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NOTICE
Before you scroll down this page, stop and spend four or five minutes looking at the two scrapbook pages. Slow down, take your time. Try to notice as many things as you can. I want you to let your eyes help you gather information.
What do you notice? See if you can make a list of at least ten things before you look at my list.
It’s fine if your list is shorter or longer, there won’t be a quiz. You don’t have to write it down, though it might be fun to make notes so you can compare your list to mine. What is your eye telling you? All observations are valid!
Resist the urge to make any judgments. For example, don’t think about whether you like the colors or not - simply notice everything you can about what colors are used, how many, and in what way.
NOTICING is about learning to describe what you see in a neutral way - an apprenticeship of the eyes.
It is not about WHY it looks that way or HOW it was done. It’s not about what you like or dislike.
Here is a partial list of what I notice:
• Both pages use the same color combination and the same patterned papers.
• One paper has sunflowers, one paper has lines, one paper looks like burlap.
• Both pages are divided in half, horizontally.
• One page has a pocket. One page has a light color vertical band down the left side.
• Both have strips of paper with a ruler design.
• Neither page has a photograph.
• Both pages look like they are complete.
• Both pages look like they are incomplete and still need something else.
• Both pages have elements that are cut with clean, smooth edges.
• Both have one element that was hand torn.
• Both pages look structured and formal (everything is set on a horizontal and vertical axis).
• The only two things that are at an angle are the butterfly cutout and the paper and postcards tucked into the pocket on the EUROPA page.
• The two layouts each include a butterfly - one is flat, but the other is cut out and the wings are folded upward.
• The number 60 sticks out at the edge of the stapled booklet like the tab on a folder.
• The stapled booklet isn’t very thick - it looks like it only has a few pages.
• At first glance, it isn’t possible to know how big the pages are.
• The ruler on the EUROPA page looks like it was carefully centered.
• There are red accents on both pages.
• The sunflower paper is darker at the upper right corner of the JUDI AT 60 page and the lower right corner of the EUROPA page.
• The torn paper pieces on both pages are glued along the cut line but not the torn edges (a shadow is visible).
• The words “JUDI” and “AT” are spelled out in all capital letters (the words are hard to read).
• There is more space between the “J” and the “U” in “JUDI” than between the other letters (the red line extends vertically in that wiser space).
• It looks like the ruler pieces on JUDI AT 60 might be scraps, left over from the ruler on the EUROPA page.
Now that you’ve seen my list, do you notice anything else? What was on your list that I didn’t mention? We will all see differently when looking at the same thing. If you look at something tomorrow or next week, you’ll see something you didn’t see before.
HOW DO YOU USE WHAT YOU NOTICE AND WHY AM I ASKING YOU TO NOTICE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE?
If I told you that it’s time to make a scrapbook page without any further instruction, could you?
If you answered yes, it may mean that you feel ready to copy the way my pages look, as soon as you order the (readily available) papers. It probably means you already know how to cut paper with a paper cutter or scissors, and you’re willing to tear paper by hand. It means you already own glue or adhesive. Many people who call themselves beginners already know more than they think they do.
If you answered yes, it may also mean that you have noticed where things are light and dark (contrast), where things are horizontal and vertical (orientation), where things are at an angle (movement), large and small (contrast), and other details and are willing to try your hand at customizing pages with the same kind of “feel” but your own choices about what to use. If you are this kind of beginner, then you will often look at finished projects without reading the instructions unless you need to learn about a new tool or technique.
If you said no, it means you want more information and complete instructions! Just click on the layout for more information. I am sometimes this kind of beginner, sometimes more like one of the two above. There is no right or wrong. You can simply notice what kind of beginner you feel like at this moment, just as you noticed that there were flowers and a ruler on the scrapbook page samples.
Now, back to the list of things you noticed and the list I made. Together, the lists are your teachers, your guides. Once you have NOTICED something, you can USE it!
This means you can, from now on, make a scrapbook page that starts with a square made from two pieces of paper, equal in size, any time you want. If you like having the page divided horizontally, keep it that way. Of course, just because you noticed something is one way doesn’t mean you have to keep it that way. Your page can be divided vertically or with different proportions. It does not have to be divided in half.
