Scrapbooking Page Layout Beginners Tips
If you are creating a scrapbook page for a magazine cover, then that's one thing, but, if you are interested in organizing a bunch of photos into meaningful scrapbook pages keep this in mind:
KISS--Keep It Simple Sweetie--KISS
The scrapbooking magazines are full of scrapbook layouts that look great and take several hours each to complete. And if you'll notice, they often have only one or two photos per page. Most of us have way too many photos we want to include to take that approach.
So here is a compromise; why not make an elaborate 'cover' page that only has one or two photos & describes the events and behind it include several very simple pages of many more photos and maybe a sticker or two. If you use the same colored background for all these pages it would 'group' them nicely. Or just include plastic sleeves of photos after the cover page if it is a big trip and you have lots of photos.
Scrapbook Layouts
Generally, I find that I can cut (crop) alot of boring or repetitive background off of photos without loosing any of the impact of the picture. In fact, it is just the opposite. Good cropping makes a photo look better. This also lets me get more photos on my page. Generally photos look best with straight edges and a narrow colored mat that 'picks up' one of the colors in the photo. Save the fancy edged scissors for decorative borders or the mat around the photo.
I find rectangular photos lend themselves to a page arrangement with the corners of some pictures overlapping another photo. I can hide clutter or unsightly background and give a movement to the layout with a path for the eye to follow.
Scrapbook Page Titles
I find it easiest to make my title cut-out letters or title box a separate piece of paper that I attach to my layout. That way, I can move it around and see where it looks and fits best and if I goof-up, it is easier to fix. If I'm using alphabet letters I printed from my sets, and it looks a bit too big, I can print another sheet at 75% size. You can use my Free Instant Scrapbook Page Title Maker.
Scrapbook Journaling
This is 'scrapbook talk' for the text or writing that you put on the page to describe the event. It is easiest by far to do this on a separate piece of paper and attach to the layout than writing directly onto the page. You can draw light lines to guide you or use a light-box with a piece of lined paper underneath. I love using a glass topped table with a lamp sitting on the floor underneath for a BIG light-box. A sunny window works too but you'll have to write upright like a teacher on a blackboard !! Many of my sets include text boxes made especially for journaling with light lines on them. Remember that you can print them in different sizes to suit your page. One of our sets is all journaling boxes in lots of colors and sizes. Remember you can always print them in pastels by using your printer's 'draft' or 'economy' setting.
You can also do your journaling on a computer or typewriter and cut out the text to attach to your layout. There are a gazillion free fonts on the internet that you can download & install on your computer, just go to www.Google.com and do a search for 'free fonts' and spend 5 days looking at the results!! Your computer probably already has fonts that would be fine.
June 26, 2008
Scrapbooking Page Layout Beginners Tips
Scrapbook Ideas for Your Baby Album
Scrapbook Ideas for Your Baby Album
A scrapbook album of your babys first year is one of the most special albums youll ever complete. There are so many magical memories, beginning with the pregnancy itself and continuing right through your babys first birthday. Below are a number of scrapbook page ideas to help you capture those precious moments.
Title Page
A great way to start the album is by matting a 5x7 or 8x10 of your babys hospital photo on the first page. Then add the babys name and birthdate as the title and subtitle respectively. This makes a very simple yet very beautiful page.
Baby on the Way
How did you celebrate the news that your baby was on the way? Maybe it was a quiet dinner just for you and your husband or a gathering with family and friends. Either way, remember to include some pictures of the celebration. Capture peoples reactions to the annoucement in photos. In addition, you may even want to take a picture of the pregnancy test showing the positive results.
The Ultrasound
If you had multiple ultrasounds during your pregnancy, include pictures from different points in time so you can see how your baby was growing. You may also want to include one that shows the graph of the heartbeat. In addition to journaling about the ultrasound pictures, this is a great place to journal about any nicknames you may have had for your baby before it was born.
The Belly
Starting at three months, when the pregnancy bulge is just barely noticeable, have someone take a monthly side-view picture of you. Pose in front of the same background each time so that the pictures are consistent. Try to fit all of the photos on one page (or a two-page spread), so you can really appreciate the month-by-month progression.
The Nursery
Include photos of the nursery all ready and waiting for baby; take pictures from different angles to show everything in the room. Be sure to include pictures of anything that has special meaning such as a bassinet that has been in the family for multiple generations, a special blanket made by Grandma, etc. Also, if you have one, include a photo to show what the room was before it became a nursery.
Welcome Baby
Those first pictures taken of your baby after the birth are some of the most precious ones youll ever have. Rememer to include your baby being weighed, having his/her footprints done, being examined, getting a bath, etc. You can put memorabilia such as the footprint card, bassinet name tag and baby id bracelet on these pages. Include key information/statistics in your journaling babys full name, date, day, time, weight, length, details about your labor, name of the doctor/midwife, etc.
Mom, Dad and Baby
Its wonderful to have a page with pictures of just the three of you Mom, Dad and Baby and then include siblings, grandparents, etc. on other pages. Journal about how you felt upon meeting your baby for the first time, whether your baby resembled anyone in the family, how your baby reacted to hearing your voice, etc.
The Rest of the Clan
Once you have a page or two of Mom, Dad and Baby photos, its time to include the siblings if your baby has any. Capture how excited they are to meet their new baby brother/sister and how proud they are to be big brothers/big sisters. This is also a great page to put any little cards, drawings, etc. that siblings may have made to welcome your new baby.
Visitors at the Hospital
Your new baby is sure to have many visitors at the hospital such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more. Include a picture of each one holding the baby and write an interesting fact and/or anecdote about each person in your journaling. Also, you may want to include pictures of the doctor/midwife who delivered your baby, the labor nurse and/or the doula.
