How to Create a Layout:
How to scrapbook? There's no right way to start making a scrapbook page.
Everyone has
their own technique. But if you really are stumped on how to
begin,
maybe you'll find some help in reading how I make a page.
I
begin by gathering all my photos related to an event and cropping them.
The term cropping simply means to cut your photo to only include the
subject and/or what is important in the photo. However, not all photos
should be cropped. Some photos are so beautiful nothing should be cut
out. Use your judgment.
Cropping does two things. It
allows the photo to be made smaller so that more photos can fit on a
page. See how many photos fit on the 8.5"x11" page shown
below?
Cropping also makes the photos stand out by showing the
subject
clearly and eliminating anything distracting in the background.
Many photos
can fit on one page when they are cropped
I often use my plastic template stencil to cut my photo into
an oval,
smaller rectangle, etc. After I have all my photos cropped, I
choose a
background paper. The patterned pages are nice, but more
often than
not I choose a solid color of cardstock as my background. To
choose
the color to use, I look at all the photos I want on the page and see
if there are colors that stand out. If the person is the
photo is
wearing a blue shirt then a blue background would look nice with them.
Next, I pick another complementary color of cardstock that
goes well
with the background paper. It may be another color that
appears in the
photos. This cardstock will be used to mat the photos.
I place all
the cropped photos on the piece of cardstock, in whatever way
they fit
best, and glue them down with the glue stick. Then, I cut
around the
photos leaving a thin border of the cardstock to act as the mat.

When all the photos are matted, then I arrange them on the
background
paper in a way that they all fit well and is pleasing to the eye.
Make
sure you leave room for a title and some journaling too. Once
you have
it layed out right, glue the photos down.
Next it is time to add a title and journaling to the page.
It is
important to add the date and to identify who is in the photos.
Family
members generations from now may look at your scrapbooks and want to
know who the people in the photographs are. You can use the
fonts on
your computer and print right on your cardstock to add titles
and
journaling, or write it out by hand with a marker. There are
also some
great websites with wonderful ideas. Click here for
free scrapbooking printables.
This site has some excellent scrapbook graphics to download
for free.

Examples of matting photos and
adding titles to pages
Scrapbooking takes some time and patience but it can be a
very
relaxing and enjoyable hobby. You will feel so proud that you
are
preserving your memories for generations to come!