A special kind of creativity, scrapbooking, appeared in the 17th century and is rapidly gaining popularity among fans of handicrafts. On the Internet, you can find various master classes for beginner needlewomen with step-by-step tips and photos of original works.
What is scrapbooking technique and what is it used for?
Initially, scrapbooking was based on individual design of family photo albums and books. Later, craftsmen began to decorate photo frames, document covers, purses, bags. Ribbons, lace, beads, buttons, themed stickers, dried flowers and leaves, plastic or wooden inscriptions are used as decorations.
As a result, an ordinary album for storing memorable photos can be turned into an exclusive encyclopedia of family adventures, you can sign and mark your favorite photos with icons, and decorate the cover.
Scrapbooking is a unique type of creativity, in which you can combine all available handicraft techniques (origami, macrame, crochet, embroidery, quilling, decoupage, patchwork, rainbow folding, sewing). So that beginners do not get lost in the great variety, it is worth studying the basic handicraft techniques, from which you can start in creating a unique gift.
Types of techniques:
- Distressing – artificial aging of pages (when paper is tinted, torn or burnt edges, cracks, abrasions, scratches are made, using special inks and withered or dried flowers.
- Embossing – creation of three-dimensional elements (convex designs, letters, using stencils or special powder for heating and melting).
- Stamping – decoration with ink, stamps, creating various effects.
What do you need for scrapbooking?
Before you start working, you must:
- Determine the direction of action, that is, what needs to be created (album, book, frame, cover).
- Make sketches (drawings) of the finished product on paper to understand what tools and materials to stock up on.
- Write a list of the necessary components and purchase them in craft stores or through online stores (it sometimes takes several months to purchase everything you need if you order rare elements from abroad).
- Beginner needlewomen should look at the advice of experienced scrapbooking masters, preferably step by step with photos.
Materials
What you might need for creative design (the set depends on the idea):
- special colored paper with patterns or cotton fabric with bright prints;
- carved multi-colored tapes (these are a kind of paper lace on sticky tape);
- stickers on a chosen theme (children's, wedding, travel, animals);
- wooden or plastic lettering placed on the cover (or three-dimensional letters);
- fabric lace (tape) with Velcro or sewn on;
- satin ribbons of different widths;
- buttons, beads, seed beads (figured and regular);
- dried natural flowers and leaves (twigs);
- metal corners for fixing the edges of the cover;
- small pom-poms (about 1-2 cm in diameter) of different colors (they can act as snow or flowers);
- scraps of fur or leather (natural or artificial);
- sewing accessories (clasps, fasteners, pendants, rhinestones, eyelets, buttons, iron-on patches, chains);
- colored thick cardboard (chipboard);
- shells, flat stones, clock wheels;
- transfer pictures (children's tattoos), patterns, tags from clothes or from the maternity hospital;
- cut-out paper pictures (parts of photographs) or ultrasound images from a woman's pregnancy (they are often used to design albums for newborns).
The options for combinations of materials are shown in the photographs:
Tools
In order for the final work to last for a long time (and possibly be passed down as an inheritance), all elements must be securely fastened.
The following set of tools will help with this:
- Sewing kit (needles, threads, scissors of different sizes).
- Sewing machine (if fabric and sewn-on lace are used).
- Transparent glue, which is selected depending on the type of connecting surfaces.
| Name of the glue | Purpose |
| Universal | For small metal and plastic parts |
| Clerical | For paper parts and photographs |
| In spray form | For volumetric surfaces |
| Sticky pads | To raise elements above the surface |
| Gun | For large volumes of work |
| Double sided tape | Gluing fabric and small elements |
- Scissors with curly edges (for original cutting).
- A shaped hole punch (makes holes in the shape of a leaf, flower, square, snowflake) can be useful for cutting out decorative details from colored paper yourself.
- Non-fading writing instruments (varnish markers, watercolor pencils, archival colored pens, paints).
Ready sketches for pages
Scrapbooking for beginners (all important details are described step by step with photos) is hard to imagine without sketches. In other words, without a draft or sketch of the finished work. This will allow you to see what should be the result.
You can come up with sketches yourself or use ready-made options created by specialists and posted on the Internet.
