Scrappin' News

Donna's Bits & Scraps

I'm always getting asked "what does that mean that you are having a crop" so I decided that this article will be dedicated to explaining what some common scrapbook terms are, and like many hobbies we "scrappers" (individuals who scrapbook) have our own language. (In no particular order) Please see list below:

Scrapbooking - the tradition of taking photos and memorabilia, and placing them in keepsake albums, usually with relevant journaling.

Lignin - a substance found naturally in the cell walls of plants. It is the reason manufactured papers turn brown and brittle.

Acid free scale - the acid scale goes from 0-14. 0 is very acidic while 14 is very alkaline. 7 is considered acid free but a ph value of 8 is preferable for use in scrapbooks.

Cropping - the trimming of a photo to remove unnecessary sections. Cropping should be done to improve a photo not just to make a pretty shape. Cropping also allows for more photos to be added to a page.

Journaling - is writing down the who, what, where, when and why that goes with your photos. An important part of scrapbooking, this is often never done for fear of ruining a page with bad handwriting. Journaling should always be done using a permanent, fade and waterproof marker or if you are really worried about the handwriting issue you can use a computer.

Page Protector - these are protective plastic sleeves, which cover your scrapbook pages. They are available in a variety of sizes and can be top loading or side loading. Polypropylene and Mylar are two of the most highly recommended plastics for protectors.

Corner Rounder - a type of punch, which rounds the corners of photos and mats. Comes in plain or decorative styles.

Mount - the placing of a photo or memorabilia onto a scrapbook page using adhesive.

Mat - the placing of a photo for decorative affect onto cardstock cut slightly larger and then placed onto a scrapbook page.

Paper Piecing - the use of cut out shapes to produce a picture. Similar to applique', pieced pictures can range from very simple to complex, and can be a page decoration or an entire layout.

Punch - a tool used to "punch" decorative shapes from paper or cardstock.

Eyelets - are small metal pieces that can be round, square or decorative shapes that are used in scrapbooks as decoration and as a means to "rivet" components onto a page.

Stickers - are one of the most basic scrapbook supplies. Scrapbooking stickers should be acid and lignin free. Stickers are made out of printed-paper, some sporting fiber, beads, wire, ribbon and other such products that give your scrapbook pages depth and texture. Stickers are a must for every scrapbooker and come in almost any imaginable theme.

Embellishments - items used in your scrapbook that enhance the pages. Common embellishments include: buttons, ribbons, wire, beads, silk flowers, and charms to name a few.

Die-Cut - a shape or letter cut from paper by machine using a die pattern.

Vellum - manufactured from wood fiber which is, to put it simply, beaten until clear, or plastic. It has a wonderful translucent quality and is slow to absorb ink. Vellum is available in both acidic and non-acidic forms.

LSS - acronym for Local Scrapbook Store. Often used on internet scrapbook boards.

Adhesives - the products that we scrappers use to attach photos and embellishments to a scrapbook page. Some include: glue sticks, mounting squares, photo corners, splits, runners and my favorite "zip dry" (paper glue).

Trimmer - tool used for the cropping of photo's and paper. It can come in guillotine, rotary or blade style. It can be straight or decorative.

Cutters - a tool used to cut decorative shapes from photos or paper. Some are: circle, square, oval, heart, etc.

Memory or Keepsake Album - another term for scrapbook.

ABC Album - an album assembled using layouts representing each letter of the alphabet. For example: the letter A layout would have a large A and photographs, stickers and die-cuts along with journaling highlighting the letter A.

YEAR Album - an album assembled using photos, stickers, etc. using a calendar year. For example: taking photos of things that happen in your life each month and assembling them in an album titled "2008" or whatever year you are working on.

These are only the most common terms that us "scrappers" use. I wrote them as I thought of them so if any of you have some terms that you would like to include please feel free to e-mail them to me.

Until next time,

Happy Scrappin!!

Donna

Hole Punch