Scrapbooking is a creative hobby that preserves memories through photos, journaling, and embellishments. It offers benefits like stress relief, cognitive improvement, and social connection. To start, gather basic supplies like an album, paper, and photos. Follow online tutorials or join a scrapbooking community for inspiration and guidance.
Scrapbooking
as a hobby
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Categories: Paper Crafts
Related Hobbies: Photography
I love scrapbooks. They are one of the finest ways of dejunking life and abode… A good scrapbook is interesting and inspiring even to the stranger…Well put together scrapbooks and photo albums have warmed more hearts than any bound book… Without a good scrapbook, much that’s memorable in life is forgotten or damaged or lost…
Clutter’s Last Stand: It’s Time to De-junk Your Life!, by Don Aslett
Helpful content to get started
The page is curated to inspire and help you get started with scrapbooking as a hobby.
Overwhelmed? Play a random video or podcast to start getting familiar with scrapbooking.
We strive for accuracy, but errors may occur. Always use your judgment. Refer to the listed resources for further research.
Videos
Short visual inspiration.
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Podcasts
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Mark Twain, an avid scrapbooker, patented a self-pasting scrapbook in 1872, which became wildly successful.
Celebrity Invention: Mark Twain’s Scrapbook – The Atlantic
Terms
Basic lingo for orientation.
General Terms
- Acid-Free: Refers to materials that are chemically stable and will not degrade or damage photos and paper over time. Essential for archival quality scrapbooking.
- Haul: A collection of new scrapbooking supplies recently purchased.
- Journaling: Writing captions, stories, or descriptions to accompany photos or layouts.
- Scrapbooking: The creative art of preserving memories through photos, journaling, and embellishments in an album.
- Stash: A scrapbooker’s collection of supplies.
- Theme: A central subject or idea for a scrapbook, such as a vacation, wedding, or family history.
Tools and Techniques
- Crop: Refers to either a gathering of scrapbookers working on projects together, or the act of trimming photos or papers to improve composition or layout fit.
- Die Cut: Pre-cut shapes or designs used as embellishments.
- Distressing: Techniques to give paper or embellishments a vintage or aged look (e.g., tearing, sanding, inking edges).
- Embossing: Creating raised designs on paper using special tools and powders.
- Inking: Applying ink to edges of paper for added dimension and color.
- Mixed Media: Incorporating various materials and techniques beyond paper, such as paint, fabric, or texture mediums.
- Punches: Tools that cut decorative shapes or edges into paper.
- Stamping: Using inked stamps to add designs to pages.
Materials
- Adhesive: Materials used to stick elements together, such as glue, tape, or glue dots.
- Brads: Small fasteners used to attach elements to a page.
- Cardstock: Thick, sturdy paper used as a base for layouts or photo mats.
- Chipboard: Thick cardboard used for album covers or embellishments.
- Decorative Paper: Patterned paper used for backgrounds or accents.
- Embellishments: Decorative items like stickers, buttons, lace, or sequins.
- Ephemera: Collectible memorabilia like tickets, brochures, or maps that are incorporated into layouts.
- Eyelets: Small metal rings inserted into paper to reinforce holes or add decoration.
- Ribbon: Fabric strips used for decoration.
- Vellum: Translucent paper used for layering or adding a subtle effect.
Album Components
- Mat: A piece of cardstock placed behind a photo to create a border.
- Page Protector: Clear plastic sleeves that protect scrapbook pages from damage.
- Pocket Pages: Page protectors divided into pockets of various sizes to easily slip in photos and journaling cards.
- Pull-Outs: Hidden elements that can be pulled out to reveal extra photos or journaling.
- Tuck Spots: Small areas on pages where items like journaling cards can be inserted.
Styles and Layouts
- Clean and Simple (CAS): A style characterized by minimal embellishments and a focus on white space and clean lines.
- Collage: A layout style combining multiple photos, memorabilia, and decorations on one page.
- Heritage Scrapbooking: Focusing on preserving and showcasing older photos and family history.
- Shabby Chic: A distressed style using crumpled paper, sanding, and vintage elements.
- Sketch: A template showing where to place photos, journaling, and embellishments on a page.
Digital Scrapbooking Lingo
- Blending Modes: Settings in digital software that control how layers interact with each other, affecting color and transparency.
- Clipping Mask: A digital technique used to “clip” a digital paper or pattern into a shape or text, allowing the pattern to show only within that shape.
- Digital Embellishments: Digital images of embellishments like ribbons, buttons, stickers, and frames, used to decorate digital pages.
- Digital Kit: A collection of digital papers, embellishments, and sometimes templates, sold or offered for free online.
