3D ITEM LIST

There are literally hundreds of items available for you to use to add interest to your scrapbook pages. Here are a few:

• Eyelets
• Magic Mesh
• Seed Packets
• Brads
• Ribbon
• Yarns/Chenille
• Buttons
• Jute/String
• Mini Clothes Pins
• Pipe Cleaner
• Tags
• Gems
• Foamies
• Wire
• Mini Envelopes
• Metal Pieces
• Sandpaper
• DMC Floss
• Dried Flowers
• Paper Doilies
• Rick-Rack
• Iron Ons
• Tissue Paper
• Beads
• Material/Lace
• Crochet Snowflakes
• Charms
• Glitter
• Sea Glass
• Corrugated paper
• Paper Clips
• Raffia
• Hair Accessories
• Baby Booties/Caps
• Silk Butterflies/Bugs
• Confetti
• Silk Leaves
• Tin Foil
• Ribbon Roses
• Ribbon
• Yarn
• Tiny Bows

 

WHERE TO FIND 3D ITEMS:

There are as many places to find 3D items as there are items to be found! Try looking at your local office supply store, craft store, craft fairs, hardware stores, your garage, thrift and junk shops, paper stores, gift wrap catalogs, artist supply houses, paper suppliers, florist shop, stamping stores, of course, your local Scrapbook store.
IS IT SAFE?

Here really is the big question…is it safe? Maybe Yes-- and maybe No.

You have to be aware that many of these items were never originally intended for use in archival memory albums.Most of these items however are in nature PH neutral or non acidic.Glass and plastic beads for example are not made with the wood/paper products that could contain harmful fibers or oils.As long as you place these items where they will not scratch photos, or place them directly on top of a photo you will be fine. Be sure to store your albums upright so as not to cause damage to neighboring pages. You also have to accept the fact that adding three dimensional items to your pages will make your books appear fuller, you will not be able to fit nearly the same number of pages inside them.

Items that are made of paper products such as mini envelopes or tags can be tested with a PH pen prior to use. I think EVERYONE should have a PH pen in their supply tote. I test everything! Also, I make it a point to keep three dimensional items away from photos on layouts…just to be safe.

HOW TO ADHERE YOUR 3-D ITEMS:

This is also important. There are lots of different ways to adhere your embellishments. There is a proper adhesive for every job. Just as a carpenter wouldn’t use wood glue to attach a shelf to the wall don’t use a lightweight repositionable adhesive like Hermafix Dots to attach a metal piece.
Here are a few adhesives and how you could use them.This will mostly be a matter of experimentation for you -try something, if it doesn’t work – try something else.

Tabs: Use this for anything heavy or metal pieces that are flat. This is great for most flat embellishments.

Adhesive Tech Fine Line: Use fine tip glue pens for tiny things, and for delicate items that need a fine line of glue like paper doilies.

Double Stick Tape (ACID FREE): this is great for wide ribbons, for tinsel, sea glass pieces, micro beads, or rows of buttons.

Xyron: Use this for things like skeleton leaves, tiny flat items, pieces of lace, small seed packets etc.

Glue Stick: This works wonders for silk leaves and flower petals. It also helps keep the ends of your jute/hemp/rope together, and is a great all purpose adhesive for embellishments, foamies and iron ons.

Memory Mount: This is a SUPER sticky and thick liquid glue that works wonders on charms, buttons,pieces, and other lumpy or uneven items. It takes a while to dry but is well worth it!!

Sewing: Another low tech option. I will actually sew buttons or bits of cloth onto the paper. It holds well, looks good, and can be quickly done by hand.

Foam Dots: These handy little dots are about 1/8 of an inch thick. They work well to add dimension to otherwise flat items like toppers and squares. They also work well to hold on concave items like hollow backed charms and buttons.

WHEN TO ADD:

This is a really personal issue.It totally depends on the artist’s style. Minimalists may like to add one subtle item while "fillers" like to use lots of stuff and fill up negative space --both are fine! Use your 3D items to accent the main photo on a layout, the title, journal boxes, borders, corners, piecing, or paper dolls. A little goes a long way, and when in doubt go with the theory "less is more." You can always come back in the morning and add more -- it’s much harder to remove after the fact if you over do it.

Add three dimensional accents that will help make the theme of your layout more apparent to the viewer, like buttons on a sewing theme page, or mini clothes pins on a laundry page.Use the items to help add whimsy to your pages and give the viewer something unique to draw their attention.It is a fine line however as to when you are embellishing so much that it takes away from your photos, so be judicious in your use of 3D accents.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

Keep a few basic tools on hand at all times. Some suggestions would be: a light weight hammer, a small cutting board, wire snipers, a metal stylus, Undo adhesive remover, locking and regular tweezers, a matte knife, different size punches, sand paper, paint brush, sewing needles, safety pins, and a tiny screwdriver.

PAGE IDEAS:

Here are some ideas to get you started using three dimensional embellishments:

1. Use paper doilies on a heritage page, or on a valentine page. Journal inside one, or use it for a photo mat. Many of these are now acid free!

2. Adhere real sand or shells to a beach themed page

3. Use eyelets to create a flower center, or on a paper pieced shoe

4. Make hearts, angel halos, or stars from pipe cleaners.

5. Use distressed metal pieces on a western or cowboy themed page

6. Use crochet snowflakes on a winter page

7. Adhere small ribbon roses to paper vines on a garden or mother’s day page

8. Use diaper pins to hold paper pieced diapers on a baby page

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