Scrapbooking ParadiseScraps of Paradise – unique and hard to find scrapbooking supplies

I think it’s fairly true to say that most of us have the desire to be creative but unfortunately we don’t all possess the necessary talent to be an artist or sculptor. This is one of the big attractions of scrapbooking. It enables most of us to produce something which is not only attractive but is also unique to us and, usually, of a very personal nature.

So what’s involved and where should you start?

First, decide on the subject and theme of your scrapbook. It will almost certainly be on some aspect of your life, the birth of a baby, children, your childhood, military career, wedding, family, sports, achievements, the list is endless.

So now we have our theme we want to sort through our photographs and organise what we have in to some sort of order. This is purely a personal choice there is no hard and fast rule. Go with what you like.

Be careful when handling your photographs. You want your scrapbook to last a long time. One of the great things about scrapbooks is they can be passed on to the next generation who can then get a wonderful picture of what their ancestors life was like. It’s unfortunate that we can’t always experience that ourselves as our predecessors weren’t into scrapbooking as much as we are today. Still, we can do it for our future generations.

Back to handling photographs. Always, at the very least, wash your hands before handling the photos. The natural oils on our skin can damage them and cause them to deteriorate over time. Ideally get some cotton gloves and always wear them when handling your pictures.

Old photos, in particular, can become brittle and crack or break quite easily. Computer scanners are not expensive these days and is the perfect solution for preserving your photographs by scanning them onto your computer. This has the added benefit that you can then use graphics software to manipulate them. This doesn’t have to be an added expense either as there are available quite a few different programs for free on the internet which are excellent and very capable of producing quality results.

Using these programs you can resize and crop pictures, create effects such as removing or blurring the background, add frames to the pictures and all manner of things. Once done your pictures can be printed out on a color printer ready for mounting in your scrapbook.

So far we’ve only put together what would constitute an ordinary photo album. A scrapbook is something else. It is photographs enhanced with decorations such as patterns on the page, borders, titles, embellishments such as personal items, trinkets, medals etc. Photographs are usually mounted on a decorative background called a matt or with decorative corners. It really is somewhere that your imagination can be unleashed.

A very important part of any scrapbook page is what is referred to as journaling. Writing to you and me. Journaling is what really gives life to the page as it details the what, why, when, who and where of the page and the picture. As with anything else in the scrapbook there are a myriad ways to present the journaling on the page. It can be written on the page itself, on a contrasting piece of cardstock or vellum stuck to the page, on a completely separate piece of paper and placed in a small envelope stuck to the page.

Commercially there is tons of stuff available for scrapbooking. Rub ons, transfers, die cuts, ribbons, decorative paper, colored paper, cardstock, buttons, pre made objects of all descriptions. Of course you will also need the basic materials and tools in order to make your scrapbook. Your local craft shop will turn out to be a veritable Aladdin’s cave and you will have to be careful not to get carried away. There you will find all the tools and necessary items like adhesives of which there are many: double-sided adhesive dots, photo tape, glue pens, photo corners, non-permanent glue, squares or strips, glue sticks, and bottled glues.

Always look for acid and lignin free materials and adhesives. Anything that is not free of these will be damaging to your scrapbook.

As you have a computer you don’t need to visit your local craft shop as all the scrapbook supplies you could ever desire are available online and even with delivery are very competitively priced. Of course there’s nothing like browsing round scrapbooking shops filled with all the wonderful items available where you can see and touch it all.

Talking about the internet though, there are many, many sites that offer all manner of things for scrapbooking for free. Free page layouts, cut out designs, clip art, quotes, poems and much, much more.

I know this has been fairly brief but I hope it’s given you a rough idea as to how to get started. Scrapbooking is a massive subject and yet it can be started without having to know it all at once. Hopefully this has given you enough to take that first step towards creating a timeless memento for you and your family.

Is scrapbooking for you? Want some more tips and free picture editing videos? You can find them here How To Scrapbook

3-ring 40 Page 12×12 Ivory Memory Book Box $26.99 Capture your memories in style with a 3-ring Memory Book BoxAlbum is perfect for your next scrapbooking projectAlbum boasts sophisticated leatherette cover

Pioneer Sewn Leatherette Frame Cover 3-ring Brown Scrapbook Box with Ribbon Closure $25.44 Capture your memories in style with this Pioneer Sewn Leatherette Three-Ring Brown Scrapbook Box. This scrapbook includes 40 pages, and 1.25-inch D-ring and is archival- and photo-safe.

