Sometimes you just don’t need to improve on a good thing. Many of the top scrapbook adhesives have been around for 10 years or more. I’m not saying that some haven’t been improved over the years, or companies haven’t come out with an adhesive that really made certain projects easier.

But my scrapbook room is not complete without these items. They are the same now as they were 10 years ago and I love that. I appreciate that I can still have the product loyalty after all these years.

My top picks in adhesives and yes they are in order

1. Hermafix Dotto

2. Foam Squares – especially since I love to stamp and cut out images.

3. Glue Dots

Seriously, anyone that has been scrapbooking for a while is laughing right now because we’ve all used these products since they came out. But they are something I can never be without in my scrapbook supplies.

What are your must-have adhesives?

Chipboard and Scrapbooking
By: Dawn Stegall

What exactly is chipboard? Chipboard is a cardboard-like material. It is thinner than most cardboard and thicker than cardstock. Not all chipboard is acid-free and thus safe for scrapbooks. Check the packaging and/or test with a ph testing pen. Chipboard sold for the purpose of scrapbooking embellishments are more than likely acid-free.

Where can I find chipboard? Chipboard can be found in a variety of places. The backing of a pad of paper is chipboard. Often scrapbook paper comes packaged with a sheet of chipboard for stability. Chipboard can be purchased by the sheet in some arts and crafts supply stores. And finally, chipboard is available as shapes and alphabets by various scrapbook manufacturers.

Why would I want to use chipboard in my layouts? You mean besides it being one of the hottest trends in scrapbooking? Chipboard is light-weight, inexpensive and very versatile. There are so many uses and possibilities with chipboard that you are only limited by your imagination. Let’s explore a few creative possibilities…

The easiest is purchasing pre-made chipboard pieces already embellished and ready to go! Simply adhere to your layout. But if you want to create your own custom chipboard pieces, let’s see what we can do. Let’s start with a shape that comes ready to embellish. Here a few ideas on how to embellish this chipboard piece.

Paint them. You can use any acrylic paint. Paint made especially for scrapbooking is a little thicker, which may be better for chipboard. Sand the edges for a finished look.

Cover with patterned paper. Simply trace, cut and adhere. Recommended for adhering paper to chipboard include xyron, spray adhesive, hermafix, scrappy glue and modge podge. Sanding or inking the edges provide a finished look.

Embellish with stickers, flowers, glitter and other embellishments.

You can create your own shapes and alphabets with chipboard sheets.

- Some die cut machines like Sizzix and Quick Kutz will cut through the chipboard.

- You can also use decorative punches with chipboard.

- And finally, hand cut your desired shape.

Once you have your shape/alphabet cut or punched, then cover and embellish as mentioned above. Have fun with this versatile technique!

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Need answers to more of your scrapbooking questions? Dawn Stegall povides 102 of them at 102ScrapbookingIdeas.com.

Last year my oldest daughter made the transition from middle school to high school.  I was so sad and couldn’t believe how fast time had flown by.  It’s incredible how life just moves past you without any warning whatsoever.  We had just moved across the country, she had to start middle school at a school where she didn’t know anyone, start completely over with her sports and hobbies, and did it with an amazing attitude. We promised our kids we weren’t going to move them again. We promised that these were the friends they were going to graduate with. But life throws curve balls and we found ourselves moving again shortly after we had settled. We were moving to a place where she’d be starting all over again, new high school, new friends, new teams, new everything….once again.

So where am I going with all of this? I wanted to give her something special, something she’d treasure forever and help her capture all of her memories and stories from middle and thank her for being so supportive in our next adventure.  I want her to know that her family loves her, knows her and that she can do anything she sets her mind to. I want her to remember that she’s an amazing girl, spiritually strong and that she can make good decisions and be successful in the crazy times of high school.

