GlossaryAcetate: Acetate shapes and overlays are getting very popular to use. They take careful planning to use, as most glues show through them, so you need to think hard about how you attach it, but can add dimension to a page without bulk, and can be painted with acrylic, and dyed with alcohol inks, decorated with glitter or flock. Overlays are usually ready patterned, and can make a very quick and easy scrapbook page.
Adhesive: There are many types of adhesive available to crafters, they are divided into two categories, ‘wet’ glue and ‘dry’ glue. Wet glues aren’t ideal for paper / cardstock / photos as they warp the paper easily, so for these you are better with a ‘dry’ glue, such as double sided sticky tape, or foam pads. ‘Wet’ glue, such as PVA, glossy accents etc, is good for sticking down embellishments, such as chipboard, charms and metal plaques. You can also use them to ‘glaze’ your embellishments to make them glossy and more 3D. Be sure to use archival safe glues for scrapbooking.
Album: The main standard sized albums for scrapbooking are 6×6, 8×8 & 12×12, but they also come in 8.5×11 and 4×4 inches. They can be leather covered, or fabric, or they may match a favourite range of papers that you have. Albums can be post bound - where you can add posts and more pages to the album, ring bound - you open up the rings to place your page protector in, and can add as many pages as you can fit, or they can be a fixed size, where you cannot add any more pages. Usually an album comes with page protectors in it, which you slide your finished layout into from the top. These are also sold seperately if you wish to add more to your album.
Altered Art: This is becoming extremely popular of late. Altered art is turning and ordinary every day object into a mini work of art. Things such as picture frames, metal buckets, lunch tins can all be ’scrapped’ onto. Mini-books and chipboard albums also fall under this category.
Archival Quality: Look out for this wording on anything that you put into a scrapbook album. It may also say 'acid-free'or 'acid & lignin free'. This means that the product has been made to ensure it is safe to use in a scrapbook, and does not contain harmful acids or other chemicals which can corrode your photos and papers.
Brads: Also known as paper fasteners, or split pins, these are a fantastic product for scrapbooking. You can buy them in so many sizes, colours, and different textures, they are especially useful for attaching things like vellum and acetate to a page, without using adhesive which shows through. They can also be used purely as a decorative tool (’Braditude’ by Karen Foster Designs is a fantastic book to help with this)
Cardstock: This is a must have basic product for scrapbooking. Cardstock is used by crafters to mean a variety of types of papers, but usually when saying cardstock, we mean thicker than paper, but not as thick as chipboard. It can be patterned, plain coloured, glittered, embossed, die cut in any shape or size. Most are dyed all the way through, meaning the colour is the same all the way through the paper, or some are white core, where only the top layer is coloured, so sanding and distressing, or tearing will give you a white edge / patches.
Chipboard: Not the old fashioned chipboard used to make cupboards, this is the term used for thick card such as the back of 12×12 paper packs. It is die cut into alphabets, shapes etc, and can be ‘raw’ (or left plain grey) or ready coloured to use. You can cover them in paper, paint with acrylic, or ink them using gesso as a base first. They can be decorated in so many ways, it’s a very useful standby, as it can be die cut through a Sizzix Big Shot too.
Crop: Cropping is the term used when you cut a photograph to change the focus of the subject. By cropping a photo of un-necessary background, or unwanted ‘extras’ you can completely change how a picture looks. Especially important in scrapbooking, as you are usually focussing on a single person or event. A ‘crop’ is also the name given to a group of people getting together to scrapbook together, to share ideas, inspiration and techniques with one another, as well as socialise and try new things.
Die-Cut: Die-cut is a term given to a paper or embellishment which has been easily ‘cut out’ using a die cutting machine, such as a sizzix sidekick, cuttlebug, cricut etc. If you buy a cardstock sheet of embellishments which you can just ‘pop out’ of the surrounding cardstock, these are known as ‘die-cuts’ or any papers bought cut into shapes, such as scalloped edges.
Distress: Distressing is also popular at the moment, with the ’shabby chic’ and ‘vintage’ looks at the present time. Distressing can be done in so many ways to cardstock and embellishments. Tearing, sanding and crumpling paper, inking it, and sanding photos, chipboard and other embellishments will have the same effect. To make your page look ‘worn around the edges’ Especially good for heritage albums.
Embellishment: This is a very wide area. There are so many categories of embellishments, buttons, fibres, ribbons, brads, stickers… the list is very long, and simply put, includes anything which you use to enhance your layout.
