One of my first introductions to paper crafting was through Stampin' Up. Before scrapbooking picked up steam, there were at home stamp parties and aisles and aisles of stamps at the craft store. For the most part, these were used for school projects or homemade cards for special occasions. Later on, scrapbooking with fancy paper and other materials became a big deal. Glitter, zig zag scissors (like pinking shears), and adding chevron patterns to your everyday photo albums really started to shake things up.
The rise of technology and minimalist living has reduced interest in handmade and bulky scrapbooks, but if you are a fan of more tangible memories and working with your own digits, take a look at some of these evolving trends to keep your scrapbooking game strong.
Go Green!
For the extra creative, reusing and repurposing items is really how "scrapbooking" got its name. Extra scraps of paper or material to spruce up a page with texture or a border gives an album a bit more life and depth. Here are a few ideas to use some items you probably have lying around the house.
photo from: https://scrapbooking.craftgossip.com/11-ways-to-use-old-books-for-scrapbooking/2015/07/21/
-Recycle other books or papers
Old books already have pages ready for you to get pasting on. There may even coincidentally be interesting words on the page that you can highlight to match the content you are going to add. If you also happen to still get magazines, get to snipping and make your pages fun collages.
-Cardboard
Corrugated cardboard can give a very interesting texture to a page, or smooth cardboard can give a deeper border. Cut shapes or paint the cardboard to liven up the originally neutral brown cardboard tone.
-Gift Wrap
Here is a reason to save even pieces of gift wrapping that is torn. It is fancy paper that usually comes at a much cheaper price. Plus, you will feel better about your environmental footprint if you aren't throwing it away, but instead using it as something to enhance your heirloom album. Maybe this will change your gift wrap preferences for future purchases.
photo from https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/pap-tab-altered-book -Soda pop tabs
These types of items are more bulky to glue to a page, but they can be painted and arranged in interesting patterns and designs. You could use them as a stamp for your paint instead of gluing them directly to the page.
Photo from https://www.amazon.com/Serif-Digital-Scrapbook-Artist-2/dp/B00355R03W -Digital
Digital scrapbooks are a lot more sleek and depending on the method you use, less labor intensive (at least as far as working with multiple materials). Just remember if you don't actually order a printed version of your book that you are backing up your data!
Image from: https://weheartit.com/entry/324086872
Bullet Journals
Planner designs have really expanded within the last decade or so. Bullet Journals are a much more decorated way to keep track of your life. From goals, to events, do daily reflections, these can either help you jog your memory with your scrapbooks or become a scrapbook as you go! It will help you know what you want to take photos of so you can capture memories and really document and organize your life.
Photo from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29JctRBTMuw
Washi Tape
Washi tape is a very decorative paper masking tape which makes it much less destructive when adding it to your page or even on top of photos. It also is easier to move it if you make a "mistake". Try using it for borders or frames, backgrounds, simply adding it to the top of a photo when adding it to a page or adding a scrap of paper to add text. You can also make little flags, banners, or wrapping other objects or cut outs you are adding to your page. Since washi tape has a straight edge, use it to your advantage when you are making geometric shapes.
Interactivity
Our brains seem to constantly crave stimulation, and maybe this is why the internet and social media is so addictive. Remember when you were a kid and you could hardly restrain yourself from pushing all of the buttons on an elevator? Or when you receive a gift, how curiosity magnifies your excitement to know what is inside? You can utilize some of this interactivity in your scrapbooks to make them more fun and interesting.
photo from: https://scrapsoftime.typepad.com/scraps_of_time/2012/04/new-storybook-travel-journal-seaside.html
Try hiding photos or stories under flaps or inside envelopes. You can add several layers and depth to a page this way, or give context to an old letter simply by having it live inside of the envelope. The extra crafty can add a pop up element for an extra surprise. If you would like to get more technological, try adding a QR code to allow phone interaction and add a video or link to a family website.
Depth and Texture
If the previous suggestions didn't quite tickle your fancy and you need more depth and texture to your photos, try some of these other classic scrapbooking additions to decorate your pages. Burlap and other pretty printed fabrics for texture, backgrounds or cut outs. Use ribbon and string for bows or other whimsical designs. Try buttons for more of a rustic or homely touch.
Mixed Media
The nature of scrapbooking trends towards using different media on a page, but you can make pages themed with mixed media. Maybe you will have paper cut outs and inked in drawings on one page, or perhaps on another page you can use fabrics and paint. This is yet another way to get creative, but still try to have your pages be themed so everything ties together.
Florals and Geometric shapes
If you are looking to stay on trend, florals and geometric shapes are the way to go. Floral backgrounds or even pressed flowers will give a fresh and feminine touch to any page. Geometric shapes can be drawn, found in many patterns for paper, or even die cutting for shapes is a popular way to go as well.
Color accents, metallic accents
Though glitter is not as popular and messy, not to mention a bit of a stress on the environment, plenty of stickers and even paper patterns have metallic accents now. There are even metallic sharpies if you want to work on your free hand.
It is also trendy to keep colors muted or in a very similar color palette, and then accent certain areas with a contrasting color that will make it pop. You can do this with a border or even with text if you want the text to stand out on a page.
Animals
Though you may not be someone who likes to ride the trend waves with the crowd, abundance in the market may make it hard to avoid. For example, unicorns and mermaids are all the rage. Even restaurants are coming up with themed food to try and cache in on the madness. These popular animals may not be your thing, but in the future, they may serve as a time capsule and you will know at what time you were scrapbooking certain pages. Besides the mystical unicorns and mermaids, sloths and llamas are also taking center stage in the realm of beloved animals.
Scrapbooking should be about preserving memories in a fun and creative way. Things are always changing which helps to keep our minds fresh and inspired. Sometimes you might get overly zealous with scissors or have a glue spill. In the case you need some corners restored or some stains removed on a photo, we can help! Our restoration service is here to supplement you on your scrapbooking journey.
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