Taking photographs & preserving precious memories has always been very important to me. I can remember picking up my Mom's camera at 3 or 4 yrs old and taking pictures.......Mom says they weren't half bad either!
I may not be the world's best photographer, but I know that in the years to come I will look back and be thankful I had my camera with me at a certain event or took a picture "just because". Years later, that specific picture may have much more meaning than all the posed photos that we all take.
Photo albums and the safety of keeping cherished memories has come a long way in comparison to recent years. We now know that magnetic albums harm our photos and should be thrown out! (the albums, not the photos!)
In today's world we use acid-free materials to help keep photos safe from yellowing & deteriorating.
World Book Encyclopedia defines a scrapbook as a book in which pictures or clippings are mounted & kept. A photo album is decribed as a book with blank pages for holding things like photographs, autographs, & postage stamps. They sound like the same thing, right? Well, not by today's standards.
When I use a photo album I just take my photos, slip them into archival page protectors and place them in an album. When I scrapbook, I buy acid-free paper (plain & designed), acid-free stickers, die-cuts, tools to make punches, special scissors with designs, idea books to create pages ........etcetera. The finished product is a page designed by yourself with a theme around your chosen pictures, along with journaling to tell a little about your pictures! Then I put the finished page into an acid-free archival sheet protector and create an album. Albums are usually done around a theme (Weddings, Birthdays, Child's 1st Year and so on). One of the hardest things for me to do when scrapbooking is to cut the photos. For so long I've kept regular photo albums, and now to take some of those pictures & cut.....AHHHHH! It just scares me. Make sure you have negatives or even a second print before attempting this! I usually get double prints......this helps me relax while I'm cutting away.
Keep in mind that I've been scrapbooking for about 1 yr 1/2 & still consider myself pretty new to this craft. The above suggestions are only my first impressions and things that I chose to share with beginners. I truly believe that scrapbooking is an evolving & creative craft that will constantly bring new ideas and techniques as the craft grows. Hats off to the many talented scrappers out there with wonderful layouts & ideas.....we all can learn something new from one another! Keep 'Scrappin! |
