Scrapbook question. Please help a beginner!!

[papal]

Here is the thing:
I want to put all dd's nice pics into a photo album. However, i have pics in all different sizes so no one album would do. I also, would like to write a note or memo next to some pictures.
So i am guessing, the best thing to do would be to create a scrapbook??
I really don't want anything fancy. Here is what my 'vision' is

Ivory/White page with a couple of photographs. Writing a note below the photograph. That's it!
So what do I need in terms of supplies?
1. I am not sure i like the Ring Binder, is there anything that will give me more of a bound-book effect?
2. What do i need to affix the photos on the page (glue? any special kind?)
3. What kind of pen must i get?
4. Is there anything that I can get to keep my writing in a straight-line without actually drawing lines? I tend to go slanty on a blank page.
5. Is there any online site where i can get all these supplies? I have a coupon for 10% of on scrapbook.com.. is that a good place for supplies??

PLEASE help me!! I am overwhelmed with all the scrapbooking choices and I don't want to invest too much money! thanks in advance!!

[janeybwild]

Hi Rashmi,
I'm no scrap queen, but have done some and love it. A scrapbook seems like a perfect idea for what you want. I have used Creative Memories albums which lets you add or subtract as many blank pages as needed, but also has the bound look. You could choose what color pages you like (a natural color page can be nice for professional pics, or perhaps keep it simple with black or white?). For a lovely effect you could mount the picture (just place a colored sheet beneath it cropped to slightly bigger than the picture). Each page can be different or uniform depending on the look you are going for. You can attach the photos with photo corners or double sided sticky tape for a floating look. The opposite page could be your journaling. You can buy lined paper also, and perhaps mount it on the same colored paper you mounted the photo on?. You will also need an archival quality pen.
Your minimum supplies as I see it are the album ($40-60), tape ($5), colored paper if you want to mount the pics ($4), cutter for the paper and/or pics ($15) (or good scissors and a steady hand!), and pen ($2).
I get my supplies from a friend who is a creative consultant and also at Hobby Lobby which is a giant craft outlet here. However, there are lots of scrap booking stores I have never dared to venture in to (perhaps if I left my wallet behind?!). HTH and good luck!

[mmaimp]

Hi Rashmi,

I’ve been a scrapbooker for about 5 years now and I think you should do a simple and classic scrapbook. I would do light colored pages with black photo corners. Photo corners allow you to remove photos temporarily. Scrapbook.com has colorbok and Mrs. Grossman’s albums that are nice and I think you would like the look of them. I would get a 12x12 album if ordering from Scrapbook.com.

As for pens, I have every color in the rainbow but almost always use black. I recommend a nice acid free black pen with a fine/med. Tip, my fave is a 08. There are templates you can get to help with journaling and disappearing ink pens to make lines.

Here are links to nice simple scrapbooking supplies:
http://www.exposuresonline.com/Detai...MLFE&EDP=84480
http://www.exposuresonline.com/Detai...WSEB&EDP=62399
http://www.exposuresonline.com/Detai...PPFH&EDP=78834
http://store.scrapbook.com/jv-1688.html
http://store.scrapbook.com/jv-1669.html
http://store.yahoo.com/scrapbook-dot-com/12natpac.html
http://store.yahoo.com/scrapbook-dot...sm-vanink.html
http://store.yahoo.com/scrapbook-dot...poin08tip.html

I also shop at big box arts & craft stores and local scrapbook shops. Just make sure you know what you want before you go because it can be overwhelming and the temptation to over buy is hard to resist.

HTH, and please post pics when you finish your album!

BTW, your posts are hysterical and you make me smile everyday!

[papal]

I now know what i need to get... i am going CUHRAZEEEEE trying to narrow it down to ONE scrapbook album... there are so many choices out there..i should be banned from Googling 'scrapbook album' !!!
I really liked the one on exposuresonline.com.. so pretty..but they don't specify if you can add extra pages etc... maybe I will go to Michaels and check out the various options first.
I will let you know how it goes!! Thanks for your help mamas!! I am so excited!! Woohooo!

[amp]

Rashmi - With a 3 ring binder (I don't favor these either) or a postbound album, you should be able to add pages that can be purchased separately. I am not sure about strap bound albums. Spiral bound albums cannot have pictures added without getting them rebound somewhere that does spiral binding. You can also do journaling on your computer if you don't like to write it. Just type it into word and print it on whatever color of paper you want and then crop it to the size you want. Voila - neat, straight journaling. And you can pick a cute font that way.