When drawing a drawing yourself, it is useful to indicate the necessary material. And when using a sketch created by other masters, you can modify or add something, guided by your taste.
What kind of sketches can there be for scrapbooking:
- Rectangular (created for pages, frames, document covers, notebooks), in which the base is square. Example in the photo:
- Rounded sketches (drawn for decorating plates, postcards, round or oval frames). Image example:
- Irregular Shaped Sketches, combining different geometric shapes (to create postcards, complex photo frames), as in the picture:
When creating your own sketch, you also need to decide on the style of work. It can be a gentle vintage (made of aged images, old coins, yellowed lace), a strict and restrained European style (with minimal decorations and many cut-up photographs on one page).
There is also “shabby chic” (characterized by frayed ribbon edges, muted colors, torn edges, and scuffs) or a mix of favorite styles from different eras.
Photo album for a child
For careful and thoughtful storage of your favorite photos, a handmade scrapbook album is suitable.
Step-by-step master class
To create a universal children's album suitable for both a boy and a girl, it is necessary to divide the process into stages:
Planning all work
If you have an idea of the desired result, you need to draw a detailed layout of the cover and each page in a notebook or album. Or download ready-made sketches of pages from the Internet and print them out with notes on where what will be located and what material is needed.
To more accurately assemble the sketch, it is worth deciding in advance on the number of photos to place in the album (this will determine the size of the album, the dimensions of the pages and the method of attaching the photos). For example, if you plan to place a lot of photos, then envelopes will be attached to each page, which will fit several photos of the same period.
When viewing such an album, you need to open each envelope and take out the images, then put them away. It is much more interesting to glue the photos directly to the pages, but such an album will not accommodate a large number of photos. On the other hand, if the author likes the process of making, you can make another album for an older child.
How to make an album cover
The cover can be made of bright fabric, leather or its substitute, paper, oilcloth.
Consumables (for an album measuring 26*26 cm and 5 cm thick):
- Fabric scraps (the size depends on the author’s idea; if a single piece is intended for the entire cover, its size should be at least 40*70 cm).
- Stitched lining made of synthetic padding (to add thickness and softness).
- One-sided adhesive fabric (size of a single piece 55*10 cm).
- Iron.
- A suitable type of glue and double-sided tape.
- 3 pieces of cardboard (2 mm thick) measuring 27*27 cm (2 parts for pages) and 5.5*27 cm (1 part — spine). If the author is going to stitch the cover on a sewing machine, then the cardboard must be thinner.
- Stationery (ruler, scissors, pencil, layout knife, glue brush).
Manufacturing stages:
1. Connecting 3 parts of the cover:
Take 2 large pieces of cardboard and a spine. Place them so that the spine is in the center between the sheets and move the sheets close to each other. Put the adhesive fabric on top of the spine, capturing parts of the pages (the adhesive side of the fabric faces the paper). Iron. The fabric will glue all the parts of the cardboard together.
Reference from the photograph:
Then carefully turn over all the parts, wrap the spine with adhesive cloth and do the same work with an iron, as in the photo:
Then carefully turn all the parts over, wrap the spine with adhesive cloth and do the same work with an iron. The finished product will be movable and will look like this:
- Creating thickness and softness of the cover:
To do this, you will need to cut off one piece of padding polyester the same size as the cover and glue it on the outside (well coated with PVA glue). Trim off the excess.
Next, prepare the main fabric of the cover. If it is planned that it will consist of different cuts, then all pieces of fabric need to be sewn together. Iron the resulting base and place the cardboard blank on it (synthetic padding between the cardboard and fabric), leaving 3 cm of material for allowances. Example in the photo:
Then, double-sided tape is glued along the top and bottom edges of the pages and the edges of the fabric are folded. After that, the same tape is glued to the side edges and the folds of the fabric are formed in the same way. How to beautifully and quickly design the corners is shown in the following pictures:
The end result should look like this:
Glue the free edges with glue for better fixation, as in the photo:
Then decorate the front of the cover with decorative elements, make ties. And finally glue a thin piece of cardboard to the inside of the cover (greased generously with glue). Leave to dry for several hours. Decorate as desired.
