Craft Blog

Journaling is one of the basics for scrapbooking. It helps you tell the story of your pictures. It answers the main questions of who, what, where, when and why. It enhances your pages and your photos. There are a lot of ways to become great at journaling. Remember to tell the story by answering the questions of who, what, where, when and why.  Then you can use any of the following ideas alone or in a combination.

 Write a sentence about the event. Describe more then just the facts.
"At Beth’s sixth birthday party  the kids had fun playing pin the tail on the donkey"
 If there is something funny that happened around the time the picture was taken, then include a phrase about it on your page. The memory will be kept alive. A great journaling technique. 
 Write the cute things your kids say if it fits the theme of your page.
 Include favorite quotations.
 Use parts of great conversations.
 Describe emotions or the sentiment brought out by the page layout.
 What are your thoughts while looking at your photo? Write it down.
 Tell the story of the picture in detail write it on paper to match the layout.
 Write about the things you know, real things that have happened to you.
 Practice daily, the more you use writing the easier it becomes.
 Use bullets, varying the forms to fit your need. These can be dotted bullets, stripped bullets, or any other range you can think of.
 Find a tone, your personal attitude and how it fits with your page. Is the tone sentimental, silly, or just factual? Think of the tone before writing.
 Think of your audience and what you want them to know about the page.
 Include favorite scriptures.
 Put favorite poetry lines in your journaling.
 Look for hidden stories in your photos, not just what the picture is of but what could be lurking in the backgrounds.
 Use the computer to print out your story and you can fit more onto a page. You can find the perfect font and it will be a cleaner copy.
 Use your own handwriting. Future generations may cherish that you took the time to write your own memories.
 You can use stickers. If they say what you want and add something to your page it can still be thought of as journaling.
 Filing a mock report can add humor to a page.
 Include menus or recipes for parties or special dinners.
 Write from the heart.
 Write on precut templates. These come in many different shapes and sizes making it easy to find one that fits your mood of the page.
 Use nursery rhymes in children’s or baby books.
 Use lists. Grocery items for a big dinner, things to see on vacation. There are any number of lists that you can include on your page. Add lists of favorite things.
 Include song lyrics from favorite songs.
 Write around the edges of your photos. You can do whole verses, songs, or stories or just repeat a line.
 Journal on every page with a description of the page. This will help others understand your page and the event.
 Write on die cuts to reflect the mood of your page. One that will enhance and compliment the work you want to focus on.
 Use postcards to journal while on vacation. Send them to yourself and then mount in your scrapbook. Instant journal and a nice picture.
 Write like in a diary.

Journaling is something that needs to be practiced. The more you do the better you’ll feel. Keep trying, look around you for ideas. Look at other scrapbooks, or magazines. Look at journals of others and decide what you like about them. With practice and time you’ll find what you like and don’t like and can become great at journaling.

With all the supplies you have for scrapbooking you are sure to end up with some clutter. Either in your workspace or on your pages. If you have too much clutter in your workspace it will be hard to find what you need and may become overwhelming. Scrapbooking is supposed to be something you do for enjoyment and being overwhelmed does not help. There are ways of organizing your space whether your space is large or small. Decide what type of scrapbooker you are and what are your major areas of clutter. Where do you need the most help? Do you scrapbook at home or travel to friends homes? These will help in deciding what products to buy to help control the clutter in your scrapbooking.

There are specialty stores that make organizing products just for scrapbooking. These items can be found in scrapbook stores and some craft stores. You can also purchase some on-line. These can make it easier to organize but they also cost a bit more. If scrapbooking is a passion this may be the best for you. These products were made for your supplies so may be easier then looking for something that will fit. You’ll also need some room to put these and if space is tight in your home you may want to look at some other options. You could also buy these and dedicate a corner of a room to whichever product you choose. The goal of these products are to make it easier for you to get at what you need for your pages. You can purchase rolling bins for scrapbooking on the go. There are many products available you need to decide what is best for you, your pocket book, and your clutter.