If you noticed and liked that the pages started with two papers, then that’s how you should start. If you prefer three, that’s fine, too.
When you noticed that there is a ruler across the pocket on the EUROPA page, what you were noticing is that you can decorate the pocket with a border or band of some sort. It doesn’t have to be a ruler, and it doesn’t have to extend all the way across the pocket unless you like it that way.
You can attach a booklet to a scrapbook page. The booklet can have a tab at the side. Or not! See what I mean about noticing? It’s a way of letting what you see influence and teach and guide you! You can accept and incorporate what you notice - or you can change it - or you can reject it.
Now ask yourself how you could use the other things you and I noticed. Did we miss any? Is there something else you can look at to help you practice “noticing” some more, another project in this month’s issue of Scrapbooking.com, perhaps? How about the tree down the block? If you notice and remember the color combination, could you select papers in those shades and use them for a project?
I think my brain is something like a strainer - only the big pieces stay put. So whenever I want to remember something I write it down or make a quick drawing. This is a good time to begin keeping an idea book, a sketchbook, or whatever you want to call it. Or keep notes in the computer and carry 3x5 cards and a pen for jotting stuff down when you’re not near a keyboard.
THE BASICS:
1. WHAT TO CALL THE PARTS OF A SCRAPBOOK PAGE
Page, layout - A scrapbook page is also called a layout. I’ll use both words.
Background - The starting point for a layout or card. The cardstock or other material to which everything else is attached, a background is sometimes visible when the project is complete - other times much of it gets covered.
Border, mat, frame, and band - These go around the edges or sides of a page, a photo, a block of text. Used for contrast and to draw your eye.
Text block, journaling - Words and story that tell what the page is about.
Headline - Like on a newspaper, a few words in larger letters that summarize what the page is about.
Embellishments - Dimensional accents like buttons, brads, silk flowers, metal charms, and such. Embellishments can be functional (like brads or eyelets that hold layers in place) or decorative (like silk flowers) or both (brads and buttons can be used as accents without holding things together).
2.HOW TO CREATE A COLOR COMBINATION
For this month’s projects I chose SCRAPBOOK & COLLAGE PAPERS: The European Collection by TweetyJill Publications.
The easiest way to find a color combination is to buy paper and embellishments that were designed as a collection and go together. Like with a wardrobe, you will develop an eye for what you like, figure out a palette of colors that you want to keep on hand, and be able to mix and match more confidently as you gain experience.
3. SOME THINGS ARE PLANNED, SOME ARE HAPPY ACCIDENTS
PLANNED: If you noticed that the ruler looked like it was carefully centered on the EUROPA page pocket, that’s because it was. The distance between the inch mark and the edge of the paper is the same on both sides.
ACCIDENTAL: If you thought that the pieces of ruler on the JUDI AT 60 page were scraps, you were right. It was purely accidental that I ended up with a piece of the ruler that said “58 - 59” and was exactly the right length to fit across right side of the stapled booklet. I had not planned a sixtieth birthday page till I noticed that little strip of the ruler and found the number “60” on a Bingo card in the book of papers.
PLANNED: The sheet of sunflower paper was designed with dark colors at the edges and lighter colors toward the center, a subtle border if you use the whole 12” x 12” square. I planned the pages to take advantage of the darker portions on the right side of the paper, cutting an 8” x 8” square with a dark edge at the upper right corner for JUDI AT 60, and using the remaining 4” x 8” strip for the pocket on the EUROPA page. That kept the dark edge at the bottom right corner.
ACCIDENTAL: I pulled the little piece of ruler paper with “49” out of the trash can. The vertical band on the JUDI AT 60 page looked empty and needed a bit of color.
4. CUTTING, GLUES AND ADHESIVES
There are many ways to cut paper - scissors, decorative blade scissors, craft knife, paper cutter (also called a paper trimmer), dies, and punches. For now, you will only need scissors and either a craft knife and straight edge or a paper cutter.
My preferences:
I hand cut small pieces with scissors or a craft knife with cutting mat (for the projects shown I used scissors to cut the square with the number sixty, ruler strip, the butterfly on the EUROPA page, and the script letter blocks). I used a guillotine style cutter to cut all other pieces for the two layouts, but could have used a craft knife and straight edge with cutting mat.