I collected her report cards, awards, school pictures, sports achievements, letters from family, friends and teachers, scanned in special shirt logos, ticket stubs, etc.   I wrote down all of the big moments and achievements, stories, triumphs and failures.  I listed all of the fun fashions and fads, her favorite foods, colors, music, movies, books, and so on.  Through Cherish Bound, I put all of these images and stories together in an A-B-C format….the ABC’s of Surviving Middle School.

My favorite part was the letters from her family, friends and teachers. As a mother it’s so comforting to see how many people are rooting for her, how many people want her to WIN in life.

I used digital scrapbooking techniques to create a beautiful custom cover, and merged it with Cherish Bound’s custom designed backgrounds and colors to create an adorable book that she’ll treasure forever.

I did the cover with digital scrapbooking downloads from Shabby Princess
I created the cover with the “Express Yourself” Collection
I loaded the entire page as an 8.5×11 portrait size into the Cherish Bound full-bleed template to create the cover.

Here’s a peak at the inside of the book….  M is for Mom.

If you’d like more information on how you can preserve your family’s stories and memories visit my at my blog www.publishourstories.com or you can find me at Cherish Bound www.findcaptureandshare.com to request more information.

Mention this post for 10% of your first publishing.  Ex. 04/30/09

Caring for Your Scrapbook Materials
By: Vera Raposo

When handled carefully, your memorabilia can look its best even after years of display. Here are some tips to keep your treasures safe.

Keep all of your scrapbooking supplies, albums, photos and negatives in a cool, dry place. Humidity and liquids will destroy these sensitive scrapbook materials.

Handle your photos carefully. Oil from your skin and fingerprints can become visible after time. Wash your hands frequently or wear thin cotton gloves.

Store your memorabilia in acid-free envelopes or plastic sleeves to prevent scratches, tears and bending. Direct sunlight will eventually diminish the quality of your heirlooms.

Use sheet protectors, binders, photo enclosures and photo corners that are made of acrylic or polyester. Some of these items could be made of PVC that will eventually corrode your photos and historical items.

Remove any items that you may have in a magnetic photo album and put them in a safer place. Magnetic albums have an acidic adhesive that may be difficult to remove from your photos. High levels of acid in items like newspaper, regular paper or other memorabilia can cause a chemical reaction with your other photos. Use acid-free paper next to or behind these items.

Portraits are not usually replaceable. Scan and save all portraits before putting them in an album. Use photo corners to mount on acid-free paper. Do not crop Polaroid photos. When the protective seal is broken the image will eventually disappear. Document and file all photos as soon as possible without writing on the back of the photos.

And finally, for long-term album storage, do not lay albums on a flat surface and stack them. Doing this will damage the bindings and put pressure on your photos and embellishments.

Knowing how to care for your scrapbook materials can save you much time, money and effort in the end.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas on her radio show at www.ScrappersTalkRadio.com.

Take a look at this photo…

You probably have no idea who those people are, right? Well, that’s my father-in-law. An amazing father to my husband, a prefect FIL to me, yes, I’m a lucky girl, and a man that my children are completely in love with. That was the day he met our twins and the last time we ever saw him. There is a beautiful deep story behind this photo, this man, and this day. It’s a story that needs to be told and shared so my children will remember and know who their grandfather was.

I could simply upload this photo with a few other snapshots into a photo book or throw it up on my wall in a frame. That would be easy, picture preserved and nicely displayed. But who will tell my children and grandchildren about him when I’m gone? What about my babies who won’t remember him? How do we keep his memory alive?

It’s simple…through story.

Story is powerful. When we start telling stories, we connect, teach, and often heal. We relate in a way that brings power and purpose to our lives. Stories change people’s lives. That is why it is so important to take the time to record and write the stories of our lives. Photos are simple beautiful images that help us relive single moments in our lives, but they’re subjective, they can be lost, and simply don’t tell the whole story.

Here are a few simple steps and tips to help you organize and begin storytelling through photos.

1. Get your family involved. Have your spouse, children, parents, everyone in your family begin writing down simple details of their lives.

