When I first started scrapbooking, I had joined a group that was very old school. They felt that everything should be done by hand and that at no time, should you ever crack open a scrapbooking kit to finish a page. It was a bit overwhelming and after a few failed attempts to get the perfect layout, I snuck my first scrapbooking kit.
And I have to say that there is something wonderful with kits. Although there is a set look that you can create, there are actually some ways that you can use the kit so that you aren't simply creating a carbon copy. After all, one of the biggest benefits of scrapbooking is that the books are unique to the individual.
Before we look at scrapbooking kits, we should start by explaining what a kit is. First, kits come in all different sizes and they are designed to make scrapbooking easier, especially if you are just starting out. They can be found in small packages that only make one page or in larger packages that allow you to make an entire book. Some have cut outs, while others have cutters, rulers and a number of other tools to use.
1 - Understand what you want to Achieve Because there are such a large variety of kits available out there, it is important to really understand what you want. In addition, it can be very easy to purchase something that ends up becoming unusable as your ideas are formed.
2 - Use them for Inspiration Since everyone wants to have a unique scrapbook, I recommend that you purchase a scrapbooking kit and use it for some inspiration instead of as the blueprint for your page. Usually, the scrapbooking kit will have two or three page "inspirations" using the materials in the kit and you can build off those ideas to create something unique.
3 - Mix and Match the Scrapbooking Kits It may seem like a strange practice, purchasing two different kits to make one unique page but this is a great way to get your scrapbooking box full. Both kits will eventually make more than one page, but every page will have a unique touch that can only be created by mixing and matching a few kits.
4 - Embellish The third point that you should keep in mind is to build on the kit. Many times, the scrapbooking kit can be rather flat and it is always better to take the base of what you have and embellish on it a bit. Use die cuts, stickers, 3 dimensional shapes and embellishments to add an extra pop to the page.
5 - Find a Theme Another step to using a scrapbooking kit is to find a theme since most kits are theme based. This makes it very easy to find the inspiration when it is lacking for a page since you can find just about any theme from a vacation to a baby shower. Saving the scrapbooking kits for when you need a theme is actually a very cost effective way to scrapbook with kits.
6 - Have Fun Finally, make sure that you have fun when you scrapbook. There is no right or wrong way to use a scrapbooking kit and whether you use it for one page or all of the pages, the end result will be a sense of pride in the book you have created.
Emma Taylor is Chief Editor at http://ScrapbookingOnlineTips.com an information site that discusses scrapbooking ideas, layouts and how to create scrapbooks.
For more detailed information on how to create a scrapbook then visit our scrapbooks kits page.
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