face.

Darker blue highlights her eyes but it washes out the dress.

Blue in between the other two but with a bit of green, allows the dress to shine and skin tones to warm up.

Hot pink really makes skin tones warm up. It allows the pink in the dress to pop.

I would choose either of the last two colors.

Matting photos

After choosing papers, I select one for the background and mat some of the photos in something contrasting. Matting photos can accomplish several things. If a photo’s colors are close to the same value as the background, it will seem to disappear. Using a mat provides a distinct frame and makes the photo and background stand apart. Matting can also give special importance to a photo by showing it off.

Finish up

Arrange the photos on the page and add journaling.

Look for embellishments: stickers, die cuts, ribbons, etc and arrange them on the page.

Adhere all the elements to the page.

Don’t forget to then upload the page to the gallery so we can all see your accomplishment.

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