While out shopping look around in hardware stores, super stores, and office supply stores. While these products may not be geared especially for your scrapbook supplies they can be very useful. Booksheves are great for finished or extra albums. They can also hold bins that you put your products into. You can buy some wall shelves and this would save you floor space for a table or storage drawers. Kitchen or laundry cabinets would work to hide away some of the clutter. But it should still be organized for easy access.

You can buy products that can help organize the clutter. Pen and magazine holders at office supply stores will get some of the smaller items off the table and out of the clutter. Plastic storage bins are great for ribbons, stamps, chalks, or little embellishments. Take pictures of what is in the bins for an easier time when doing a page. Three ring binders are great for sticker sheets. Use tabs to organize by themes or Seasons. This way you don’t spend all of your time searching.

If your scrapbook space is also the dining room table then you may need to be more creative with how you de-clutter your scrapbooking. Puzzle carriers would be great for transporting a page in construction. You can move the pages without disturbing pages that aren’t glued down yet. Buy an over the door shoe rack holder. Put your smaller embellishments like eyelets or ribbons into plastic baggies and then put them into the shoe space. You can even put a picture on the front to help you find what  you need.

If there is clutter on your scrapbook pages it is harder for someone looking to know what to focus on. Not all scrapbook pages need to have tons of embellishments. Simplify some  pages and overdo others, but don’t do everything on every page. Don’t add little bits of everything onto your pages. Maybe add one or 2 of your favorites and save some for another page. Matting photos is great for bringing the eye in a showing the focus. A simple white matte with very little journaling can have a powerful impact. Make just one photo the centerpiece and journal directly on the photo. Don’t overdo it with the photos or you once again will be distracting the viewer.

Controlling the clutter in your scrapbooking requires thought and creativity. The very things that scrapbooking are about. Take simple steps into organizing the clutter and little by little your workspaces will look better.

Every scrapbooker has paper.  Patterned paper, plain paper, paper in every color, and scrap papers and yet they always want more. But after you get all these papers what do you do with all of them? How do you organize this mountain of paper? After all, you’ve spent money on all these cute pieces of paper to add character  to your pages. You want to keep them in shape for the next time a page calls for that certain style of paper. Let’s take a look at the different options to store the papers and the characteristics of each.

You should start by organizing the papers themselves. You can do this by color, or theme. For organizing patterned papers such as gingham or plaids you can sort them by the predominant color. Make other categories according to the types of paper you have.

You can organize your papers by the brand. This method is good for color matching. If it is a favorite paper and you run out you’ll know what brand to look for. Scrappers who do a lot of contests seem to like this method. It makes it easier for them to then list the products they used on the page.

If you use a lot of paper in your scrapbooking you will most likely have scraps of paper. You can also organize these paper scraps  and use them again for smaller projects. Ziploc bags are great for scraps. The scraps can also be organized by color and theme like you organized the full sheets of paper.

You have your papers organized and now you are ready to find somewhere to store them.  Look for options that fit what you have now and something to grow into. Think of your needs and how you scrapbook. If you travel a lot you may want something that is easy to move. If you do most of your Scrap booking at home then something more permanent might be a good idea.

Look in any scrapbook store or aisle and you will find storage containers for just about anything. There are many storage systems out there for paper. Necessities in a storage system are keeping your papers clean, flat, and organized. You’ll need to know what type of space you have to put your storage system into before heading out to buy one. There are many brands and choices to these specialty storage systems. Prices vary according to what style and size you want.

You don’t have to buy a system specially made for scrapbooking. There are other options out there. There are many makeshift solutions to consider. Some of these options are easy to add on to. The less specialized your system is the easier it will be to find add ons. You still need to make sure it fits the basic requirements of keeping your papers clean, flat and organized.

Vertical storage systems allow for easy browsing of the paper. It’s also a great space saver. Keep the papers tight to prevent bending or bowing. To keep dust from getting on the paper look for a storage system with a cover.

