What are organic embellishments?
Organic embellishments are nature’s beauty. You can decorate your scrapbook pages with organics, or in other words elements found in the environment made from natural materials. Organic embellishments can really be anything, but the following are some great examples: dried flowers, dried leaves, jute, hemp string, rocks, moss, leather, wood, clay, seeds, feathers, raffia, pine needles, wheat straws, twigs, etc.
When do you use organic embellishments?
You can use organic embellishments whenever you want throughout your scrapbook layouts. You will want to use them whenever you want an embellishment that reflects nature, and the beauty found therein, in addition to your keepsake photos. For example, you could compliment your beautiful daughter’s pages with dried flowers; you could add to your camp out layout by including leaves, jute or hemp string, rocks, moss, etc.; you can combine any number of organic embellishments to turn a basic scrapbook page into a work of art and natural beauty.
How do you use organics?
Obviously you will want to use organics on your pages in addition to your photos of the outdoors, etc. But, the question becomes, how do you use them the best way? The answer—you can use them in their natural state, or stamped, cut, stained, layered, etc. Basically whatever and wherever your imagination takes you with your embellishments. You can layer them to embellish tags, envelopes, titles, borders, photo mats, or can even stand alone on the page. However, they best reflect and support the natural theme when placed beside meaningful journaling and outdoor photos.
Where do you get organic embellishments?
You can purchase organics like dried flowers, etc. at pretty much any craft store, scrapbook store, or hobby store. Or, you can go outside and take a walk. Pick a flower and press it yourself. Take a leaf off the ground and dry it. Simply take a nature walk and see where it leads you and what beautiful additions of nature you can pick up and incorporate into your pages.
Organics have obviously been around for centuries, and have been used in the domestic setting for centuries as well. From flower arrangements that adorn coffee tables, the flower arrangements men give their wives after a fight, for a special occasion, or just because, to the wood carvings that hold meaning for many indigenous nations, and everything in between. Organics are used to express beauty, but also serve function purposes, as we use clay and other organics to make tiles, clothing, and even dinnerware. However, it is not until somewhat recently that people realized what a beautiful addition organics make to scrapbook pages and layouts. And, as you can now see, organics commonly frequent scrapbook pages, but because no two flowers are alike, you find beautiful variation, and every layout is unique. You too can use organics to serve functional purposes (for example, you can use hemp string to tie together a folded journaling, or to hold an album shut), or for cosmetic purposes (such as layering dried flowers and plants on a tag to create a beautiful addition or embellishment for any outdoor themed scrapbook page.
So, now that you know what organics are, where they originated, and how they are best used, it is time to go home and incorporate them into your scrapbook pages. Always be on the look out for broken off flowers you can take home and press, beautiful leaves, twigs, feathers, shells, etc. All of these make great additions to any scrapbook.