Suitable materials for decorating the cover of a children's album:
- fabric or paper in delicate colors (with animals, toys);
- knitted lace, braid, satin ribbons;
- silk flowers, feathers, pompoms;
- buttons and beads in the shape of a stroller, pacifier, baby, animals;
- children's themed stickers;
- wooden inscriptions, small soft toys made of felt;
- figured tapes with pictures of garlands and toys.
Possible options for album cover design for a boy and a girl:
Pages and binding
To create a binding (26 cm by 26 cm with 10 sheets) from scratch you will need:
- Thick white cardboard (2 mm thick) measuring 50*70 cm.
- Stationery knife.
- Ruler and pencil.
Sequence of actions:
1. Draw and cut out 5 strips from cardboard:
- 1st – 26*52.5 cm;
- 2nd – 26*53.5 cm;
- 3rd – 26*54.5 cm;
- 4th – 26*55.5 cm;
- 5th – 26 by 56.5 cm.
2. Draw the future spine in the center of each strip, for which you need to measure 26 cm from the short sides and draw lines. As a result, a strip of different widths (from 0.5 cm to 4.5 cm) should appear in the center of all sheets.
3. Fold each strip inward along two lines and assemble into a notebook, as in the photo:
4. You will get a voluminous notebook. Free space between the sheets is necessary for subsequent decoration of each page. It looks like this:
5. Number each page in pencil and set aside.
The next step is to create page decoration.
To do this, you need to prepare in advance:
- scrap paper (purchased as a set in a single style or assembled to your taste);
- decorative elements of the album (ribbons, beads, buttons, fittings, stickers, tapes);
- 20 transparent office files;
- rubber roller for better gluing of sheets and squeezing out air;
- small stickers (sticky paper) in the amount of 20 pcs.
Algorithm of actions:
- Number the files (one file – one page), example in the photo:
- Include a page background in each file.
- Assemble the layouts of all pages according to the drawn plan (sketches). For convenience, place the necessary details in each file. As a result, each sheet will be clearly visible.
- Take one file with the set, get all the components and connect them together, focusing on the created plan (everything is glued to the background paper, which will subsequently be attached to the cardboard pages. At this stage of work, it is worth attaching only all the flat components, and attach the convex ones at the final stages of assembling the album. Otherwise, it will be difficult to glue the background to the cardboard page). Put it back in the file.
- Repeat with the remaining files, slowly formatting each part. Don't forget to put them back in the files so as not to get confused and mix up the parts.
- Next, the connection of the blanks from files and cardboard pages begins.
- Take the 1st file and the 1st sheet of the notebook, lay them out as in the photo:
- Paste the contents of file 1 onto page number “1”.
- Take file 20 and move its contents to page 20.
- So then transfer the finished parts from each file to a cardboard page with the same number. The spine on the sheets remains white and undecorated (this is important).
- In the process, be sure to number each page again (this can be done with bright stickers) so as not to lose the order of the pages in the album.
- Put it all together. The finished result looks like this:
- Finish decorating the pages by attaching the raised elements (buttons, frames, fasteners, bows, inscriptions, flowers) that remained in the files. At the same time, you need to try to arrange the volumetric parts evenly on the spreads so that the album closes well and there is no deformation of the sheets during storage.
Information that is recommended to be reflected on the pages of a children's album:
- birth of a child (place, date, time, weight, height, who was present, first photos from the maternity hospital or from discharge);
- unusual events that happened on the baby's birthday;
- the dynamics of the child’s growth and development by month and his achievements during these periods (one page – one month);
- first feeding with images of favorite foods;
- first haircut (with a bun of hair in an envelope);
- first words, first steps;
- communication with parents, relatives and peers, as well as with pets (in the form of photographs);
- Be sure to capture the baby's first form of transport (stroller, crib, walker, jumper, ride-on);
- favorite toys and short stories associated with them;
- walks in different seasons (in the park in autumn, with a snowman in winter, on the beach in summer, in puddles in spring);
- going to kindergarten or other preschool institution, memorable moments;
- child's birthdays.
There can be several children's albums, divided by age (from birth to 1 year, from 12 months to kindergarten, primary school and older age). Such division will allow the mother to reflect each period of the child's life and growing up in the corresponding album.
