Finding a hobby that allows you to enjoy free time can be difficult. Often, there’s the consideration of the cost of the hobby alongside whether or not you’d like to do it with friends, family or ride solo.
However, here at The Hobby Kraze, we have one hobby in particular that allows you to do away with these ridiculous choices. It is scrapbooking. And, with this ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners, we’ll help you to understand how this artful and creative passion is a new way to keep memories for all the life you’ll be living whether it’s with family, friends or alone. And, it can also be flexible to suit your budget at that time. However, you may need to brace yourself when you enter the hobby store because it’ll be hard to not just buy everything.
So, to let you get to know the scrapbooking for beginners’ hobby a little bit more, the team here at The Hobby Kraze have gathered together all the key aspects of how to make a scrapbook and why. In this article, we’ll be covering the following points:
- A Brief Introduction to Scrapbooking for Beginners
- Why You Should Try to Learn How to Make a Scrapbook
- The History of Scrapbook Ideas
- The First Steps in Scrapbooking for Beginners
- All About the Types of Binding
- A List of Essential Scrapbooking for Beginners Tools and Supplies
- Opening Your Eyes to the Mess-Free World of Digital Scrapbooking
- Some of the Most Personalised Scrapbook Ideas
- The Hobby Kraze’s Top Tips to Enjoying for Scrapbooking for Beginners’ Adventure
But, before we get started, there’s one thing you should know. Scrapbooking is freeing. It is creative freedom rolled into the pages and stuck into a binder. Meaning you can always hit the creative wall. And, you should never let this stop you in your tracks. Your first top tip from The Hobby Kraze is to make sure you’re not in the mindset that scrapbooking is journalism but with pictures. Allowing yourself to not be on a daily rota for your scrapbooking hobby is what can help you appreciate and enjoy it during the times you do. Think of it more as a personalised highlight reel of your year to date.
A Brief Introduction to Scrapbooking for Beginners
Scrapbooking is the creative art of bringing a page to life. But, not just in any way. This page is the page that will reflect your thoughts, feelings and experiences across an hour, day, week or month. And, it will convey such a powerful and beautiful message without even needing to write a word. Often, you can write, but this is down to personal choice.
This small and personal hobby is also known as cropping. And, it always begins with a blank page. Whether it is stand alone and ready to be bound with others alike or part of a pre-bound book. That blank page is ready for you to tell your story with beginner scrapbooking supplies and the team here at The Hobby Kraze is ready to see them!
Just by using tools, supplies and scrapbook ideas you have around your home or by raiding your local craft store, you can use pictures, notes, lace, embellishments, clippings and more to tell your future self and your future readers exactly how you felt at the time and why.
Why You Should Try to Learn How to Make a Scrapbook
As with any hobby, scrapbooking will provide you with an outlet to explore. Away from the every-day, away from the mundane and away from those around you. And, throughout this ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners, you’ll be able to piece together all the parts you’d use to express yourself in collage. So, let’s find out all the ways you can benefit from the hobby that is scrapbooking.
- It’s relaxing
- You have creative freedom
- It is affordable
- It is private
- It can be done from anywhere
- You have memories to look back on
- It is a great way to store photos and pictures
- You can theme everything
- You’ll become a better photographer
- Your storytelling skills will evolve
- It can boost your happy hormone levels (serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, etc)
- You can join online communities and share ideas
- You can form great friendships
- You can boost your self esteem
- Scrapbooking has no expectations of time, duration or place
- Your friends and family can appreciate your artwork
- You can use scrapbooking to build a social media presence
- Scrapbooking for beginners can be good therapy for gratitude of life
The History of Scrapbook Ideas
Scrapbooking as a hobby and the art of how to make a scrapbook has been around for a long time but not quite as long as the old-age sporting hobbies such as hiking or kayaking. This is due to the access of goods, space and time.
But, when it did become an accessible hobby, it grew exponentially as scrapbook ideas were adopted around the world.
Scrapbooking was a hobby that was born by amalgamating a few different aspects of life in the 1800s and earlier; creating photo albums, dabbling in crafts and writing in journals. Placed together, you have an early-age scrapbooking hobby.
If we take a look at where journaling could have begun, we enter into the 15th century when the printing press was more commonplace and the proliferation of owning a bible in the home grew. In these bibles, there would be blank pages at the front where people would write a collective of the family name, history and records (such as; birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates or important newspaper clippings).
But it wasn’t until 1825 where the first mention of a scrapbook came about. In this year, Dublin publishing house Chambers and Hallagan published and released a book named; “The Scrap Book: Or, A Selection of Interesting and Authentic Anecdotes”.