Fabric Frame 20-page 8.5×11 Blue Memory Album with 40 Bonus Pages $25.99 Keep your memories organized and on display with the 8.5×11 fabric frame albumMemory book features a sky blue fabric cloth cover Scrapbook album comes with four refill packs

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Pioneer Sage Green Fabric 8.5×11-in Memorybook with 40 Bonus Pages $27.99 Keep your memories organized with this this sage green fabric memorybook from Pioneer. With easy-to-use top-loading pages, this album includes 20 pages and 40 bonus refill pages for 8.5-inch x 11-inch-inch paper.

Pioneer Photo Albums Aqua Memory Book (20 Bonus Pages) $25.99 Keep your memories organized with this Pioneer brown and aqua fabric memory book. This book includes 20 pages and 20 bonus refill pages for 12-inch by 12-inch paper.

En Vogue Designer 12×12 Scrapbook Album with 40 Bonus Pages $30.49 Aged floral scrapbook album is the perfect way to preserve memoriesComplete your crafts collection with this lovely albumMemory book fits 12×12-inch paper

Pioneer Sewn Leatherette Frame Cover 3-ring Navy Blue Scrapbook Box with Ribbon Closure $25.07 Capture your memories in style with this Pioneer Sewn Leatherette Three-Ring Navy Blue Scrapbook Box. This scrapbook includes 40 pages, and 1.25-inch D-ring and is archival- and photo-safe.

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Pioneer 12×12-inch Deep Black 3-Ring Memory Book Binder (20 Bonus Pages) $21.99 Keep memories organized with this Pioneer deep black fabric frame cover memory book binder. This binder includes 20 bonus refill pages for 12-inch x 12-inch paper.

Pioneer Photo Albums Brown Fabric Memory Book (12 x 12) $25.49 Keep your memories organized with this Pioneer brown fabric memory book. This book includes 20 pages and 20 bonus refill pages for 12-inch by 12-inch paper.

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Pioneer 8.5×11-inch Chocolate Brown 3-Ring Memory Book Binder with Refill Pages $19.49 Keep memories organized with this Pioneer chocolate brown fabric frame cover memory book binder. This binder includes 20 bonus refill pages for 8.5-inch x 11-inch sheets.

Pioneer Photo Albums Black Fabric Memory Book (12 x 12) $26.49 Keep your memories organized with this Pioneer black and grey fabric memory book. This book includes 20 pages and 20 bonus refill pages for 12-inch by 12-inch paper.

Pioneer Black Fabric Frame Cover 8.5×11 Memorybook with 40 Bonus Pages $25.49 Keep your memories organized with this this Pioneer black fabric memorybook. This album includes 20 pages and 40 bonus refill pages for 8.5-inch x 11-inch-inch paper.

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Tropical Frame 20-page 12×12 Memory Album $26.99 Store your memories in style with a festive tropical-theme scrapbook album.

3-ring 40 Page 12×12 Red Memory Book Box $24.1 Capture your memories in style with a 3-ring Memory Book BoxAlbum is perfect for your next scrapbooking projectAlbum boasts sophisticated leatherette cover

Fabric Frame Deep Black 12×12 Memory Book with 40 Bonus Pages $27.99 Scrapbook album is the perfect way to preserve memoriesComplete your crafts collection with this classic albumFramed memory book fits 12×12-inch paper

Black 12×12 Memory Book Binder with 40 Bonus Pages $27.49 Collect all your cherished memories in this scrapbook albumAlbum features a black Oxford leatherette cover with goldtone corner piecesMemory book binder features D-ring design plus four refill packs

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Fabric Frame Sage Green 12×12 Memory Book with 40 Bonus Pages $26.99 Scrapbook album is the perfect way to preserve memoriesComplete your crafts collection with this classic albumFramed memory book fits 12×12-inch paper

Pebbles Share & Tell Baby Pink 12×12-inch Photo / Scrapbooking Album $26.09 The Share & Tell Album offers simple ways to organize and display photos. The album features a durable, easy-to-clean leatherette cover, metal bookplate on the spine for easy labeling, 4×6-inch photo window on the front cover and protective metal corners.

