Scrapbooking
has become one of the hottest crafts around, and shows no sign of
losing its appeal to craft artists, but like everything else,
scrapbooking goes through fads and phases.
Recently we have seen the `scrappy chic’ trend, the 70s retro
phase and `lumpy’ pages loaded with 3D embellishments. Part of the
joy of looking through scrapbooks in the future will be to see how
the pages reflect the fashions of the time.
But what’s ahead for scrapbookers? What new techniques and
styles will dominate this creative and enjoyable craft?
Using Mini Albums
One of the biggest trends at the moment is the move to
mini-albums. Scrappers still love their 12x12 albums, which give
so much freedom for self expression, but are being inspired by
artists working with altered books to create something more
challenging.
Unlike altered book artists, who use old books as the basis for
their work, scrappers are choosing to make their artistic
statements in mini-albums. Mini-albums are excellent because they
come with page protectors and each page can become a little work
of art with creative cropping, rubber stamping and collage.
Make Your Own Album
If you want your album to be truly an artistic expression, you
can make your own from standard cardstock. Cut into 6x6 squares
and punch holes along one edge for binding. Make strong covers to
protect the pages and decorate with beads and fibers.
Mini-albums have a lot of advantages. These little books allow
scrappers to keep to a budget since there is not a lot of surface
to cover. The smaller size of the pages are a challenge to the
scrapper’s creativity – it is surprising how much art you can pack
into a small area.
Preserving Odd Mementos
Mini-albums designed to look like altered books are the ideal
place for those odd photos and mementos that you have never been
able to incorporate into your 12x12 pages. Those tiny snapshots
taken with old fashioned black and white cameras, for instance,
ticket stubs, sticker photos from photo booths – all of these are
ideal for scrapbooking in a mini-album.
Using different Handmade Papers
With a mini-album and altered book techniques, you aren’t
confined to scrapbooking stores for ideas. Chinese joss paper,
handmade paper, beautifully patterned Japanese paper – all of
these can provide beautiful backgrounds and accents for your
pages.
If you are worried about the acid content of some of these
non-scrapbook specific materials, you can scan your photos and use
the printout instead of the original. This way, you can also use
photo editing software to give the image a sepia or blue tinge to
better fit in with your vision for the page.
Finding Collage Elements
Magazines and periodicals are great sources for collage
elements, especially vintage issues. Old advertisements and
vintage movie star portraits go well with heritage pages.
When you have created your pages, you can alter the cover with
paint, beads, fibers or other techniques to give it a real altered
book look.
With this edgy scrapbooking style, there are no limits – let
your imagination run wild!
by Gail Kavanagh
Related Articles:
Digital Scrapbooking
Frugal Scrapbooking - Getting
Started
Scrapbooking Essentials
Recommended Books on this
topic:
