Scrapbooking Articles Tips & Ideas

One of the most interesting and imaginative categories of scrapbooking “toys” is the cutters. These include scissors, hole punches, edgers, shape cutters and trimmers. These tools can help you add new layers of creative expression to your layouts that you could do without them.

Scissors. Scrapbooking scissors come with different patterns so that you can present your photos with beautifully worked trim. Of course, a good pair of basic scissors is a must for any scrapbooker, to fit your photos and papers to the size, shapes and patterns you need.

Hole punches. Hole punches can be a simple circle that allow you to put a layout page in a binder, or they can do their job in different shapes, such as hearts, ovals, or diamonds. It’s one more way to dress things up and make them a little nicer.

Shape cutters. These work on a principle similar to hole punches, but the things they punch are bigger and more elaborate. You can do hearts, diamonds, ovals, rectangles, or flowers of any size, or entire words or elaborate designs to form borders in two or more colors.

Trimmers. Trimmers are designed to cut off the sharp corners of your cut-outs and to replace them with a prettier, more elegant design to accent your layouts. This makes them ideal for matting and for layering colors and textures on your page.

Exacto Knifes. Great for getting an exact cut and great precision with cardstock, cut-outs and other materials.

If you are a beginner, you have a whole world of scissors and other cutter to discover. But if you’ve been at this for a while you already know that using the right cutting tool can make the different between a nice page and a beautiful one.

Look at Modzy’s Scrapbooking Tools

We all know, of course, that scrapbooking doesn’t necessarily mean that your memories go into a scrapbook. Some of your beautifully laid out pages will go into frames, birthday cards, or websites. Another popular option for your scrapbooking materials is to make a scrapbook calendar.

There are several ways to do this.

Some companies print up a calendar that comes with lay-outs and accessories, and from month to month you can simply design your own family pages that coordinate with that month. This is an excellent option for beginners or for those with little computer experience.
You can custom make your own calendar pages. It is easy to buy or make seasonally appropriate display pages, and to print out the monthly page of dates. You then apply your own pictures and memories and out them together. You can use this technique to custom make gifts for different friends and family members, each one tailored to your special memories of them.
Online calendar services. This is an excellent source for those who do a lot of computer scrapbooking. You design your 12 pages, using either your own templates or ones that they offer, and you email them to the company. The company then prints them out and binds them into a professional looking calendar. You can buy several copies of this calendar to give to relatives as gifts.

One of the best things about scrapbook calendars is that they make meaningful but inexpensive gifts for all your loved ones, and express your unique memories throughout the year.

Click Here to see the Heidi Swapp Blank 12″x12″ Calendar