Scrapbooking

Officially referred to as a method for preserving personal and family memorabilia, scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby and home craft. Preserving personal or family history may be done through using photographs or memorabilia that's arranged and contained in scrapbooks or albums. The art of scrapbooking is known to have evolved shortly after the invention of printing.

History of Scrapbooking
With the availability, as well as the entry of affordable paper, scrapbooking became a popular method for collecting memorabilia and other items such as letters, poems, quotes, recipes and even personal diaries. Commonplace books became popular for collecting various items in England during the15th Century. Friendships albums were popular items for entering people's names, titles, short texts and illustrations in the 16th Century. These items worked like the modern yearbook, and also made for wonderful souvenir items. These would generally contain memorabilia which included works of art and coats of arms. An Englishman named James Granger published a history of England in 1775, and hi book featured blank pages at the end. The blank pages were designed to allow book owners to personalize it with their own memorabilia or private items. Commonplace books, friendship albums and yearbooks allowed school girls to have an n outlet for sharing their literary works, and also gave them the opportunity to properly document their private history.

The invention of photography in the 1800's also allowed more individuals to collect photographs, and incorporate these into their own specialized scrapbooks. George Eastman's invention of paper photographs, as well as the development of the Kodak camera, allowed for a simple and affordable way of getting photos. It also allowed school children to easily create their own scrapbooks, and incorporate photos into it as well.
Modern Scrapbooking Trends
Modern scrapbooking methods usually make use of 12-inch, US Letter-size and A 4 pages. However, the use of smaller albums has become a popular form too. The newer scrapbook materials come in 6, 7 or 8-inch square albums. Scrapbook advocates also protect each of their pages using clear page protectors. The most vital element of the scrapbook is the album itself. The album can either be permanently-bound, and may also allow the easy insertion of pages. The album styles vary, from mini albums to accordion-type fold-out variants. Most modern scrapbook albums also come with a container, CD case and a small holder as well. The conventional materials for making scrapbooks include printed or cardstock paper, as well as background paper. The materials for mounting photos include adhesive paper, photo mounting tape, photo corner mount, and easy-stick glue. Other materials for creating a scrapbook also include a paper trimmer, scissor, art pen, mounting glue, and archival pens. For creating more elaborate scrapbook designs, you may also use rubber stamps, die-cut templates, stencils, inking tools, craft punches, and even heat embossing tools.

To decorate scrap book pages, a number of accessories called embellishments are used. These may include using rub-ons, stickers, stamps, brads, eyelets, chipboard elements. Lace, wire, fabric, alphabet letters, sequins and even ribbons are another type of embellishments. Electronic dye-cut machines are also great for resembling that of a plotter, which has a drag knife, to allow scrapbook enthusiasts to use their personal computers to create any shape or font, through using free or patented software.
The other vital component of modern scrapbooking includes the archival quality of the supplies used. Most of the materials that are favored by serious scrapbook enthusiasts are those that have a higher quality than conventional commercially-available photo albums, Higher-quality albums allow for better preservation of photographs and journals. Scrapbook enthusiasts also point out that you use acid-free ink, paper, stamp ink and embossing powder, to fully protect photos and other types of paper, and allow them to be preserved for years. Die-hard scrapbook hobbyists are also even known to use gloves to protect their photos and journals from oil and sweat.