I am delighted to be a new scrapbooker! I have been working on creating Word Books and I love it! If you want to start scrapbooking and just cannot figure out how to do it, then this is the blog to read! We will go with the KISS rule...Keep It Simple Silly! (or it could be Keep it Simple and Silly)
First of all, sign up to follow as many scrapbooking blogs as you can! I have been following several for a little while and always get new ideas from them. Another great idea is to visit some scrapbooking stores if you have any near where you live. Scrapbookers love to share their secrets! If you are trying to figure out how to do something, ASK! The sales staff are usually avid scrappers and would love to share their knowledge with you!
My first project was a chipboard word book. These word books spell out the name of something. In my case, it was the name of the college that I work for. NAVARRO. I purchased this chipboard book for $10. I understood that I had to cut scrapbook paper out to fit each page of the word book (There is a page for each letter of the word), but I was not sure of what kind of adhesive I needed to use to adhere the paper to the chipboard or how to finish the edges once I got the paper adhered to the chipboard. So I made a trip to Scrappin' Good Time in Corsicana, Texas and asked. Well, the adhesive is whatever works best for the individual scrapper. I've started using a spray adhesive instead of my glue stick just because it is faster! One thing I do not recommend is using a WET glue, because it tends to warp the chipboard pages.
Finishing the edges posed another problem. So Scrappin' Good Time came to my rescue again. They sell a broad chisel tip DecoColor Acrylic Paint Pen (every color imaginable) that is easily used to finish the edges of each page. Run the paint pen along the edge of the chipboard to cover the chipboard. This creates a "ridge" in your paint pen that works as a guide to paint an even line all the way around each letter.
After gluing and painting the edges, I was ready to embellish my project. I found stickers, chipboard cutouts, and ribbons that worked well for embellishing. My project turned out so pretty that I decided to take it to work to show it off....sold it within an hour of arriving.
Everyone who saw it loved it! A lady asked if I could do any name. I had to check on that for her, but I found a vendor who would custom cut any name for me ($10 extra set up fee). So last week, I made the book for the lady's granddaughter and she was so excited when she saw it. Paid me $45 for it (which recouped my costs and supported my scrapbooking habit a little bit).
Just remember...pick out a few papers you really like to get started and just cut, glue, and have fun...just like when you were in first grade! Being creative is great stress relief for me and I know it will help you also!
Catch the fever!
