In a previous post I detailed my attempt to turn my daughter’s old school tablets into kid-friendly scrapbooks. The recycled composition notebooks don’t rival traditional memory albums that you purchase in stores; however, they are ideal for children learning the ins and outs of scrapbooking. What’s more, they are also perfect for older scrapbook fans looking to experiment with different techniques, but are afraid to do so with expensive albums.
For example, if you are interested in designing a photo collage as an album cover, but are afraid to do so because you don’t want to ruin an expensive scrapbook, experimenting on a used composition tablet may give you the confidence you’ve been lacking. Crafting a photo collage can be a daunting task, especially if you are working with dozens of tiny images. To make the collage more visually appealing, you might consider cropping the photos with a square or circle punch, then arranging them in a grid formation. Just remember to leave some space at the top of the cover to include your album title.
Once you get comfortable with the design process, then you can spice things up a bit. For instance, rather than using all color photos, consider adding in some black and white pictures or employ photo editing software and turn some images sepia or use color blocking techniques. Another option is to use the text tool in your image editing software to create captions in the white space on your photos. However, don’t go overboard with your captions if you are planning to use the photos on your album’s cover. After all, you don’t want the words to distract from the pictures.
If a photo collage is not something you want to feature on the cover of your album, utilize other scrapbook elements. Consider using embellishments, such as die cuts, ribbon, decorative brads, gemstones, and stamps. Then, use rub on letters or alphabet stickers to create a catchy title.
Related Articles:
Do You Have a Favorite Scrapbook Brand?