Scrapbooking | Make a home for your photos

Thinking of new and creative ways to show your printed images but have run out of frames or space on the shelf?

Why not try scrapbooking? It could be a fantastic and fun way to store and show your prints, whilst showing off your creative, arty side!

Scrapbooking is a great hobby to be enjoyed by anyone of any age and any ability, a really fun way to display happy memories and special moments whilst enabling you to put your own individual touch to the presentation by decorating the pages and arranging the prints in your own unique style.

Here, we bring you some simple steps on how to get started on this fun and fulfilling hobby.

Things you will need to start your scrapbook

1. Scrapbook
2. Photos
3. A high-quality paper trimmer such as a Rotatrim paper trimmer
4. A high-quality self healing cutting mat such as a Rotatrim cutting mat
5. Craft paper, stickers and decorations
6. Writing and drawing materials
7. Glue and scissors etc.

5 Simple steps to get you started

1. Decide on your theme or topic

   Scrapbooking is a great way to give your photos a home, a story you can tell in your own words. It can be an amazing holiday or a special moment with a loved one, once you have decided on the topic, it couldn’t be easier to put together. Here are 2 ideas to narrow things down a bit:

   Go small – start with something that means a lot to you.

   Organise your photos around your theme or topic – This can be an easy way to get you focused. A theme around a birthday, travel experience, graduation or holidays with family, any highlight of your life.

2. Choose your preferred album size

   The standard size of a scrapbook is 12” x 12”but larger and smaller sizes are available in craft stores and on line.

The size you choose will depend on the amount of photos you plan on mounting, however the standard or smaller size book is a good place to start.

3. Choosing your photos

   Choose your photos sensibly, good quality photos are best and remember, less is more.

   – Use photos with the best focus and lighting
   – Avoid blurry and dark images
   – Embrace the creative photographer that you are! Choose images that are more than just smiley faces and staged photos, perhaps a baby’s little feet or hands, candles on a birthday cake, an insect on a flower!
   – If possible, print photos on to a matt finish paper as it will be less likely to show fingerprints.

4. Designing your layout

   Designing a great layout can sometimes be the challenge of scrapbooking. Below are some key points to help you in designing and creating your scrapbook.

   – Choose a focal point on the page. What do you want to draw the attention to? Put your photo on that focal point and arrange your design around this to make it stand out (to the best of its potential)
   – Trim your photos to different shapes and sizes. There is no limit to what you can do, use collages or grids to put smaller images together, this will give you more space to get more photos on your page.
   – Websites such as Pinterest are great places to look to get ideas for your scrapbooks

– Remember this is YOUR scrapbook, have fun, there are no rules, let your imagination and creative side run free! A scrapbook is something to look back on and not only remember the great images inside but also the enjoyment you had putting something so personal together.

Get in touch with your enquiry

We hope you have enjoyed reading the post and have found it helpful. If you are looking into purchasing a new paper trimmer or cutting mats for your craft projects, please visit our product page which highlights all our main paper cutting machine models for more information, we have a wide range of robust and high-quality paper trimmers that are suitable for use in homes, offices and schools. For any enquiry, contact us on 01234 224545 or send us a message via our online contact form.