This book was the first piece of noted recognition to the idea of scrapbooking as a hobby and pastime. And, at the time it was the ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners. However, instead of making each page about an emotion, experience, day or activity, this book looked towards filling pages with ‘furnishings’ and anecdotes for amusement. More specifically, the book contained an almost endless stream of very small stories to amuse the reader with the idea that these stories were ‘scraps’ being placed into a book. Hence; scrapbook.
After this book was published, it initiated a wave of individuals creating their own scrapbooks for amusement across the UK and overseas in America. Usually these would contain memories, journal entries, short stories, poems, one-liners, quotes, calling cards, tickets, paper cuttings, pressed flowers, pencil drawings, religious trimmings and other momentous ephemera of the time. Pictures, colours and photographs were not accessible to the many so were not a priority or trend within the scrapbooking hobby throughout this period.
Then, over 25 years later, the trend grew along with the accessibility to photographs. So, French-Parisiene ‘Carte-De-Vista’ books were created to allow collectors to house their small photographs within albums. Which, later transformed into the famous ‘Mark twain’s Adhesive Scrapbook’ in 1872. This book was a pre-face for how to make a scrapbook as it had pre-glued pages for people to easily stick their photos in along with other scraps and newspaper clippings into a single and flexible creative page.
Since then, scrapbooking for beginners has bloomed into a multi-billion-dollar industry around the globe with increased popularity throughout the US and the UK. Large numbers of scrapbooking enthusiasts have become names within the industry as they have shared their scrapbooking ideas with people around the world online and through social media. Not only this, but the use of scrapbooking has even been introduced into the millennial and generation-z populations as a tool for educational revision.
The First Steps in Scrapbooking for Beginners
Instead of simply buying a ring-binder or book to store your scrapbooking ideas in, you could also try and bind your own album. The benefits to doing this would allow you the creative freedom to choose the number of pages in your scrapbook as well as having the space for 3D playground gluing.
As well as this, binding doesn’t simply mean piecing together a selection of finished pages to make a book. It can also refer to the way paper is manipulated to create an interactive tour of memories and information. For example, taking an A4 piece of paper, dividing into three equal sections along the long edge and then folding the strips of paper into an accordion which can have a new photo or memory behind every crease.
Here are some of the other ways you can create your own binding, in the traditional and the stylish folding sense:
1. Punch and Bind
Also known as the spiral coil, this is one of the most commonly used form of binding whether it’s for how to make a scrapbook or how to piece together a thesis paper, the punch and bind is an easy way to gather your pages. All you have to do is buy a spiral coil from your local craft store the length of your book. Then, using a multi-punch hole punch, create the holes in your book. Alternatives to a hold punch include using a leather punch or piercing with needles. Then, spiral your coil into your pages and they’ll be bound together.
2. Pinchbook Scrapbooks
The pinchbook binding option is very quick and easy and can be done in your local print shop. However, this is generally a task for the more 2D pages, so unless your pages are thin or they are printed digital scrapbooks, this might not be your best go-to.
3. Accordion Photobox
This is the name given to the process mentioned earlier. However, one step after creating your paper accordion with memories, would be to either create or find a small box that can house your accordion scrapbook. As well as this, you can name and decorate the box per your memory, activity or emotions.
4. Ribbon-Bound
Having a ribbon-bound book will always add that elegant and beautiful personal touch to your scrapbook. And, as there are not many books that can be bought with a ribbon bind, it cements your creative skills to those that will flick through your pages. The amazing thing about the ribbon-bound book would be that after the chosen number of holes have been punched, you can tie your ribbon however you’d like. They are very common among wedding-themed scrapbooks.
5. Book Rings
Book rings, A.K.A. loose-leaf rings, are small metal rings that are stand-alone and snap-close binders. Again, when the chosen number of holes has been punched, you can place as many book rings through your pages and your hard cover as you’d like. They can also come in many different colours and sizes, making them a great option for particular themed scrapbook ideas.
6. Thread and Tape
The ‘thread and tape’ method is quite an old past-time and requires patience, precision and a thimble (because it can be painful on the fingers). Using tape, you can tape your pages and sections together along the bind. Then, using a needle and thread, you can secure all pages to the new bind. Once done, you can create a new cover to place your scrapbook into. For example; fabric, paper, leather, card, faux fur and so on.
7. Screw Posts
These hard-wearing and durable binding tools are a cheap and affordable option that can be used in place of the book rings. As the book rings can often be big and obstructive, the screw posts offer a streamlined alternative to ring binding. And, while they are similar solutions, our role at The Hobby Kraze is to bring you choice of beginner scrapbook supplies throughout your hobby.