Hanging file systems are another great option. You can group your papers here by color, pattern or design. You need to make sure the system is sturdy to hold all the papers. Having a hanging system on wheels makes it easy for transporting around to where it is needed.

Accordion folders are great for a traveling scrapbooker. It can come with a strap or handle for easy toting. These folders can hold around 500 sheets. Accordion folders are fairly cheap. You can dedicate an entire folder to one color or pattern, making it easy to choose and tote.

Magazine holders make a great storage system. You can add as many or as few as needed. They easily fit onto shelves and you can use just one holder to sort through when needed.

Plastic tubs are also a good option. It is wallet friendly and if you buy big enough you can keep a lid on top to protect from dust. Keep a heavy book or paper weight in the back to prevent your papers from falling.

Horizontal storage systems can also be used. This is how most scrapbook stores display their papers. It takes up a lot of space but if you have many compartments it could save you time finding the desired paper. This would be one of the better ways to organize patterned papers.

There are many different ways to organize your scrapbooking papers.  As long as your papers are kept flat and clean then any storage system you decide on is good.   
    

Scrapbooking is always changing with new and different techniques. A fairly new way to add dimension to your scrapbook page is eyelets. Eyelets, or grommets are reinforcements to a hole in fabric or paper. They are the metal that surrounds your shoelace holes to keep the laces in place. Eyelets have been used on clothing for snaps. They come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Eyelet setting methods have changed over the years, there are some that come as an all in one tool and some that have many different parts.

Older method
Eyelet setters that come with different parts are usually a little more noisy and requires time and patience. You punch the hole in your paper or fabric gradually with a hammer and hole punch until you reach the desired hole size. You need to have a self-healing mat, leather hole punch, hammer and an eyelet setter to set the eyelet where you like. When using this eyelet setting method you need to keep in mind the size of the eyelet. There are also sets for this type of eyelet setting and some come with interchangeable parts to fit your desired eyelet.  It is wise to remember the mat underneath the paper and hole punch as to avoid punch outlines on your worktable. Punch the hole in your paper and then insert the eyelet. Flip the paper over and flatten the backside of the eyelet. You have finished the eyelet and can now add to your scrapbook page.

Newer method
In the past few years there are more kits on the market for eyelet setting. These kits sometimes contain all the parts you need or you can buy parts for them on an as needed basis. These kits require less work and can sometimes be done with one hand. 

The Clikit is one of these eyelet setting kits. The tool is spring-action and helps you punch holes and set eyelets with a simple push on the handle. It comes in a wooden box with ten interchangeable tips two sets of different sized eyelets and a setting pad. It is available in scrapbooking stores or on-line. The price ranges from $12 to $40 and has themed kits also available.

The Making Memories instant setter is much the same. It is spring loaded with adjustable tension and not as loud, although not entirely silent. It has three interchangeable punching tips, four setting tips, and a setting mat that comes in a Making Memories metal box. It is comfortable and easy to use. Pricing is cheaper at around $20.

The Provo craft silent setter comes in a zippered pouch with three punch tips, three setting tips and a setting mat. It really is silent but does take some getting use to. You need to use a little more pressure and a slight twist to set the eyelet. The price is also around $20.

Last of the most popular newer methods is the Crop-A-Dile. This tool can punch anything from paper to metal and even wood. It is silent and looks much like a regular hole punch. But because of its design you it is hard to reach the center of some projects you have. The price tag is about $30.

With all the different eyelet setting methods it is best to try some out at scrapbooking parties to find which fits you and your crafting needs. You may even come up with a new variety to use. All the methods are basically the same it just depends on what you feel comfortable with and the results you want.

Eyelets can be used for many things on your scrapbooking pages. They add dimension to your page. Eyelets are great for holding ribbon between your pages. They can be used as anchors for layering, buttons or eyes on a snowman, stars in the sky, or with many of the same colors as a rainbow. Eyelets can become anything you can imagine.