Examples of simple interior design of the pages of a children's album:
Assembling all parts of the album (cover and binding)
To connect the binding to the cover, you will need glue, an awl, satin ribbon, and a needle. Take the first double sheet (with the widest spine), coat it well with glue and press it to the inner middle part of the cover. Glue the remaining sheets gradually, in order of decreasing spine width. It should look like the one shown in the photo:
Leave until completely dry, fixing all glued parts as recommended in the picture:
Once it's dry, all that's left is to stitch the album. To do this, punch a few holes in the center of the spine with an awl, insert the ribbon, and stitch. Tie a bow on the outside.
The finishing touches
The very last steps are to attach the metal corners to the cover so that they do not tear or get dirty. To do this, drop a little glue inside the part and carefully put it on the corners of the cover, press on them for secure fixation. As a result, you will get a finished album, approximately as in the pictures:
Family photo album
Scrapbooking (for beginners, it will not be difficult to make an album step by step with photos) allows you to create a beautiful family book using available and inexpensive materials.
Features of designing family albums:
- It is recommended to choose a vintage design style (if you have a large number of very old photographs) or European (for the younger generation).
- Family albums are usually often looked through. Therefore, it is better to make a soft cover from thick fabric or leather with lining and metal corners. There should be many pages (30 - 40) and, accordingly, a strong stitched binding (or on rings).
- The cover on the outside should be practical with a minimum of fragile details. An example of a book design made of denim for a young creative family is shown in the photo:
- The inner pages can be of different sizes (for particularly valuable photos), for example:
- If there are many photos and you want to fit them all in one album, then you need to attach envelopes for 3-4 photos to each inner page. To prevent them from opening and the cards from spilling out, you should think about locks.
Options for envelope locks:
- ribbon tying;
- an elastic band stretched across the entire page;
- bradsami;
- with buttons or snaps.
The algorithm of actions for creating a family album (similar to the children's album described above):
- Draw a layout yourself or borrow ready-made sketches from the Internet.
- List the necessary materials and tools.
- Prepare everything you need.
- Start by creating pages.
- Make a cover and binding.
- Connect all parts of the album and insert photos.
Information that should be reflected on the pages of a family album:
- a general photograph of all family members and relatives with a brief description (it is better to use the first page spread for this);
- close relatives (parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, grandmothers, grandfathers) in the form of a family tree;
- important events related to family holidays;
- signature recipes from the best family chefs;
- weddings, birthdays, other holidays with dates marked;
- travel map, trips to nature, to visit friends;
- work details (indicating professions and positions of relatives);
- favorite family songs with their lyrics;
- relics, traditions, awards;
- letter to the future.
How to make a card using scrapbooking technique
Scrapbooking (for beginners, step by step with photos, it is easy to create an unusual gift with your own hands) is actively used in decorating postcards. Today, they are not as popular as several decades ago, but weddings, birthdays, Valentine's Day are the very events where postcards have a magical effect and give a piece of warmth.
To create a postcard, you can use ready-made kits from handicraft stores or select everything you need yourself.
Some tips for creating a postcard layout:
- If the birthday boy has a hobby, it is worth reflecting this in the style of the gift (for example, a woman loves to knit, then use knitted decorative elements. Another example, if a man has a passion for watches, then he will like it if the card has wheels from a watch mechanism).
- When celebrating a birthday person’s anniversary, it makes sense to use three-dimensional numbers and an inscription with wishes on the card (inside, reflect the achievements of the birthday person and the wish).
- If the author gives money and knows its purpose (for example, buying household appliances), then it would be original to play with this in the postcard (for example, make an envelope in the form of a washing machine, where the so-called “drum” opens and bills are folded inside, and leave a humorous wish on the next page.
- For a boss or a colleague at work, you can make a postcard with a hint of professional achievements (for example, the base of the postcard is in the form of a business suitcase with the inscription "to the best employee of the office", and inside small "order sheets" about the appointment of a bonus, unscheduled leave, promotion, salary increase, accompanied by wishes).
Step-by-step instructions for creating a postcard-castle for a girl (as in the photo)
Materials required:
- Pink cardboard as a base.
- Multi-colored patterned paper (for the design on the doors) and green paper for the leaves.
- Ribbon, 3 types of paper lace (for towers).
