We want to remember and keep for posterity important experiences and events of our lives, snapshots of moments and events we consider momentous in our lives and things which are of value to us and which we feel to be treasured for revisiting in future. The hobby of preserving all kinds of such memories bearing our personal touch and creative ideas be they journals, photographs, diaries or any other objects is called ‘scrapbking’.



What Is Scrapbooking

The scrapbooks of earlier times used to be paper books on which we pasted clippings from newspapers. Now they are creatively organized albums of journals and photos chronologically documented for the coming generation to look at with wonder.

Stores for Scrapbooking

The scrapbooking activity requires certain supplies to create the album. Some of these scrapbooking stores are listed below:

i)Papers: The papers used for decorating the albums and mounting photos must be acid free. Presence of acid in the paper makes it brittle and prone to early damage. The photos will get discolored and faded easily by the acid in the paper. The scrapbooking paper must be free from lignin also as it causes early yellowing of the paper if it comes in contact with ultraviolet light. The processed paper for scrapbooking found in scrapbooking store is free from both acid and lignin.

ii)Plastic Sheets: Plastic sheets sized to fit the album pages protect them from dust, spills or fingerprints. Papers and page protectors are available for making the two standard sizes for scrapbooks, viz. the sizes 8.5"x11" and 12"x12". The larger size can accommodate more information and photos and are therefore suitable as anniversary albums for weddings and the first birthday of the baby.

iii)Photo album binders: The photo albums come in formats like spiral bound, three ring, strap style and post bound. Spiral bound is good as small events album like say a particular excursion but not ideal for big albums due to certain drawbacks. New pages cannot be inserted for additional sets of photos. Also the color of the pages cannot be changed and pages cannot be covered with page protectors. Three ring binders provide these flexibilities. Album pages can be turned, removed or added easily with the provisions for changing colored papers and using page protectors. From consideration of storage, strap and post bound styles are better as the pages are arranged flat in the album making storage of the album easier.

iv)Glues: Only acid free glues or adhesives should be chosen. Double sided tape adhesives leave no glue on the photos and keep them clean. Glue sticks have the advantage that they take some time to dry up making it easier to move objects in albums before they get fixed on them. Since glues if not carefully used can spoil a photo, it is safer to use for albums photo splits which can be pulled off with ease if needed.

v)Embellishments: They add life to the album by decorating it with eye catching fun and flare. They come in the forms of stickers, die cuts, paper punches and paper dolls.

Scrapbooking Tools

These tools are required to develop a scrapbook. The basic tools are acid free pens, pencils, scissors, templates and stencils.