Many people say, sure I’d love to scrapbook if I had nothing to do
all day but cut and paste things. The real waste of time is not
creating a scrapbook, but rather taking pictures, dropping them off
at the store, picking them up, putting them in a box, and then
wasting numerous hours trying to find a specific picture months
later. Why take pictures if you’re just going to coral them in the
closet like cattle? Making a scrapbook is about preserving memories
for future generations. With scrapbooks, people organize their
pictures, souvenirs and mementos into themes and create
mini-histories using safe materials to ensure the photos will last
ages. Simply put, scrapbooks are more than fun times with friends,
or that fulfilling feeling you get when you create something.
Scrapbooks are is also an investment in your family and future
generations.
Find Time to Scrapbook
Alright, so how do you make time? Don’t think you have to belt out a
scrapbook in one sitting. Most people are short on time with a tall
list of things to do, so their goal is to create a page here and
there which will eventually complete a themed album. Like with
anything else you want to accomplish, you must schedule time and
break your project into little steps. You can sort through photos
while the kids nap or are out to play. Think up themes and come up
with design ideas when you are out and about and bombarded with
color combinations. If you have a small child or children you may
find it difficult to schedule time to breathe, let alone scrapbook,
but there is always time, even if all you can spare is fifteen
minutes here or ten minutes there, at least you can get a little
done, like sorting pictures or placing one on a page. Once you have
experienced the rewards from scrapbooks, you’ll find that time for
it magically appears.
Scraping Lingo
Acid-Free
When wood goes through the process which turns it into paper, acid
is added to assist in breaking down the wood. Once acid is added to
a process, it doesn’t just stop working, you must neutralize it. So,
the acid in paper, still alive and kicking, is a real enemy to
photographs as it will destroy your pictures in time, which is why
acid-free is such a common term in this craft. Everything from paper
to glue must be acid-free. A “buffered” paper is one where
additives, such as calcium carbonate are used to neutralize the
acid.
pH
This is a term you’re probably familiar with if you make homemade
soap or maintain a pool. pH refers to the level of acidity in
whatever the item is you’re testing, in this case paper. The scale
ranges from 0-14 with 0-6 being too acidic, 7 neutral, and anything
above 7 has too much alkalinity. To give you some examples, battery
acid has a pH of 1, milk measure at 7 and ammonia has a pH of 12.
Because scrapbook pros want to stay away from acid in their paper,
anything with a pH of 7 or above is good.
Lignin
Sounds like a tasty berry, but it’s not. Lignin naturally occurs in
trees as they grow, but when a tree is processed into paper, lignin
is responsible for turning it yellow and brittle with time.
Photo-Safe
Photo-safe is a term you’ll often see on packing or in instructions.
This means that the embellishment, paper or glue will not harm your
photographs. This is often another term for acid-free, but either
way, make sure everything you use from paper to pencils, had one
term or the other on the package.
Sheet Protectors
Finished scrapbook pages are often slipped into sheet protections
before being inserted into the final album. Like all items you use,
make sure that they are acid-free. The Polypropylene variety sold in
grocery and office supply stores is not acid-free. There are also
smaller protectors for smaller items you want to add to the
scrapbook, but don’t want to put adhesive on. With these items, such
as a very old letter, you would put it into the protector and then
adhere that to the page.
Cardstock
Cardstock is a heavier, studier paper making it an ideal backing for
pages with heavier embellishments or more photographs.
Adhesives
These are used to attach photos and other items to your scrapbook
pages. There are many types of adhesives used in scrapbooks for the
various items used in an album (remember, this country was founded
on freedom of choice, so beginners, don’t roll your eyes with all
the choices with you.) Remember to make sure that the adhesive is
acid-free and be sure note if you’re using permanent or nonpermanent
glue. Once you put it in place, it is there to stay with permanent
glue, while with nonpermanent glue you will be able to pick up the
item and attach it elsewhere. Other types of adhesives include tape,
double-sided tape, liquid, and stick glue, and spray adhesive. Spray
adhesive is excellent for gluing larger items. Because you spray it
on, there is a thin even layer of adhesive, so when you place the
item in the scrapbook you do not have hills and valleys of glue
underneath. You can also use adhesive tabs which come in a variety
of shapes large and small.
