3 Steps to the Scrapbooking Hobby

Don't be afraid of learning the art of the scrapbook hobby. It's easy and fun, bringing you years of memories and joy.

WHAT IS A SCRAPBOOKING HOBBY?

People have been practicing the scrapbooking hobby since the 15th century when scrapbooks were regarded as commonplace books. Memorabilia, pictures or printed media are placed in a album where they are permanently stored on pages for easy viewing.

Each scrapbook is uniquely made according to the owner's own interests, a showcase of sorts, to remember events, family or favorite subjects by. The scrapbooking hobby was started in England and advanced throughout the world until the 1960s began a new era in artform by using a multitude of different materials.


CHOOSE A FAVORITE SUBJECT

Beginning the art of scrapbooking is as easy as thinking about what you love the most. It may be your family tree, a favorite area of the world, your school years or a series of pets. There are no rules in what your scrapbook hobby has to be about; only that you have a deep passion for the subject. A memorable trip to a zoo could make a fascinating scrapbook hobby for a child, posting pictures of the event, writing personal thoughts and being able to keep as a memorable experience.



WHAT TYPE OF SCRAPBOOKING
Scrapbooks are usually thought of as consisting of bound letter sized paper (8 ½ x 11 inches) but there are several other options for your scrapbooking hobby today. 6, 7 or 8 inch square albums are picking up popularity and many manufacturers are racing to provide paper and clear page covers to accommodate these sizes. Digital or computer scrapbooks are another area if you wish to swap your artwork on the internet with others. Digiscrappin' is a great scrapbooking hobby where you not only get to present your best work, but they can also be traded with others for their great work - sort of like a souvenir.

MATERIALS FOR YOUR SCRAPBOOK
Once only a hard cardboard cover with thick paper pages, the scrapbook hobby has taken on an entirely new look in the past ten years. Elaborate covers made of different grades of cardboard or material covered give you several options as to the cover design. Specialized tools such as rubber stamps, craft punches, stencils, inking tools, eyelet setters, heat embossing tools and die cut templates make every page unique to its subject. Every imaginable color and type of paper and stickers can be found in craft stores and on the internet for your own personal creation.

DESIGNING AND CREATING
Now that you have a subject, a scrapbook and the materials at hand, you are free to arrange each page with the perfect background. Accents surrounding your photos, and thoughts, make the subject jump off of the page and add humor or nostalgia to your scene. A joyful event with a loved family member could be surrounded with hearts and flowers or a mean looking tiger in a cage with scary stickers. The thoughts that you have while working on your scrapbooking hobby is what makes your book so special. Your scrapbook hobby is a special time for you and others to share... so be creative and spontaneous with your mind.



Article Source: Ezine