- Digital Paper: Digital images of patterned or solid-colored papers used as backgrounds or elements in digital layouts.
- Digital Scrapbooking: Creating scrapbook layouts using software and digital elements on a computer or device.
- Hybrid Scrapbooking: Combining digital and traditional scrapbooking techniques, often by printing digital layouts and then adding physical embellishments.
- Layering (Digital): Arranging digital elements on top of each other in software, creating depth and dimension. Layers can be rearranged and edited independently.
- Quick Pages: Pre-designed digital templates where you simply insert your photos, making digital scrapbooking very fast.
- Template: Pre-designed digital page layouts that users can customize by adding their own photos and elements.
Term Videos
First Steps
How to break the ice and make a start. One Aha! moment is all you need.
- First, decide whether you want to start with traditional or digital scrapbooking.
Traditional Scrapbooking
- For traditional scrapbooking, begin with a scrapbooking kit and some basic tools.
- If you don’t have printed photos, use an online printing service or a photo printer at home.
- Follow YouTube videos for tips, ideas, and inspiration.
Digital Scrapbooking
- For digital scrapbooking, choose an online scrapbooking platform or app and follow video tutorials and how-to guides.
First Steps Videos
Cutting, gluing, and designing scrapbook pages improve fine motor skills, especially for older adults or those recovering from injuries.
Products
Essentials to have.
Scrapbooking Kits
Scrapbooking Tools
Scrapbooking Supplies
Photo Printing
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How-Tos
Step-by-step tutorials.
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The term “crop” originated from the act of cropping photos and now refers to social scrapbooking events where hobbyists gather to create pages together.
Books
Get read-y.
Articles
Further reading.
History of Scrapbooking
Benefits of Scrapbooking
- Cognitive Benefits of Scrapbooking for Seniors – Bethesda Health Group
- Creative Nostalgia: Social and Psychological Benefits of Scrapbooking: Art Therapy: Vol 38 , No 2
- Scrapbooking as an Intervention to Enhance Coping in Individuals Experiencing Grief and Loss
- Scrapbooking Improves Memory | Lifeline
- The Methodological Potential of Scrapbooking: Theory, Application, and Evaluation – Ros Walling-Wefelmeyer, 2021
- The Science of Scrapbooking – What Every Parent Needs to Know
- The scrapbook as an autobiographical memory tool – Barbara J. Phillips, 2016
Video Articles
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Dedicated enthusiasts can attend scrapbooking retreats or even cruises where they can work on projects while traveling.
Websites
Go-tos for information.
Traditional Scrapbooking
- Creative Memories Scrapbooking Supplies – Creative Memories
- Kiwi Lane | Blissfully Simple Scrapbooking…It’s Easier Than Ever!
- Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine Papercrafting | Scrapbooking
- Scrapbook More Consistently | Simple Scrapper
- Scrapbooking Project Ideas – Scrapbook.com
- ScrapbookingCoach.com | Scrapbooking Inspiration & Tips Resource!
- ScrapHappy
Digital Scarpbooking
- Digital Scrapbooking at DigitalScrapbook.com
- Digital Scrapbooking HQ – Learn to Scrapbook Using Your Computer
- MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software and Scrapbook Kits
Digital Scarpbooking Software
- Artisan® 6 | FOREVER.com
- Easy photo editing software – Adobe Photoshop Elements
- Free Online Scrapbook Maker – Create Digital Scrapbooks | Canva
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program
- My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software | MyMemories
Online Photo Printing Services
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Movies & TV
Nothing like a good film or a show for inspiration.
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Thomas Jefferson was an avid scrapbooker, preserving newspaper clippings, poetry, and memorabilia in personal scrapbooks during his presidency.
Thomas Jefferson’s Scrapbooks: Poems of Nation, Family and Romantic Love Collected by America’s Third President, by Jonathan Gross
FAQS
Get a clue.
Q: What exactly is scrapbooking?
A: Scrapbooking is the art of arranging photos, journaling, and decorative embellishments in an album to create lasting keepsakes of memories and stories. It’s like creating a visual diary of your life or special events.
Q: How do I get my digital photos into my scrapbook?
- Print at home: Use a home photo printer and photo paper.
- Use photo printing services: Online or local stores offer photo prints in various sizes.
- Instant print cameras: Instant cameras like Instax or Polaroid print photos instantly – fun for events and on-the-spot scrapbooking.
Q: Can I scrapbook digitally?
A: Yes, digital scrapbooking is an option. It involves using software or online tools to create layouts that can be printed or shared digitally. There are many great online platforms and apps for digital scrapbooking.
Q: What are the types of scrapbooking?