2. It’s not always about dates, times, and places. It’s about lessons learned, traditions passed on, and leaving a legacy of who we are. Let everyone tell their story.

3. Break it up into bite-size chucks. Start with the now. Start with recording one week at time. Simple moments that define who we are….a sweet husband leaving a love note, a toddler whispering I love you for the first time, a child’s struggle to fit in.

4. Remember that it’s impossible to share every single picture we take. Pick out your favorite two or three from each event or memory and then put the rest in words.

Photos are priceless, but the stories that accompany them are a treasure. A treasure that will be worth more than anything else we leave behind for those we love. As you create your albums, scrapbooks, and photo books keep in mind one simple rule; if I wasn’t here to share this book would they know who the people in these photos and the stories behind them?

Visit me at www.publishourstories.com and www.findcaptureandshare.com to learn more about stories, family, and traditions!

Happy Storytelling!

Tara B.

Acid Free: What Does it Mean and How Do I Know Which Products are Safe?

Acids are essential for our daily comfort, but when it comes to scrapbooking, there’s really not much worse.  If you look at old scrapbooks or photo albums that your grandmother or even your mother made, you’ll notice a distinct “aged” look to the photos.  Most of that damage is not caused by time, it’s caused by acids.

The best place to buy acid-free products is at a scrapbook store or scrapbook supply website, but that doesn’t mean everything you find there is acid free.  You need to learn to read labels.  There are certain label codes that mean a product is safe.  If the packaging is unclear, you can always ask the sales clerk or research the product online.

If you’re unsure of a the acid level of paper, or just want to double check, you can test products on your own with a Ph pen.  They’re available at your local scrapbook store.  They are also great if you’re using products that aren’t prepackaged for scrapbooking like greeting cards or wrapping paper.  For just a small investment, you’ll be saving precious memories.

PH pens have chemicals in them that change color when you expose them to an acid.  Just write on a small piece of the material you want to test.  If it stays the same color, it’s safe.  If the material changes color, don’t use it.

If papers are too dark to see the color change, just rub the paper onto a white sheet until some of the color comes off.  Then, test the white sheet with your pH pen.  The acid is usually in the ink, not the paper, so this should give you an accurate result.

Everyone will tell you to use acid free paper, cardstock, and photo albums, but there are other hidden offenders that can do just as much damage to your memories if you don’t buy acid-free products.

Glue.  Using a pH pen isn’t feasible for products like glue and other adhesives.  You should learn the tell-tale signs that there’s acid present in the product.  The first and easiest is, of course, by reading the package, but that’s not always helpful.  A safe glue should not have a strong distinct smell and should always dry clear.

Page protectors.  These are another big acid offender.  While it may seem easier to just go buy regular protectors from the store, the very things you use to protect your photos may actually be destroying them.

Ink.  Whether you’re keeping track of your photos by writing on the back or just journaling and adding details on the pages of your scrapbook, you need to use acid-free ink pens.

Storage boxes.  Whether you’re using boxes to store pictures that haven’t been used yet, or to store completed books, you should make sure that the boxes are acid free.  Acidic boxes can do just as much damage as putting pictures on acidic paper.

While it may take a little extra time and money to find and buy acid-free products, the long term results will make it worth the effort.

This past weekend I attended a very large women’s expo in Orlando as a vendor with Cherish Bound. Sitting among the sea of booths I had a very steady flow of traffic, but I also had many concerned and overwhelmed memory keepers lurking around.  When talking with guests and even neighboring vendors I could sense their sincere  love for memories, stories and pictures, but many were very frustrated and commented, “I don’t know where to begin.”

That seems to be a standard theme among new memory keepers.  Believe it or not there are 1000’s and 1000’s of people who have never attempted the memory keeping process.  99% want to, but most just “don’t know where to begin”.

I have a few tips and a little advice for the aspiring memory/story/photo keeper.

