Scrapbook Layouts – Tips for Choosing Yours
So, you’re bought all your scrapbooking gear, set up a space, researched scrapbooking techniques and now you’re ready to get started. Before you can start putting your first layout, you have to actually choose one. This seems like a simple task, but there are so many styles and options it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some great ways to find possible layouts for your scrapbooks.
If you’re looking for possible layouts, the first place you should look is online. There are hundreds of scrapbooking websites, many with free layouts and how to’s on how to make them. Simple to complex, budget to expensive; there are ideas for every person and every occasion.
You can also find inspiration from scrapbooking layout sites and message boards. People can submit pictures of their layouts, and they do so on a regular basis. This means there’s a constant supply of new layout ideas one pretty much every topic (and every budget) you can think of. Plus people are usually nice enough to give you tips and tricks about how they put it together.
Books are a great place to get started while choosing a layout. With just a little searching, you can find books with hundreds of sample layouts. But there’s so much more you can gather from books than just layouts to copy. Many books help get you started on creating your own layouts by sharing scrapbooking philosophies and ways to spark your own imagination. You may even find inspiration from a book that has nothing to do with scrapbooking, like a beautiful picture, poem, or quote.
If you want more original ideas without pulling them straight from a book, why not have a get together with friends and family who scrapbook? You can get ideas from their work, or they can give you tips on a layout you’re already working on. You never know, you may just get inspiration from a random conversation, story, or shared memory.
Sometimes the best layouts don’t come from friends or web pages; they come from you. Scrapbooks are supposed to showcase your life and interests, so why shouldn’t they come from your very own inspiration. If you feel like you can’t seem to come up with ideas, just get out your supplies and start playing. Soon you’ll find yourself with too many ideas for you to make.
Once you start working on layouts, be sure not to get carried away. You don’t need to have every idea all slammed into a few layouts. You can start simple with a picture, journal, and a small embellishment, then work your way up as you buy more tools and gain more skill. Remember that scrapping is an art, and sometime simple is better.