A: There are two main types: Traditional Scrapbooking (using physical albums, papers, and embellishments) and Digital Scrapbooking (creating pages on a computer or tablet using software and digital elements). Many people also enjoy Hybrid Scrapbooking, which combines both traditional and digital methods.
Q: Why do people scrapbook? What are the benefits?
A: People scrapbook for many reasons! It helps preserve precious memories, provides a creative outlet, is relaxing and mindful, allows for personalized gift-making, and is a wonderful way to tell stories through photos and words.
Q: Is scrapbooking only for preserving memories?
A: No, while memory preservation is a key aspect, scrapbooking can also be a purely creative outlet or an artistic way to express yourself.
Q: Do I need to be artistic to scrapbook?
A: Not at all! Scrapbooking is about personal expression and memory keeping, not professional art. There are tons of beginner-friendly layouts and ideas available. You can start simple and develop your style over time. It’s more about the memories than perfect artistry.
Q: What are the basic supplies I need to start scrapbooking?
A: To begin, you’ll need:
- A scrapbook album
- Photos you want to preserve
- Adhesive (photo-safe glue or tape)
- A pen for journaling (acid-free is best)
- Some paper (cardstock or patterned paper)
- Scissors
A scrapbooking kit is a great way to start.
Q: What should I scrapbook about?
A: Anything you want to remember! Popular themes include:
- Vacations
- Family events (birthdays, holidays, weddings)
- Baby milestones
- Everyday moments
- Hobbies and interests
- Family history
Q: How do I get ideas and inspiration for my scrapbook pages?
A: Inspiration is everywhere! You can find ideas from:
- Scrapbooking websites and blogs
- YouTube videos
- Podcasts
- Scrapbooking books and magazines
- Other scrapbookers in communities or online forums
Q: Is digital scrapbooking easier than traditional scrapbooking?
A: Both traditional (paper) and digital scrapbooking have their pros and cons. Digital scrapbooking can be less messy, easier to correct mistakes, and often takes up less physical space. Traditional scrapbooking offers a tactile experience and the charm of handmade crafts. “Easier” is subjective and depends on your preferences and skills. Many beginners start with traditional scrapbooking to get a feel for it.
Q: How do I preserve my scrapbook pages so they last?
A: Use acid-free and lignin-free materials to prevent yellowing and damage over time. Store your scrapbooks in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Page protectors are also essential for keeping pages safe from dust and fingerprints.
Q: Scrapbooking vs. Journaling vs. Art Journaling vs. Junk Journaling
- Scrapbooking: Focuses on preserving memories through photos, memorabilia, and decorative elements. It often involves a structured layout and is visually driven. Typically more structured with a focus on memory preservation and visual storytelling. Known for its polished and structured layouts, often using specific scrapbooking materials.
- Journaling: Emphasizes written content, such as thoughts, feelings, and experiences. While it can include photos, the primary focus is on the written word. Journaling can be more free-form and personal.
- Art Journaling: Combines art and journaling to express thoughts and emotions through mixed media techniques like painting, drawing, and collage. It is often more spontaneous and experimental.
- Junk Journaling: Involves creating journals from repurposed materials with a more spontaneous and eclectic approach. It combines elements of journaling and scrapbooking but is generally less structured.
FAQ Videos
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Apps
Smart start.
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The creative process of scrapbooking has been shown to reduce stress and promote relaxation by helping individuals focus on positive memories.
Courses
Get smart.
Traditional Scrapbooking
- Creating an Illustrated Scrapbook (Nuria Mel.) | Domestika
- Online Classes | The Scrapbook School
- Project Life Method to Amazing Scrapbooking | Becky Higgins
- Turning Memories into Artwork: A Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking | Mei-Ying Chow | Skillshare
Digital Scrapbooking
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Community & Near You
Get together.
Related Videos
Scrapbooking stimulates memory recall by encouraging individuals to revisit photos and stories, making it a beneficial activity for cognitive health.
Tips
Additional advice for beginners.
Video Tips
Marielen Wadley Christensen is credited with modernizing scrapbooking. In 1980, she displayed over 50 volumes of her family’s photo memories at the World Conference on Records and later opened the first scrapbook store in Utah.
Related Hobbies
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Additional Information
Hobby attributes.
| Attributes | Value |
|---|---|
| Activities | |
| Fields | Arts, Crafts, History and Culture, Home and Interior Design, Literature, Personal Development, Spirituality, Wellbeing |
| Locations | |
| Participants | |
| Skills | Adaptability, Attention to Detail, Concentration, Creativity, Cultural Awareness, Divergent Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Fine Motor Skills, General Knowledge, Hand-eye Coordination, Humor, Imagination, Innovation, Memory, Mindfulness, Organizational Skills, Perseverance, Planning, Research |
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