DIY Scrapbooking Techniques

Scrapbooking is the craft for archivists, for the imaginative and for those who crave to create the truly unique. Every scrapbook is different. That goes without saying, of course. No one else has your photos or is using your journaling techniques. Not even if they buy the same set of matched paper, embellishments, hole punches and stuff.

Well, maybe there are other scrapbooks that are sort of similar, but how can you be sure that your scrapbooks are really unique? The answer is to add your own diy scrapbooking techniques to your store-bought accessories.

Where to Begin

Start by remembering that a scrapbook isn't an excuse to use the newest themed accessory packages. A scrapbook is a history of your family and friends - most of all, of your life and the people who make it important. You already have the most important diy scrapbooking accessories tucked away in your memories, your heart and your mind. Make each scrapbook page the real story of the subject on it.

If your diy scrapbooking project is about a specific person, include the things that make that person special to you. If it's your grandmother, make the pages in her favorite colors and patterns - even if the scrapbooking paper supplier hadn't thought to combine them for you. On the page with the picture of her kitchen, include a pocket to hold recipe cards of the dishes she made for you or taught you to make. Page pockets are a diy scrapbooking technique that will come in handy over and over again. Trim the pocket to look like her old apron.

Is she the person who taught you to crochet? Make a length of lace crochet to add as a bookmark. A great diy scrapbooking idea is to add some of your other craft techniques. Don't be afraid to use crafts that you did as a child. Next to the picture of her winter decorated living room, add a newly-made paper snowflake with glitter if that's what you made with her.

Remember that all diy scrapbooking additions have to be made of acid-free materials to protect your photos. Look through the keepsakes you have of your person or theme and add them to the book. Theater tickets are obvious. Did you save the ribbon from a present? Paper isn't the only ingredient in your finest diy scrapbooking projects. If the material isn't safe for a scrapbook, cover it in plastic first. To create the truly unique diy scrapbooking project, start with a memory.