Scrapbooking Do Not Do List
Hopefully This Scrapbooking Do Not Do List will give you a few quick ideas of things to watch out for and NOT DO when you start your scrapbooking.
Maybe this Scrapbooking Do Not Do List will help you avoid some problems I created when I worked on my first Layouts and Albums - some things that I needed to correct and some I still would like to correct. Just some Scrapbook-advice.com Scrapbook Things to avoid.
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Supplies
Purchasing Supplies - Don’t Overbuy. If you are new to scrapbooking and don't already have your stash of supplies, hold off. If you have a project you are working on,
buy only the paper and stickers that you will use on that project. And keep that simple.
Purchase only enough paper or card stock to cover your background, add a patterned paper if it goes with your theme and the color in your photos, and add some paper that coordinates for photo mattes. That's about 4 or 5 sheets for a 2-page layout.
.....More on Paper from Scrapbooking for Beginners.
Go light on the embellishments as well. Maybe one set of stickers
or a Ribbon or Fiber (3 feet or so),
or a Die Cut or two. Don't over do it as you will be stressed out about what you don't use. That will take the fun out of this great pastime.
Don't forget about embellishments that you may already have at home like ticket stubs, brochures, streamers or confetti from a party, a napkin or invitation from a wedding. Ribbons and Fibers and Sewing notions are also helpful.
.....More on Scrapbook Embellishments
Missing Something? - You can always go back to find just the right thing to finish it when you do another project.
Trust me on this one. I have supplies in my stash that go back many years - I hate to say how many - and every now and then I do a project just to use up some of those old items.
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Tools
Don't Think you need to buy a bunch of Tools. You only need the bare minimum, some of which you may already have at home like a ruler, and a pair of scissors. You will also need a paper trimmer large enough to cut a 12 x 12 inch sheet of paper or cardstock or maybe some photos if you want to crop or cut some of them down. You can get one for as little as $10 or $12.
.....More on Paper Trimmers and the different types.
Some Adhesives which I discuss later on this page and maybe a photo safe pen to do some Journaling. In this current economy, there is no need to go overboard with Tools or Supplies, when you can get by with the very basics and a little imagination.
.....More on Basic Scrapbooking Tools.
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Photographs
Second most important on the Scrapbooking Do Not Do List:
Picking your Photos to Scrapbook - You don't have to scrap all of your photos! Pick a current event for which you have 5 or 6 good photos, and start there with a 2-page layout. If you have more photos, you can do another set of 2-page layouts. And, you don't have to scrap all the photos. Others from the event can be put into a photo safe box (label them) or even a photo album.
Another option is to use mini-albums on your pages to put the extra photographs in. You can put them into a pocket made of card stock, mini-sheet protectors, or make a little booklet out of card stock or extra paper.
Start with photos from a recent event, where all the little memories are still there. Get used to scrapbooking before you plunge into a big, huge project. Again, this is not something you need to stress about - it's really fun if you just try a little at a time.
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Journaling
Journaling - Don’t Skip it. You know those old photos and albums that you find that were done by someone else. Often no detail. I am always sorry when I go back and look at some layouts I have done that do not have any thing to tell me the basics about the photos
.....More on Scrapbook Journaling.
Journaling - Don’t wait till later. Journaling does not have to be done now. If you don't have time to do it now or the muse is just not working for you now, at least jot down some notes on what you want to say and attach it to the page. You will remember more now than later
.....More on Scrapbook Journaling
Temporary Journaling
- Don’t use a sticky post-it however, directly on your photos or your scrapbook paper as it will leave a little residue that may not be scrapbook safe and you may have some damage later on down the line. Put those journaling post-it notes on the outside of your page protector
.....More on Scrapbook Journaling
Permanent Journaling - Don’t Use the Wrong Pens. When you go to write in your scrapbooks, please make sure the pen you use is for scrapbooking and is acid free so as not to cause future damage to your
.....More on Scrapbooking Pens
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Adhesives
Adhesives - Don’t use adhesives until you have checked to make sure that they are made for Scrapbooking as these do not contain the acid or lignin that will discolor your paper and photos, and eventually crack and release. Aside from needing different types for adhering different things, one of the most important things about scrapbook adhesives is the fact that they need to be safe for use with photos, that is acid free and lignin free and archival safe so as not to damage your photos or the
.....More on Scrapbook Adhesives
Permanent vs Temporary Adhesives - Don’t use a permanent adhesive until you have finalized your layout. You can always use a re-positionable adhesive until you finalize your layout. .... Different types of paper and embellishments need different types of adhesives so check out our adhesives page for easy ways to finish up your layouts
.....more at Test Fit Your Layouts from the Scrapbooking for Beginners Quick Start Guide
Scrap in Pieces - Don’t miss an opportunity to Scrap. Club Scrap calls it ALSB - Assembly Line ScrapBooking and it is great! An interesting concept. I actually get to put everything together and do the fun part
.....More at the Alaska Scrapbook
I quite often put together what I call naked Scrapbook layouts - that is layouts without photos. I show many of those layouts here on this website.