1. Start with the NOW.  Do not go back and do your life history, yet.  That is the past and it was stay the past.  But the longer you keep forgetting about the “now” the more past you’ll have to catch up with.
2. Keep it Simple!  Start with a simple story, one simple memory, one simple and small event.  Maybe a first birthday, 10th Anniversary, dance recital, etc.  Stick with a “one-even” type of project.
3. If it’s your kid’s event or your spouse was involved in the memory, get them involved.  Let your family help you with the story and journaling.  Everyone has a different side to the story and everyone deserve to be heard.  This takes pressure off of you and let’s everyone share the responsibility, not to mention a great evening around the dinner table.
4. Only use products that are easy to use, for beginners, or help you organize and write your stories.  By going out and purchasing all kinds of “stuff” you’re still not getting your memories preserved.  The process of putting your memories together is not all about buying “stuff”.  It’s just “stuff” until it’s in a finished book.  Cherish Bound offers Story Starters that help you organize and write your stories and memories in order, with detail, and in themes.
5. Look into going digital.  By going digital and doing the storybook styles you eliminate the need for tools and products you may not use, no mess and no printing!  This can save you 100’s of dollars and hours and hours of time.

My area of expertise is keeping it simple, going digital, and writing and publishing your families stories.  There are so many simple ways to preserve your memories and stories.  By keeping it simple you’ll find a place to begin and you’ll begin accomplishing the rewarding task of memory keeping one story at a time.

Caring for Your Scrapbook Materials

By: Vera Raposo

When handled carefully, your memorabilia can look its best even after years of display. Here are some tips to keep your treasures safe.

Keep all of your scrapbooking supplies, albums, photos and negatives in a cool, dry place. Humidity and liquids will destroy these sensitive scrapbook materials.

Handle your photos carefully. Oil from your skin and fingerprints can become visible after time. Wash your hands frequently or wear thin cotton gloves.

Store your memorabilia in acid-free envelopes or plastic sleeves to prevent scratches, tears and bending. Direct sunlight will eventually diminish the quality of your heirlooms.

Use sheet protectors, binders, photo enclosures and photo corners that are made of acrylic or polyester. Some of these items could be made of PVC that will eventually corrode your photos and historical items.

Remove any items that you may have in a magnetic photo album and put them in a safer place. Magnetic albums have an acidic adhesive that may be difficult to remove from your photos. High levels of acid in items like newspaper, regular paper or other memorabilia can cause a chemical reaction with your other photos. Use acid-free paper next to or behind these items.

Portraits are not usually replaceable. Scan and save all portraits before putting them in an album. Use photo corners to mount on acid-free paper. Do not crop Polaroid photos. When the protective seal is broken the image will eventually disappear. Document and file all photos as soon as possible without writing on the back of the photos.

And finally, for long-term album storage, do not lay albums on a flat surface and stack them. Doing this will damage the bindings and put pressure on your photos and embellishments.

Knowing how to care for your scrapbook materials can save you much time, money and effort in the end.

Article Source: http://www.scrapventurearticles.com

Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas on her radio show at www.ScrappersTalkRadio.com.

Scrapbook Brads

To apply your brads you will need a craft knife or eyelet hole punch and a self-healing mat. Place your paper onto the mat and make a slight slit or punch where you want the brad to be placed. Poke the prongs of the brad through the hole with the decorative head on the front of the paper. Turn the paper over and bend each prong flat to the back of the paper.

Some ideas for using brads:

attaching vellum

use as dots for background

attach moving parts (clock hands, legs on people or animals)

attaching transparencies

hinges

period at the end of a sentence

bullets for a journal list

center of flower

the center of a letter in the alphabet

nails in a board

stones on a ring

buttons on a snowman

dots on ladybug

stars for a night background

snowflakes for winter

blue as raindrop background

chocolate chips on a cookie

buttons on a shirt or coat

dots on Easter eggs

lights on vehicles

Christmas tree balls

eyes on paper dolls or animals

sprinkles on a sundae, cake or cupcakes

M & M’s

It’s All about Adhesives – Various Adhesives for your Scrapbooking Projects

~author Jacqueline M. Schimmel

If you’re like me, you’re probably overwhelmed with the wide variety of adhesive products on the market for scrapbooking! It seems as if there is a special adhesive for adhering just about anything. This is why I though I would give you a quick overview of what is out there and what it’s used for:

* Glue stick – Very basic adhesive for scrapbooking is a glue stick. It’s very inexpensive and goes a long way. That is the pro side of it. The con side is the sticky finger part, which is not exactly an advantage when using it to glue photos. If you get it on top of the photo, you will not be able to remove it. It’s fine for adhering paper punches and similar embellishments.

* Glue dots – These dots are fabulous!  The dots are transparent and come in all different sizes and have various levels of thickness (for a 3D effect). I use them to adhere buttons, ribbons, photos, flowers, metal embellishments, letters, etc. Make sure that you don’t try to peel the dot off of the paper. Take whatever you would like to stick and push onto the dot and it will automatically peel itself off and stick to your embellishment or photo.

* Glue pens – these come in handy for very tiny embellishments or for reattaching little areas that have come unglued.

* Diamond Glaze – This is a water-based dimensional adhesive, one of my favorites! You can apply it directly on top of just about anything for a raised glass-like finish or diluted with some water for a lacquer-like finish, or use for adhering glitter, beads, vellum and plastic. I like to punch out small colourful circles and stamp with a mini stamp, then I use pure diamond glaze and cover it 3-4 times, waiting for the last layer to dry before I put on the next. Then I wait about 24 hours and viola, I have created my own special embellishment! This glue is extremely strong and quick drying, so be careful where you put it.

* 3D Foam Tape – I love this stuff too, because I’m also fanatic about making things “pop” from the page.  You can use it for just about anything, but it’s especially effective if you want to make a shaker box.

* Liquid Glue – This adhesive goes on clear and dries clear and gives a smooth and even coverage. Make sure you purchase the acid-free kind though, such as TOMBOW Mono Aqua Liquid Glue. It’s best used on paper and cardboard.

* Permanent Adhesive Runner – I love to use these runner adhesives on photos, for paper, ribbons and other light weigh embellishments. If you like quick, then the runner is for you. They are a little bit pricy as compared to a regular glue stick, but it’s very clean, fast and very easy to use. My absolute favourite adhesive! I use TOMBOW Mono Adhesive permanent.

* Non-permanent Adhesive Runner – This is the same type of adhesive as just described about, except it’s non-permanent. So, if you want to play around with your layout ideas, this is just the thing to have. It saves you from having accidents. You can also use it to affix cardstock and patterned paper for instance to keep it in place for sewing on the layout.

* Vellum Runner Adhesive – Same as above, except this runner adhesive is especially made for adhering vellum as it is for the most part invisible.

* Xyron – Xyron is an adhesive inside of a Xyron machine that will attach a sticky side to the bottom of any item that you run through it. There are a wide variety of sizes and types of adhesive if offers and it works without heat. It can be used for almost any type of flat embellishment, paper or photo.

* Photo adhesive – This are double-sided sticks squares that are on a dispenser and can easily and quickly be applied to your photos and can be used for cardstock or embellishments as well. This is one of the less expensive adhesives and very clean to use.

So, now you have an idea of the variety of adhesives available and what you can use them for. I’m sure I have not mentioned all of them, but these are basic scrapbooking adhesives. Other ways to adhere embellishments, etc. are to use brads, eyelets, staples or sewing. I hope this article is helpful to you. Now, go out there and “stick” to your scrapbooking!

Jacqueline M. Schimmel is a Professional Scrapbook Designer who designs custom and premade scrapbooks, cards, frames and teaches scrapbooking courses in Germany. Her portfolio consists of over 500 designed layouts and she was hired to design an album that was given to his Holiness the Pope in 2005 on his visit to Cologne, Germany. The name of her business is Memories Artwork™, http://www.memoriesartwork.com.  Click here for all your adhesive needs.