Going Home
Going home from the hospital is a big event! On this page you can include pictures of leaving the hospital, a photo of the outside of the hospital, and the birth announcement. Journal about who took you and the baby home, what the weather was like for your babys first time ever outside, what he/she was wearing for a "going home" outfit, and what he/she did during the car ride home.
The New Family
Its nice to have a couple of pages showing the new family settling in at home over those first few days. Be sure to include a picture of everyone (Mom, Dad, siblings) with the new baby, plus a picture of the whole family. Put some of the flowers and balloons received as gifts in the background of the pictures to add a special touch. This is a great place to journal about how the family dynamic changes when the new little one joins the clan.
Visitors at Home
In addition to having photos of the visitors that came to meet your baby at the hospital, youll also want to have pictures of the visitors at your home. Again, include a picture of each one holding the baby and write an interesting fact and/or anecdote about each person in your journaling.
Siblings
If your baby has siblings, you can make a separate page for each sibling with lots of photos of the big brother/big sister with the new baby. Depending on how old the sibling is, he/she may be able to help you create the album page by arranging photos, picking out embellishments and providing input for the journaling (e.g., what is the best thing about being a big brother/big sister).
Heritage
If your baby is lucky enough to meet his/her great-grandparents, have a page or two with pictures of them holding the baby. Ask the great-grandparents to share some of their most cherished childhood memories so you can include them in your journaling. When your baby is older, he/she can read their stories to get a glimpse of childhoods long ago.
Source: Author Lisa Fleming is an avid scrapbooker and the owner of Scrapbook Town, LLC
Title Page
A great way to start the album is by matting a 5x7 or 8x10 of your babys hospital photo on the first page. Then add the babys name and birthdate as the title and subtitle respectively. This makes a very simple yet very beautiful page.
Baby on the Way
How did you celebrate the news that your baby was on the way? Maybe it was a quiet dinner just for you and your husband or a gathering with family and friends. Either way, remember to include some pictures of the celebration. Capture peoples reactions to the annoucement in photos. In addition, you may even want to take a picture of the pregnancy test showing the positive results.
The Ultrasound
If you had multiple ultrasounds during your pregnancy, include pictures from different points in time so you can see how your baby was growing. You may also want to include one that shows the graph of the heartbeat. In addition to journaling about the ultrasound pictures, this is a great place to journal about any nicknames you may have had for your baby before it was born.
The Belly
Starting at three months, when the pregnancy bulge is just barely noticeable, have someone take a monthly side-view picture of you. Pose in front of the same background each time so that the pictures are consistent. Try to fit all of the photos on one page (or a two-page spread), so you can really appreciate the month-by-month progression.
The Nursery
Include photos of the nursery all ready and waiting for baby; take pictures from different angles to show everything in the room. Be sure to include pictures of anything that has special meaning such as a bassinet that has been in the family for multiple generations, a special blanket made by Grandma, etc. Also, if you have one, include a photo to show what the room was before it became a nursery.
Welcome Baby
Those first pictures taken of your baby after the birth are some of the most precious ones youll ever have. Rememer to include your baby being weighed, having his/her footprints done, being examined, getting a bath, etc. You can put memorabilia such as the footprint card, bassinet name tag and baby id bracelet on these pages. Include key information/statistics in your journaling babys full name, date, day, time, weight, length, details about your labor, name of the doctor/midwife, etc.
Mom, Dad and Baby
Its wonderful to have a page with pictures of just the three of you Mom, Dad and Baby and then include siblings, grandparents, etc. on other pages. Journal about how you felt upon meeting your baby for the first time, whether your baby resembled anyone in the family, how your baby reacted to hearing your voice, etc.
The Rest of the Clan
Once you have a page or two of Mom, Dad and Baby photos, its time to include the siblings if your baby has any. Capture how excited they are to meet their new baby brother/sister and how proud they are to be big brothers/big sisters. This is also a great page to put any little cards, drawings, etc. that siblings may have made to welcome your new baby.
Visitors at the Hospital
Your new baby is sure to have many visitors at the hospital such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more. Include a picture of each one holding the baby and write an interesting fact and/or anecdote about each person in your journaling. Also, you may want to include pictures of the doctor/midwife who delivered your baby, the labor nurse and/or the doula.
Going Home
Going home from the hospital is a big event! On this page you can include pictures of leaving the hospital, a photo of the outside of the hospital, and the birth announcement. Journal about who took you and the baby home, what the weather was like for your babys first time ever outside, what he/she was wearing for a "going home" outfit, and what he/she did during the car ride home.
The New Family
Its nice to have a couple of pages showing the new family settling in at home over those first few days. Be sure to include a picture of everyone (Mom, Dad, siblings) with the new baby, plus a picture of the whole family. Put some of the flowers and balloons received as gifts in the background of the pictures to add a special touch. This is a great place to journal about how the family dynamic changes when the new little one joins the clan.
Visitors at Home
In addition to having photos of the visitors that came to meet your baby at the hospital, youll also want to have pictures of the visitors at your home. Again, include a picture of each one holding the baby and write an interesting fact and/or anecdote about each person in your journaling.
Siblings
If your baby has siblings, you can make a separate page for each sibling with lots of photos of the big brother/big sister with the new baby. Depending on how old the sibling is, he/she may be able to help you create the album page by arranging photos, picking out embellishments and providing input for the journaling (e.g., what is the best thing about being a big brother/big sister).
Heritage
If your baby is lucky enough to meet his/her great-grandparents, have a page or two with pictures of them holding the baby. Ask the great-grandparents to share some of their most cherished childhood memories so you can include them in your journaling. When your baby is older, he/she can read their stories to get a glimpse of childhoods long ago.
Source: Author Lisa Fleming is an avid scrapbooker and the owner of Scrapbook Town, LLC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