.....More on Post It Papercrafting Items
The Vellum Scrapbook Adhesives - Don’t use regular adhesives on Vellum or see through paper as the tape will show through vellum papers. Use another way to attach vellum sheets, so if you are using vellum, say as a journaling block, and adhere it with regular
.....More on Scrapbook Adhesives
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for
Photo Cropping
Scrapbook Photo Cropping - Don’t ever crop your older photos that you can't replace. First, get them reproduced and crop the newer version. Don't crop off anything that may be pertinent to the photograph at a later date. Never cut the Polaroid photos as I understand they will eventually bleed the chemicals used in the development of those photos
.....More on Scrapbook Photo Cropping
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Embellishments
Scrapbook Embellishments - Don’t use any Scrapbook Embellishments thicker than about 1/4 inch and
Do Not put an Embellishment on the page directly opposite from a photo. You don't want to have a damaged photo (the real reason for the scrapbook in the first place) years from now
.....More on Scrapbook Embellishments
Embellisments - Glimmer Mist - Do not shake the bottle so you don’t get air in the bottle, which sometimes makes to sprayer clog up and makes the product come out in spots ... if you hold the product away from the project like you do when using hairspray
.....More on Glimmer Mist
Embellisments - Glimmer Mist - And don't forget to remix (tilt side to side) the bottle occasionally when working with it to keep that glimmer stuff from settling back to the bottom of the bottle
.....More at the Glimmer Mist Tutorial
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List for Photo Mattes
Photo Mattes - Don’t waste paper when making you photo mattes. You don't have to stick with only one matte but there are very economical ways to get the most out of the paper or cardstock you use for matting your photos if you will stick with these tricks
.....More at the Photo Matte Tutorial & Cutting Diagrams
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List About For Albums
Pick Your Album - Don’t pick the wrong size or binding for your album. You don’t want one too big if it’s going to be looked at a lot or used in such a way that it is cumbersome. Too small and you won’t be able to see all you want to see. Style of book is also important if you are adding and moving pages around like in a chronological album. Scrapbooking for beginners will help you find the right type of Album & a lesson on How to Add Pages to Your Album
.....More on Albums from Scrapbooking for Beginners
Fill Your Album - Don't wait too long to get your layouts into some sheet protectors to keep them safe and to help plan your pages. If you don't already have your album or are
.....More on Albums from the Scrapbooking for Beginners Quick Start Guide
Store Your Album - Don’t store your albums lying down. Stand them up, like books in the library. Paper, photos and embellishments get really heavy and something several pages away can affect a photo and damage it. You have put too much work into your beautiful layouts to damage them
.....More on Albumsf from Scrapbooking for Beginners
Recipe Scrapbook - If it's such a secret recipe, don't put the recipe in or I actually have a few secret recipes that I put in our family book, but put a disclaimer on the page that it
.....More on Recipe Scrapbooking from the Recipe Scrapbook Store
Heritage & Family Tree Scrapbooks - Don’t wait until your sources of family stories are gone. Do research now with your older family members first
.....More on Themed & Heritage Scrapbooking Ideas
Scrap Area or Room Design - Don't forget you need to allow separate spaces for your tools ... And don't forget storage for photos in various formats, as well those on CD's, books,
.....More on Scrapbook Room Layouts
I sincerely hope this Scrapbooking Do Not Do List will help you to avoid some common mistakes that can cost you in the long run - either with time and money to repair damage or redo layouts - or just to prevent a layout or album from getting damaged or aging poorly.
Please let us know at Scrapbook-advice.com if you have any additional items to add to our list, send us an e-mil on the Contact Us form at the top of the Right Column. We might just send you a surprise for the tip.
Soon we will have some other Scrapbooking Do Not Do Lists for Rubber Stamping, Photography and Card Making.
Check out our Rubber Stamping Do Not Do List
Check out our Card Making Do Not Do List
Check out our Photograpny Do Not Do List
Go back to Home Page for general Scrapbook Advice from the
Scrapbooking Do Not Do List