- Ready-made or homemade roses.
- Stationery (glue, scissors, hole punch).
Sequence of actions:
- Draw the base of the lock and door on plain paper with a pencil.
- Cut out the template and transfer it onto cardboard, cut out 2 identical parts of the lock (front and back) and 2 doors.
- Cut out leaves and twigs from green paper.
- Use a hole punch to make holes in the doors.
- Decorate the castle turrets with paper lace, gluing it on with glue.
- Cut out and glue a window above the doors.
- Cut out lace curls from multi-colored paper and glue them onto the doors.
- Glue the doors along the inner seam.
- Attach a card with a wish to the space between the doors.
- Thread the ribbon through the holes and tie a bow.
- Decorate the castle's façade with roses and leaves in the form of a border, gluing them on.
- Glue the back side of the castle with the second base, covering the seams from the lace on the towers. The card is ready after it dries completely.
Wedding cards
When creating wedding cards with your own hands, you need to follow the basic rules:
- light shades (pink, peach or coral colors);
- airiness of decor (pearl beads, lace, paper curls);
- use of doves, rings, figurines of newlyweds;
- silk or satin flowers;
- an unexpected surprise inside the postcard;
- packaging for the envelope to avoid damaging the bulky decorations.
An example of the design of an unusual postcard-album (with a cash gift inside)
Photo of sample work:
This gift card will be remembered by all guests of the celebration and will definitely make an indelible impression on the young spouses. Its special feature is several pages containing humorous information about opening a lifelong account in the joint name of the newlyweds, an envelope for banknotes, a wish and parting words for a long and happy family life.
Materials required:
- cardboard, 2 mm thick;
- ready-made satin roses or made by yourself;
- ribbon;
- scrapbooking paper;
- stationery.
- halves of pearls.
Making a "Savings book" (sizes at the discretion of the master):
- Make the cover base using the pattern from the children's album described above.
- Decorate the front of the cover with blue paper and the first page of the savings book printed on a color printer (take a template from the Internet), attach flowers and inscriptions to the top.
- Make a binding of 2 double sheets (like in a children's album, described above), arrange them as follows: 1st page - information about opening an account (like in a real book), 2nd - an envelope for bills with a ribbon tie (if there are not many bills, you can attach them with a stapler directly to the page), 3rd and 4th - wishes and parting words.
- Assemble the album-postcard together and pack it in a gift box.
Scrapbooking Notebook Techniques
To make a unique notepad at home (see photo for example), you need to have:
- split rings - 2 pcs. (or a spring from a general notebook) and special metal ring clamps (4 pcs.), which are inserted into the cover;
- hole punch;
- scissors, glue;
- scrapbook paper;
- cardboard (1 mm thick) for the cover;
- note sheets (plain A4 paper is suitable);
- decorative elements for decorating the notebook cover (lace, brads, badge, wooden butterfly);
- sewing machine.
Sequence of actions:
- Cut the inner sheets to the same size (20*25 cm).
- Use a hole punch to make holes at equal distances from the edge.
- Cut out 2 sheets of cardboard, 21*26 cm in size (covers).
- Decorate the cover:
- glue the background paper onto 2 pieces of cardboard, leaving 2 cm allowances on all sides;
- glue the corners and all the allowances from the inside of the cover;
- Use a hole punch to make holes in the location of the rings and insert the fasteners on both parts of the cover;
- attach a window to the front of the cover, and sew lace folded in 2 layers along the edges using a machine;
- to close the seams on the lace, sew a frame of tape on top, not forgetting to sew in a tie for the notebook;
- Place lace flowers in the corner of the window and secure them in the center with a bradsoy (first make a through hole with an awl);
- attach the badge and wooden butterfly;
- Once you have finished decorating, finish the inside of the cover by gluing on scrapbook paper of your choice.
- Gather the notebook together and thread the rings through.
- Make a bow from the ties.
Panel for photos
Scrapbooking (for beginners, step-by-step with photos, you can make interior decorations) allows you to create large works, for example, a wall panel with photographs. The panel can be different - in the form of one photograph or several, framed in a single frame or connected to each other.