Eyelets: These are available in many sizes and colours and styles. They can be just round, or they can be shaped, can be small tiny eyelets, to very large gromlets. Excellent for attaching acetate and vellums, you need an eyelet setting tool and punch to attach them to your page, these can be used by hand, or you can opt for the Crop-a-dile, or Big Bite for ease.
Journaling: At Indigo Mill, we are firm believers in journalling. After all, what is a scrapbook layout without journalling? You are merely making a photo album look prettier. By adding journalling, you are committing your thoughts and memories to paper before they fade. In years to come, you won’t only look back and smile at a precious photo, you will laugh out loud at the memories and thoughts that you had perhaps forgotten and can read to remember. Journalling can be computer generated, handwritten (nothing beats handwriting) laid out with scrap word stickers or letters, can tell a story, facts or personal things. A bare minimum should always be who, where, when, what and why. It can be obviously put on the page for all to see, or can be ‘hidden’ in any manner of ways if it is too personal for others to read.
Layout: Another name given to a scrapbook page, often abbreviated to LO (or SLO - Single Layout, or DLO - Double layout)
Matting: Is when you cut paper or cardstock to stick a photo onto, leaving a visible border of the cardstock all around the photo to create a ‘frame’ to make your photo stand out on your page. You can cut your mat, double or triple mat, tear the paper on one or all sides, distress the edges. Again, any number of things to draw the eye directly to your photo.
Memorabilia (also known as Ephemera): Any non-scrapbook item that you may choose to place on your page, such as tickets, programmes, menus, wedding invitations etc. These may need treating with an archival safe spray to ensure they do not damage your page.
Mount: to stick a photograph or embellishment to a piece of cardstock to make it stand out.
Page Protectors: acid-free plastic pockets which come with your album, into which you slide your finished page.
Paper Trimmers: Can be a ’slide’ along trimmer (or rotary trimmer) or a guillotine style paper cutter. Give you a clean straight edge, rather than using craft knife and ruler or scissors. Can be bought in large 12×12 size, or other more portable small sizes.
Pens: Scrapbook pens MUST be archival safe to use on a scrapbook page. Look out for the words journalling pen, or memory pen, and the acid and lignin free wording on the pens. They are available in hundreds of colours, thicknesses, styles, permanent or not, glittered, opaque. The list is endless, but a good basic black journalling pen will last with you for a very long time, for journalling, doodling, and writing. A black permanent pen is also useful for writing on some embellishment surfaces that a normal pen will not work on.
Rub-ons: or ‘transfers’ again are available in literally hundreds of different types, alphabets, words, shapes, colours. There are so many widely available. You cut out the part of the rub-on sheet you wish to use and rub over with a lolly stick, or you can buy specialist tools for using with rub-ons. (If you are stuck, an empty ball point pen or embossing tool will do the job) This sticks the image down to your page. Some rub ons are very poorly made and either stick to their carrier sheet, or you just can’t rub them off the sheet. The only way to find out is by experimenting. A good way to store them is pegged up on a ‘mini washing line’ so they don’t get pressure put on them to make them stick in the pack.
Scrapbooking: Is the art and hobby of preserving your photos and memories in a visually pleasing manner using any number of papers, cardstocks, embellishments and the like. It is not just sticking a photo in an album as it used to be in Victorian times, but has advanced on from them to become a must have tool to keep in touch with family and friends, and to record your life and the ups and downs, how your family changes, how life in general changes. History is a big subject. Everyone wants to learn about everyone else, and what their ancestors did, and so in a way, it is just helping someone in the future to do just that.
Scrap-lifting: A fun idea for scrappers who have lost their mojo, either by working from a sketch, or taking an idea from someone elses layout, you make up a page similar in design to one you have seen, but with your own products. Always be sure to credit the sketch or scraplift back to the person you ‘lifted’ it from.
Self-healing cutting mat: Used to set eyelets, or to cut anything with a craft knife. Can be used again and again, as the name suggests, the mat ‘heals’.
Sketch: The bare bones of a layout, sketched out on a page and details with a few things, such as where to journal, shapes to think about using, where to place a photo, which you then use to expand on and create your own finished page.
Staples: A brilliant tool for scrapbooking. Staples can be bought in many colours, shapes and sizes (this may require a fastenater stapler, a special stapler used with decorative staples) but staples can be used for acetate and vellum, or to attach ribbon to a page (sometimes difficult) or to attach many items to a page.
Vellum: a lightweight, translucent paper. |