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Pioneer Ivory Diamond Fabric with Ribbon Trim Cover 8×8 Memorybook with 40 Bonus Pages $28.49 Keep your memories organized with this this Pioneer Ivory Diamond Fabric and Ribbon Trim Memorybook. This album includes 20 pages and 40 bonus refill pages for 8-inch x 8-inch paper.

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Peel and Stick Clear 4×6-inch Photo Holders (Pack of 10) $6.29 Put your memories where you want them with picture holders from C-line Products. This set of peel and stick photo holders lets you attach your photographs to scrapbook pages, binders and more.

Pioneer 8.5×11-inch Deep Black 3-Ring Memory Book Binder with Refill Pages $23.99 Keep memories organized with this Pioneer deep black fabric frame cover memory book binder. This binder includes 20 bonus refill pages for 8.5-inch x 11-inch sheets.

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CR Gibson QP-12 Small Recipe Book Pocket Page Refill $4.00 Set of 20 transparent acid-free and PVC-free refill pocket pages for C.R. Gibson Recipe Organizers and Recipe Memory Books. Each page holds two 4 x 6 inch recipe cards….

Bodum 16-Ounce Picture Travel Tumbler/Mug with Picture Insert and Spill Resistant Lid $10.99 Keep your loved ones close at hand while you commute, drive cross-country, or simply sit at your desk, thanks to this customizable travel tumbler. The bottom of the tumbler unscrews so that you can insert a photo between two plastic sleeves across the sides. Or, insert a colorful postcard, your own graphic design, or your five-year-old’s latest crayon masterpiece. The choice is yours, and you can …

Aladdin Blank Canvas Travel Mug 16oz $9.99 Take your creative side by the hand (or handle) and get to work on your Blank Canvas. It can display just about anything you can dream up – original artwork, photos, even your beloved sticker collection….

Barney – Musical Scrapbook [VHS] $7.30 This collection covers some 14 songs taken from other shows, including “Mr. Sun,” “My Kite,” “The Barney Bag,” “Number Limbo,” and of course, “I Love You.” For die-hard Barney fans only (since this material can be found elsewhere), or for the casual watcher looking for an ad-hoc greatest hits collection. –Tom Keogh …

ELLISON Photo Favorites Creative Ideas for Designing Unique Scrapbook Pages with Ellison Die-Cuts …

Cloth Frame 8×8 Postbound Albums This 8″ fabric covered postbound album features a large 2-7/8″ x 2-3/4″ photo window on the front cover, 10 top-loading, crystal clear, archival, photo safe, and acid & PVC free polypropylene page protectors with heavy cardstock inserts, and a clear vinyl dust cover. Album measures 9″ x 9-3/4″ x 1-1/8″. Album is available in a variety of colors, each sold separately….

Graphic 45 Staples, Stamped Geometric Metal Door Plate and Matching Knob $6.14 GRAPHIC 45-Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples. The perfect metal adornment to your paper crafts. This package contains one antique- style Geometric Metal Door plate and Knob set. Measures 7×2-1/2 inches. Mini brads included for attaching. Imported…

Graphic 45 Staples, Stamped Ornate Metal Door Plate and Matching Knob $6.14 GRAPHIC 45-Metal Door Plate and Knob Staples. The perfect metal adornment to your paper crafts. This package contains one antique- style Ornate Metal Door plate and Knob set. Measures 7×2-1/2 inches. Mini brads included for attaching. Imported…

West Side Story (Special Edition Collector’s Set) $27.99 The winner of 10 Academy Awards, this 1961 musical by choreographer Jerome Robbins and director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) remains irresistible. Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, the film stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighborhoods–and ethnicities. The film’s real…

Tony Hawks Secret $10.89 Tonys Hawk’s Secret Skate Tour from Slam Films follows Tony Hawk and friends as they show up unannounced in skateparks throughout the West and session alongside whoever happens to be there. It includes footage with Rodney Mullen, BAM, BOB, Shaun White, Kerry Getz, Ryan Sheckler, Alex Chambers, Mike Vallely, Donny Barley, Brian Sumner, and Mike Escamilla….

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