Back to Basics: Styles for Beginners

I like to remind beginner scrapbookers that there is no one correct way of scrapbooking. Different scrapbooking styles are all a matter of taste and are as varied as each individual scrapbooker. Some scrappers like to stick with a particular style that they are comfortable with whereas other scrappers like to experiment with various styles.

When searching for your own personal style, I would recommend trying a few contrasting styles until you hit upon the one that feels right for you. Here are a few different styles of scrapbooking that you might want to experiment with.

Simple and easy is a classic scrapbooking style that focuses on the photo first and foremost. On a clean and simple page you will see minimal embellishments. The photos will be cut into rectangles or squares and often matted onto cardstock prior to placement on the page. On a simple and easy page you might see a journaling block and a title along with the photos.

Romantic and embellished pages include lots of embellishments such as flowers, die cuts, ribbon, buttons and lace along with crinkled, inked and chalked papers. On this style of scrapbook page you might see the photo has been altered to black-and-white or sepia tone to go along with the color scheme on the page.

Linear and color-blocked pages highlight the photos by placing them alongside the patterned paper in a geometric pattern. This pattern is often random and can be as easy as filling in the space around your photos with squares and rectangular pieces of paper.

Ephemera or memorabilia pages focus on the items we add to our pages that tell the story. Ephemera or any disposable memento that you save can be added to your page directly or tucked into a tiny envelope or pocket on the page.