8. Ring Binders and Folders
The final method of binding involves the cheap and easy method of buying a standard ring-binder or folder. You can find these in many stationary shops (or, even at your office if you’re stealthy). All you need to do as a scrapbook artist is have your memories and pages to hand, punch the number of holes equivalent to the ring binders in your folder, open the ring binders, place the pages in and close the ring binders. It couldn’t be much easier.
So, now you know how to create your own book if you don’t want to buy a specially-designed album or if you’re the type of person to create a page on a whim. Using any of the above binding methods, you can create quick, cheap and sturdy binding solutions for your scrapbook ideas.
A List of Essential Scrapbooking for Beginners Tools and Supplies
While we could give you an endless list of beginner scrapbook supplies or send you a snapshot of an entire craft store’s inventory, we’ve actually gathered a list of important and popular items from the scrapbookers we have here at The Hobby Kraze. Using your scrapbooking ideas, take a look and place what takes your fancy into your shopping basket:
- An Album
- A Book
- Craft Paper
- Normal Recycled Paper
- A Label Maker
- Washi Tape
- A Fountain Pen
- Various Ink Colours
- Newspaper Articles
- Magazine Letter Cut-Outs
- Pressed Flowers
- A Polaroid Camera
- Instax Zinc Print Paper
- Your Phone
- Tissue Paper
- Glue
- A Hot Glue Gun
- Acid-Free/Archival Paper
- Glitter
- Rhinestones
- Scissors
- A Cutting Board
- An X-Acto Blade
- Ribbon
- String
- Stamp
- Ink Pad
- Acrylic pain
- Paintbrushes
- Watercolours
- Gold and Silver Foil
- A Binder
- Gift Tags
- Double-Sided Tape
- Stickers
- Your Scrapbook Ideas
Opening Your Eyes to the Mess-Free World of Digital Scrapbooking
Digital scrapbooking is the art of using your computer to create a 2D-rendered collage of memories, tickets and colour.
Not only do we live in a world where technology has advanced to the point where we can engage in digital scrapbooking, our world needs a little more TLC to the point where we should engage in digital scrapbooking. Saving money on tools and supplies, saving space on crafting areas and saving the planet from glues, acids, deforestation, paper usage, paints, tapes, strings and more.
And, while it may not offer the same satisfactory building and crafting experiences as true-to-life scrapbooking, having the ability to drag, drop and change your mind can be a godsend. Plus, you never have to worry about running out of space. All you need to do is scan your images, keep your photographs as digital prints and download all the pretty fonts the internet has to offer.
Not only this, but you can easily find more images to use from sites such as; UnSplash. Sites like these provide high-quality images from artists around the world for free. So, you can use the images, cut them to size and plaster your new scrapbook entry all over social media.
While it is not your intended hobby in this ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners, our aim at The Hobby Kraze is to help you and the world through providing more options and ways you can enjoy your past time. So, give it a go and let us know your thoughts!
Some of the Most Personalised Scrapbook Ideas
Scrapbooking is entirely personal. While some people may like to write in calligraphy, others may want to use a label maker for any-and-all words or letters. And while some may incorporate a consistent use of the Polaroid Instax prints, you may be the person to use a range of full-sized and cut-out photographs for your scrap book. So, it would be pretty hard for us to tell you what to do.
However, what we can do in this ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners, is to give you some scrapbook ideas and point you in the direction of some of the most popular scrapbooking influencers in 2020.
First, let’s talk about some popular themes. With the usual colour-based themes, there’s also emotional-led, vintage style, weather-led, photograph-led and activity-led scrapbook ideas. For example; if you were to have a family adventure at a theme park, you could place the image of everyone’s skin peeling off their face in the centre of the page on top of some coloured craft paper for depth. Then, the rest of the page could be theme park orientated through emojis, washi-tape, newspaper cuttings, theme park tickets, wrist bands and all sorts. To add some more life, make sure to add pockets and pull-outs so you can have an interactive storytelling experience when you come to look at your memories down the line.
Alternatively, instead of thinking about the scrapbooking for beginners’ notes for individual pages, you could focus on the layout of the entire album. For example, having an introductory page filled with an ‘about you’ section, profile picture, favourite colours, favourite quotes, pressed flowers and so on. Then, you could have your list-pages or contents page to identify which memory is where.
