Question: "I've been scrapbooking for 9 months or so now and I find it very hard to settle into a project . My problem is that I don't want to print out photos until I'm sure which one I'll be using and at what size. I can't figure out which paper to choose until I know which photos I'm using, I can't decide on a layout until I know how many photos I'll be using. So like I said chasing my tail." - From Pamela
Answer: You are right in your first instinct which is that you should start with the photos. I thought to answer your question that I would walk you through the process that I use to create a scrapbook page.
Answer: You are right in your first instinct which is that you should start with the photos. I thought to answer your question that I would walk you through the process that I use to create a scrapbook page.
1. Select a Group of Photos
Select photos that I am feeling inspired to work on. The photos that I pick will all be tied together in some way, either based on theme (pet page, personality page, etc.), event (first day of school, birthday, vacation, etc.), or person (Dad page, sisters layout, etc.).2. Print the Photos Choosing a Focal Point
Once I have selected the group of photos that I want to work with, I pick the strongest photos from them. I pick one of the photos to be the focal point of the layout, and the rest of the photos will be the supporting pictures. I usually print the focal point photo as a 4x6 inch photo and print the rest smaller (or crop them smaller). This is one of the reasons why my photo printer is an essential scrapbook tool.Visit 5 Tips for Creating a Focal Point for more ways to make that focal point photo stand out.
3. Select Papers and Possible Embellishments
Now that I have decided on my photos and decided which of them will be the focal point, I start selecting paper. I tend to use a combination of patterned papers and solid cardstock on most of my scrapbook pages. The easiest way to pull together a page is to use page kits, or coordinated sets from the same manufacturer. Usually these kits have matching embellishments such as stickers and chipboard, making it very quick and simple to decide on what you want to use on your page.4. Select or Draw a Sketch
So now, I have my photos, I have selected my paper colors and embellishments, it is time to start playing around with the layout of the page. I always get everything in place before I adhere anything to the final layout. Sometimes I will pick a scrapbook page sketch that inspires me, other times I will sketch out a new idea, and other times I just start laying photos on the papers until I have a design that I like. This is where I spend the most time working on a scrapbook page.5. Print Title and Journaling Box
Once I have my photos and papers sitting in place, I then select a font for my title and journaling. The title could be created using stickers, die cuts, but most often, I print it on coordinating or matching cardstock. I measure the space that I have for my journaling box, create a text box that size in my word processing program and fill it in with text.If you want to print directly on to a card, journaling box, or other embellishment that came with a page kit, you may first want to read How to Print on Tags, Journaling Boxes, and Embellishments for Scrapbooking.
6. Adhere Everything to the Page
Now that everything is in place, and I like the placement, it is time to go ahead and start using adhesive. I carefully move each item to get down to the background of the layout and start adhering pieces in layers until all the parts are stuck down to the scrapbook page. Consider using foam adhesive tape during this step to raise some pieces up off of the page surface.These to see color step by step photos of this process read the article Making a Basic Scrapbook Page.
