Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking How To's 1. Choose Photos - choose only the best photos - great expressions, clear images, good detail - photos that highlight the event. Organise the photos in some way - same event, same theme, chronological order. 2. Arrange Photos - after selecting photos for a page, experiment with the layout. Arrange and rearrange until the layout satisfies you. Crop and mat photos for added interest. 3. Crop Photos - Cut away unwanted parts of photos, keeping just the focal subject. You may want to keep cars, houses or other background images in some photos, for future reference. 4. Mat Photos - glue the cropped photograph on a piece of paper (the mat) and trim the paper close to the edges of the photograph. Try different combinations of edgers and straight scissors to crop photographs and mats. Journaling - personalise your page by journaling names, dates and place of event. It's important to be specific. 'Grandma, June 1996 in her flower garden' is nice but it's better to write 'June 1996 Grandma is very proud of her flower garden. Grandma taught all six grandchildren the wonder of growing things.' Add mementos from the event. Fiskars (Australia) Pty Ltd. has supplied these tips.

Scrapbooking Tips 1. Use paper products certified as 'Acid Free'. Avoid coated papers, as these may typically be very alkaline on the pH scale. 2. Use a high quality pigment ink for stamping. Most dye-type inks are relatively unstable, whether or not they are acid free. Make sure all stampings are thoroughly dry via heat setting or embossing. Always emboss metallic inks with a clear powder or heat set and isolate metallic ink stampings with their own protective sleeve. 3. Use archival quality materials, avoid cheap glues, tapes, sleeves or any contact of adhesive with sensitive materials! Isolate any organic materials such as flowers, leaves etc., with their own protective sleeve. 4. Reactivity is the real issue! Protecting your scrapbook from moisture (including high humidity), sunlight, heat and other environmental factors will greatly reduce reactivity in a vast majority of archival situations. Clearsnap Inc. has supplied these tips.