Now, moving onto finding ideas through other success stories of how to make a scrapbook, here’s a list of the 20 best social media influencers and scrapbooking fanatics that you should follow in 2020:
- Mei-Ying Chow
- Merly Impressions
- Craft Some Joy
- NJ Scrapbook Blog
- Paper Crafts
- UK Scrap Addicts
- A Becky Higgins LLC
- Cathy Zielske
- Maze of Memories
- Hey Little Magpie
- The Scrapbook Girl
- Bramble Fox
- Scrappy Fairies
- Tiffany Julia
- Amy Hobbycraft
- Tangerine
- Jennifer McGuire Inc
- Ali Edwards
- Lola Scrap
- Creative Live
When you’ve followed all or some of these amazing and talented influencers, you can start to look through their albums, watch them scrapbook in videos and make a ‘scrap’ of scrapbook ideas for yourself!
The Hobby Kraze’s Top Tips to Enjoying your Scrapbooking for Beginners’ Adventure
We wouldn’t really be a hobby and crafting website if we weren’t able to provide you with tips and tricks to help get your scrapbooking for beginners’ adventure off the ground. So, we’ve gathered some nifty know-hows to get you glued onto your page in the right way:
Dedicate a Space to Scrapbooking
There are far too many people who begin their crafting journey with beginner scrapbook supplies, spend a day or two and tidy up their mess. Then, it seems too big of an effort to have to clear a space and unpack the beginner scrapbook supplies all over again.
So, having desk, table or area of your room dedicated to the art of scrapbooking and scrapbook ideas, you’ll be helping yourself out in the long run and keeping yourself interested.
As well as this, there’s a saying; “out of sight, out of mind” where, in the case of scrapbooking, your scrapbook ideas might not flow as easily if you’re not surrounded by your dedicated space to scrapbooking for beginners.
Always Buy Safety-Caps
Even if you’re not living with small children, nuisance siblings, careless housemates or vulnerable pets, you should always make sure any art and craft supplies have their safety caps. And, these safety caps must be on. Because, no matter how old or tidy you are, everyone can slip-up from time to time.
The last thing the team here at The Hobby Kraze would want is to find that you’ve managed to impale your finger onto your scissors or x-acto blade. So, whether it’s scissors, fountain pens, knives, glue guns, tape measures, pins, safety pins, rotary cutter, sewing needle and so on, don’t be making the same mistake as us. Otherwise, you’ll need to add plenty of plasters to your tool kit.
Doodle Your Story, First
As we’ve mentioned, your scrapbook is much like a journal as it should tell a story. One that you can decipher in your own language to put a smile on your face. Sometimes having a simple picture on a white back-ground embellished by small hand-drawn vines can be minimalist, visually appealing and effective. However, it doesn’t truly tell the story of how you were feeling, when it was and what happened.
But, if you do go for the more intricate and plentiful designs, you’ll want to sketch out your scrapbook ideas, first. This is because ideas can appear great at first but might not fit well on paper. And, you may not want to have to waste craft supplies on a half-finished scrapbooking for beginners’ entry,
So, we recommend trying to sketch your ideas down on some recycled paper in order to see if the design truly works for your goal. Ask if it’s telling a story and then ask if it’s telling the right story.
Pick Your Theme to Suit Your Mood at the Time of the Memory
To tell your story in a cohesive way, our team have gathered their experiences for how to make a scrapbook to let you know that you should dedicate specific themes for each scrapbook entry, And, these themes should be a dedication to your feelings. For example; red for hunger or love, green for beautiful calm nature or envy and blue for sky-high freedom or solemn days,
But, again, have a sketch of these ideas, themes and colours before you start to heat up your hot glue gun or sew-in the seam. You’ll want to be sure you’re happy with the end result and you’ll be happy when looking back through the pages of your life.
Get Your Hands on Some Archival Grade Supplies
We can’t stress this tip enough. There are so many cheap art supplies that work perfectly fine at the time of use, but mixed with other glues, papers and acids will degrade very quickly. If you make the perfect scrapbook using this ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners, only to find it falling to pieces and showing off-colours can be very disheartening.
Archival paper and supplies are acid free and have a neutral PH balance. This means they won’t interact with each other or degrade in the natural sunlight or atmosphere.
So, we highly recommend investing in archival-grade beginner scrapbook supplies when you are sure you’ll be keeping this hoppy for the long-run of memories to come.
Conclusion
And, there you have it. The Hobby Kraze’s ultimate guide to scrapbooking for beginners. We’d love to see what you make and how you’ve made them so don’t forget to share your crafting talents through our social media pages.
Or, if it turns out that scrapbooking isn’t for you, have a look at some of our other indoor ultimate guides. From creating beautiful knit patterns to being able to rock-tumble your way into becoming an Etsy seller of beautiful jewellery, there’s always a new hobby you could try today with the crew at The Hobby Kraze.