ETA: I recommend a cutter (like one by Fiskars or whoever the scrapbook store has). It allows you to cut straight, whereas with scissors, you can't really get things very straight. A straight cutter also has a ruler on it for sizing and it is a much faster cut. You just put your paper on it and slice it.

[mmaimp]

I also love the one at Exposures but you can not add or delete pages or add page proctors. DS already likes to look at my scrapbooks and page proctors are a must for me but I could not resist linking to that book.

If you go to Michaels look the first day but try not to buy this gives you a chance to decide what you really want your scrapbook to look like. I think Creative Memories, colorbok, or Mrs. Grossman’s albums are better quality than the Westrim Craft ones they sell there. Ebay is good source for Creative Memories albums if you don’t know of anyone who sells it. Creative Memories albums are strap hinge and you can add pages to them. I would not get too involved with supplies if you are only going to make this one album and not have an ongoing obsession like I have.

That said a good paper trimmer like a 12 inch cutter by Fiskers is a good investment. I also use mine for cutting photos to fit in picture frames and separating the photo sheets from our studio pictures. Andrea mentioned journaling on the computer and then cropping the paper to go on your page. I do this all the time and it helps with mistakes, its hard to cover up a misspelled word that is directly on the scrapbook page but not impossible! Don’t forget to put your add your handwriting to some pages, it adds a very personal aspect to the book.

You are terrific with photoshop so I think you would do most of your photo cropping on the computer. So other cutters may not be needed, like circle and oval. Just try to keep true to the style you want, it is so easy to go astray with all the scrapbook supplies available and the cost can get very high, very fast.

[papal]

Ack! I went to Michaels before i read your email! :(
I can go back for returns tmmrw, let me know what you think of the Canson Post-hinged binder. I got that and some extra sheets for it. That was the only thing that was not a ring-binder. It is not very pretty.. just a white cover. But i SO wanted to start TODAY.. you know how it is.. you start getting excited when you see all the possibilities in the store... i will look on ebay for the Creative Memories ones now!
I also got the small Fiskars cutters.. i will exchange them for the 12" tmmrw.

ETA: Ok, i could not wait till tmmrw.. i wanted to start my scrapbook today!!! So, dh and me just spent the last 2 hours doing 3 pages of the scrapbook!!! Wooohooo! I feel SUCH an incredible sense of accomplishment. It is nowhere NEAR any of the really cool pages I have seen online, but it will do for now!!
We made one page for the Cherry Blossom Festival day...one page for Leela's 6 month birthday-Picnic in the Park.. and one page called 'Look, I'm sitting' with her sitting and with the felt balls we made for her.
This is SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks everyone!!!!!!!

[mmaimp]

Rashmi,

I didn’t want to stop you from buying an album! Sorry, if you think if will work for you keep it. I have used Canson products before but not a post hinge album. I have made small specialty albums with their spiral bound ones. I would up grade to the 12-inch cutter though because then you can crop 8 ½ x 11 pages, which is much more versatile. Look at the quality of the album you purchased, see if the cover material is securely attached to the inside, you like the way it opens and closes and it just looks good to you over all, it’s a good album.

If you decide to go with Creative Memories you should be able to purchase strap hinge replacement pages at Michael’s to start your album and they will work in the CM album. I often work on scrapbook pages without having the cover picked out!

Michael’s will take competitors coupons too! They sometime have their own 40% off coupons in the Sunday paper but will take coupons from other big box arts & crafts retailers. I don’t know if you have AC Moore’s in your area but they have a 50% coupon in my local paper today.

[papal]

Oh Michelle, no worries about the album! I was too impatient to wait sometimes! :)
So, i can fit my pages into a nicer album later??? Wooohooo! I did not realize that. I am pretty sure the pages are 12x12.. they have two punch-holes on the sides and the album has two screws where you put the pages in.. does that make sense? It says it is a hinge-something album.
I am thinking, since the cover of the album is white, maybe I can customize it with stickers, a watercolor or stamps or something.... thanks for letting me know about the coupons.. i never check the darn paper.. i wonder if they will credit me back if i take in my original receiept...hmmm...

Anyway, thanks SO MUCH for all your help mama, i am so thrilled to begin scrapbooking! :)

[amp]

Yes, you probably will be able to move the hinged pages to another album if you want to. I've always been able to add pages to my albums, so as long as the size matches, you should be fine.