Example in the photo:
For an economical option of making a panel from simple materials, you need:
- a sheet of cardboard (from a TV box or a washing machine), the size is at the discretion of the master;
- foam corners of two sizes (they are sold in hardware stores) will act as a baguette and frames;
- spray paint (for painting polystyrene foam);
- scrapbooking paper;
- Whatman paper;
- white lace or white paint;
- background paper the size of a sheet of cardboard (you can use gift paper);
- satin ribbons, decorative elements (buttons, shells, animal figures, steering wheel, anchor, stroller);
- colored cardboard for children's applications, glue, scissors, tape, rubber roller.
Sequence of actions:
- Stretch the Whatman paper over the cardboard and secure it (with tape or glue) using a roller.
- Glue the background paper and arrange the photos.
- Glue scrapbook paper under the photos and fix the photos on top (to make it possible to change the images, you need to make cuts in the paper or attach tape or special corners to the corners).
- Glue on decorative elements and bows from ribbons.
- Create a baguette. Cut out 4 pieces with beveled corners (45 degrees) from small foam corners and form an internal baguette for each photo. Paint it and glue it to the panel. Repeat the baguettes for all the photos. Also make a large frame for the panel and glue it along the edge.
- Glue white lace onto a large frame (it can be replaced with a design made of white paint or paper tape).
- Make flowers and butterflies yourself (the technique is described below), and also cut out green leaves from cardboard.
- Decorate the frame with flowers, butterflies, white lace and greenery.
- After completing the main work, turn the panel over and glue a sheet of white paper or newspaper on the back side and make a fastener for hanging it on the wall.
- In the end you will get a masterpiece like this:
Flowers and butterflies for scrapbooking
To make paper flowers with your own hands, you need to prepare:
- Colored cardboard (the kind used for children's appliques will do).
- Awl and scissors.
- Buttons, studs or brads for the center of the flower.
How to make:
- make a flower template;
- cut out 3 identical blanks for 1 flower from cardboard of the same color (photo A);
- bend the petals inward (photo B);
- place 3 pieces in one stack (photo C);
- cut out the flower core from cardboard of a different color and place it in the center of the blank (photo D);
- use an awl to make a hole in the center and insert a nail, secure it (photo E);
- If a stem is required, make it from green wire, and the leaves from green cardboard.
To make butterflies with your own hands, you need to take:
- colored or white cardboard (1 mm thick);
- paints, brush and scissors;
- half pearls, beads for antennae.
Algorithm of actions:
- using the template below, cut out 2 pieces of each butterfly from cardboard (one piece should be slightly smaller than the other);
- paint both parts of one butterfly with paints as desired;
- form antennae from thin wire, put a bead on each end;
- glue the antennae to the bottom of the butterfly in the head area (on top of the paper);
- connect the two parts of the butterfly in the center (the smaller one is on top), securing them with glue;
- glue the pearl halves in the center;
- To attach insects to work, use double-sided sticky pads or tape.
The pattern and method of coloring butterflies are shown in the pictures:
Interesting scrapbooking ideas
A passion for scrap will allow you to create very original, beautiful things for your home or as a gift.
Variations of interesting ideas:
- Boxes for costume jewelry and jewellery.
- Cross stitch embroidery design (instead of the usual baguette).
- Wallet, laptop bag.
- Dollhouse for girls to play with.
- Watch as in the photo:
- Boxes for storing albums or other things.
- Cookery book with recipes.
- Baby's box (where photos, hair, pacifier, first socks are collected), example:
- Bookmarks, as in the photo:
- Educational materials for teaching children (for example, a book with letters), as in the photo:
- Decorating a child's room with soft felt frames for drawings, photos, and class schedules.
- Complex home decorations.
Scrapbooking creativity is for romantic and passionate people, allowing them to embody their fantasies in work, while experiencing harmony in their soul. And it is not necessary to be a professional or study for a long time.
Beginner needlewomen, who are getting acquainted with the ancient craft for the first time, will cope without difficulty using step-by-step descriptions of master classes with supported photos.
The main thing is to have patience and the desire to surprise your loved ones with a hand-made masterpiece.
Author: Polovnikova Lyubov
Article formatting: Anna Vinnitskaya
Scrapbooking Videos for Beginners
First purchases for scrapbooking: