Such kind of creativity as scrapbooking is gaining more and more popularity. What is it? Why is this technique so widespread? When you find out what this craft is and try to do something using the scrapbooking technique with your own hands, you will no longer have similar questions!

What is scrapbooking?

This is a special technique for decorating photo albums, postcards in order to preserve dear moments in memory.

The term "scrapbooking" comes from the English. scrapbooking, where scrap is a clipping, book is a book. That is, in the literal sense - "a book of clippings." Scrapbooking is a kind of handicraft, which is based on the manufacture and design of your own or someone else's photo albums.

Scrapbooking is both an original form of creativity and a certain method of psychotherapy. Scrapbooking for beginners will serve as a kind of reassurance, with it all problems will go into the background.

This technique is especially useful for those who do not like standard store photo albums, for whom every thing matters. This technique is used to decorate the popular "Mother's Treasures" - an album or folder, paper boxes where the baby's first curl is kept, a photo from an ultrasound scan, and the first tooth.

Decorated using the scrapbooking technique and photographs from the rest. For example, a photo frame is decorated with seashells, nautical decor, ribbons, special ink for decoration are used, even tickets left over from a trip are attached.

With the help of scrapbooking, a kind of story is formed; only for its transmission, special techniques are used, aimed at visual and tactile sensations.

Modern scrapbooking does not stop at creating albums in the classical style - in the collections of craftswomen, you can see accordion albums, houses, boxes, baskets, postcards.

Scrapbooking for beginners is not as difficult as it sounds. The work is greatly simplified thanks to the available templates, forms and blanks. A novice craftswoman can easily make her own blank out of thick cardboard by cutting out a heart, a house, a flower, etc.

The history of scrapbooking

Scrapbooks are collected by people not only now. The first mention of such a hobby can be found in 1598. People collected poems, supplemented them with their own memorabilia, quotes - all this was pasted into simple books. Quotation books were popular in England. In Germany, girls had their own albums, where complex ornaments were created from the hair of friends and other decor on the pages.

In the 17th century, scrapbooking takes its form, especially after the release of a special book on how to correctly and beautifully design poetry.

Albums were also distributed in Russia in the 18th century. Even A.S. Pushkin was often asked to leave his poem to the hostess in it. In such an album, beautiful poems were interspersed with dried flowers, beads, and pieces of fabric.

But it was not exactly scrapbooking as a style, since there was no laconicism in the albums, and scrapbooking implies maintaining one style in the created composition and is dedicated to one event or person.

The term scrapbooking first appears in 1830. With the invention of photography, the development of scrapbooking took on a second wind.

In the Soviet Union, there were also "rudiments" of scrapbooking - girly "questionnaires" with paper pockets, army albums, and home photo albums were also tried to decorate in an original way.

In Russia, scrapbooking became popular around 2005, after the term scrapbooking was mentioned at the famous needlework forum and the translations from English master classes of one of the craftswomen appeared.

What you need for scrapbooking - a list of materials and tools

To get started with scrapbooking, you need some special tools and materials (a kind of basic kit for a beginner craftsman).

1. First you need to buy design cardboard ... It is used as a basis for creating albums and postcards.
2. Will definitely need scrap paper ... For novice craftswomen, the best solution would be to buy sets of paper, so it will be easier to achieve a combination in style and color. Scrap paper sizes are 15x15, 20x20 and 30x30.
3. You will also need sharp scissors, dummy knife, aluminum ruler ... Nail scissors are useful for cutting small pieces or paper lace.
4. To attach the elements you will need glue, double-sided tape ... You can buy quality glue stick or use PVA with roller .
5. It will take ink and silicone dies to create print patterns. The ink can be chalk-based or pigment-based.
6. In addition, a special powder for stamps that will make your prints original and vivid.

On a note! At this stage, there is no point in purchasing expensive materials. Beginners in this business will be able to get by with the basic tools at hand. For example, if you have a printer at home, many inscriptions can be printed on a printer by choosing an interesting and original font in advance. Then they can be cut out of paper and then glued.

1. Replace stamps will help translation pictures ... They are issued on tracing paper, and to transfer the drawing to paper, it will need to be rubbed.
2. Beads, rhinestones, lace, ribbons, mini-figures - these elements are useful for decorating the product. You can also make them yourself or use the remains of old beads available at home.
3. You will also need to buy a special hole puncher for the scraper. Even two. One is for processing the corners of postcards, the second is for creating certain patterns. An alternative to a hole punch - curly scissors .
4. For convenience, it is worth buying special mat for work ... If it is not there, then you can use a piece of unnecessary linoleum or thick oilcloth. The rug is required for easy cutting with a knife.

On a note! There is no need to strive to buy everything at once. The collection with paper and decor will be gradually replenished, and soon there will be enough materials in the arsenal to create masterpieces.

Scrapbooking workshop for beginners

For novice craftswomen, it is important to understand the principle of work and try the basic scrapbooking techniques, and there are quite a few of them. The most popular ones are:

• Decoupage (pasting items with napkins and pictures).
• Stamping - applying images using stamps.
• Journalism is an inscription on a piece of paper related to the event in the photo.
• Quilling - decoration using curled paper.
• Origami - folding paper volumetric figures.
• Isothreads - winding threads onto special fasteners or hard cardboard, etc.

New techniques are emerging. With the development of experience and as passion for scrapbooking, novice craftswomen can now invent their own style.

Master class 1: a simple postcard

You can start with the simplest master class "Making a postcard-jacket with your own hands."

Such a postcard can be presented to a young man, husband, dad on his birthday, on February 23 or another holiday. The cover of the postcard will serve as its front side.

For work you will need:

• Scrapbooking paper set.
• Buttons.
• Adhesive for paper.
• Quick-drying liquid glue.
• Cardboard.

Step-by-step instruction:

Master class 2: openwork postcard

To create an interesting postcard you will need:

• Curly frames.
• Vignettes.
• The lettering for a postcard in an oval.
• The basis for the postcard.
• Flat beads.
• Glue.
• Double sided tape.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Spread all the pieces out on the rug.
   
2. Glue the frames on both sides with double-sided tape.
   
3. Glue the vignette in the center.
   
   
4. Glue the inscription on top.
   
   
5. Decorate the card with beads to your liking.
   

Master class 3: postcard "Happy Newborn!"

Needed for work:

• Cardboard for postcards.
• Colored paper.
• Cardboard for decoration.
• Glue, pencil and ruler.
• Hole punch, ribbon.

Step-by-step instruction:

You can use stamps to decorate the base. That's all, a beautiful and simple postcard is ready! Do not be afraid to create, fantasize, invent new products, work in your own style! And everything will definitely work out!

Video tutorials for beginners: scrapbooking technique

To consolidate your skills, watch video tutorials for beginners: scrapbooking technique.