If possible, experiment to see which you prefer and please buy the best possible tools you can afford. You will never be sorry if you invest in good tools - they save money and your sanity in the long run.
Glues and adhesives are formulated for different uses. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Buy what you need for a particular task and add others as you see what you like best.
Read the labels! Manufacturers are very specific about how to use and store their products. If you are working on something that should last, make sure what you choose is acid-free. For a simple card or gift tag, that isn’t an issue.
I recommend starting with a low moisture glue stick, a wet glue that won’t ripple paper (like Beacon PaperTac), and double sided adhesive (on a roll, or with a refillable applicator). When you begin to add embellishments, you will want to add gem glue, quick grab tube glue (thick, like toothpaste), and such. When you want to add dimension, you will want to stock up on glue dots and double stick foam squares. If space and budget allow, a Xyron machine will be a good investment.
5. MAKING A POCKET
To make a pocket, attach only three edges, leaving one side open. Pockets can be positioned upright like on a jacket, at an angle, or sideways, entered from the left or right rather than the top. Flat pockets that hold only a couple of pieces of paper do not need a lot of reinforcement at the sides or bottom. Use double stick adhesive or paper glue to hold the pocket in place. If at some point you decide to add box-like pockets that hold heavy memorabilia, an accordion book or a folded map, you’ll need a different strategy and sturdier materials.
6. MAKING A BOOKLET
Fold or cut pages. Stack them and staple or sew the pages together. Use booklets to hold photos, messages, and memorabilia. They expand the page beyond what is immediately visible and can hold secrets, love notes or journal pages that are meant to remain private, too. If you don’t want to make booklets, pre-made options are readily available.
7. DEVELOP AN EAGLE EYE
I mentioned earlier that ALL of the elements in the two scrapbook pages were in the book of papers called SCRAPBOOK & COLLAGE PAPERS: The European Collection (by TweetyJill Publications). I went “shopping” in the pages and found everything I needed - butterflies, cancelled postage stamp, ruler, lettering, lined paper, and the number 60. Be fearless - cut up the Bingo card and use only a small section of it. If the alphabet you find doesn’t have enough letters, hand-draw what you need or find and cut out shapes that resemble letters. In The European Collection you could use a butterfly for the letter M or W, a perfume or thread label for an O, etc. Found objects work, too. Once you start to notice shapes, you can begin to collect washers, notary seals, paper reinforcements (for the O), cast-off zippers (for Y or V), and so on.
8. DECIDING WHEN A PROJECT IS FINISHED
One of the most difficult things to learn is when to stop adding to a project. The good news: There is no right or wrong. It’s your album or card so trust your own eye. You don’t have to please anyone else!
In the list of things I noticed, I wrote two conflicting statements. One said that the pages looked finished, while the other said that the pages looked incomplete and still needed work.
To my eye, both statements are true! I could leave both pages as is, after filling the lined paper in the EUROPA page pocket with memories of a trip to Paris (blank lined paper doesn’t make much sense). Or I could keep going:
I could add small red brads to the four corners of the EUROPA page and accent the butterfly’s wings and body with Stardust Glitter pens from Sakura. I think the butterfly needs antennae, too, which I will draw with a .01 Micron pen, also from Sakura (brown ink). I could find a vintage cloth tape measure and use it on the pocket instead of the paper ruler. I could sew around the edges of the page using my sewing machine, or sew the pocket in place with a zig-zag stitch or hand-done running stitch.
The JUDI AT 60 page is okay as it is, but very flat and nowhere near as colorful as it could be. I could hand stitch along the red line in the vertical band using thick red quilting thread (a running stitch that shows, alternately, the thread and the printed line). It’s so empty to the right of the butterfly. That would be a good place to position a trio of tiny photos (.75” wide x 1” tall at most) or I could spell out the word “PARIS” or add the year of the trip.
If you’re asking why I didn’t already make these additions and changes, it’s because I wanted to show VERY simple pages first - no sewing, no brads, nothing but paper! We have plenty of time in months to come to explore more complicated options.
To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Browse our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.
