You can create titles, wording and embellishments for your scrapbook pages by using alphabetical and shape templates. Therefore, templates play an important role in any scrap booker’s collection.
To use a template, lay it on the BACK of the paper you are using, and make sure that the template is back to front, especially if it is an alphabet template, or your letters will be facing the wrong way when you are finished. Tracing on the back of the paper also means that you don’t have to worry about erasing pencil lines later on.
Trace around your letters or shapes with a pencil. If the letter is a D, A, B, P or O or your shape has a center, cut this center part out first. Next using small scissors cut around the outside of your shape. You could also use a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat to protect your work surfaces. A knife works better than small scissors for cutting out finer detail; it just takes a bit of practice to get used to.
Glue your shapes or letters onto your pages for fast and fun embellishments. Mix and match your shapes for more interest. It also works well to cut two of the same shape in different sizes on contrasting paper, and then laying the smaller one over the larger one. Also a lot of one shape can be quite effective, for instance to make a bouquet of flowers.
Some more scrap booking ideas and solutions you can use with your templates are to cut out tags and glue your shape or letter onto them.
This is also a great way to make your pages stand out. You can also glue your alphabet to contrasting colored and individual squares to build your word and add interest.
Another scrap booking idea is to cut out two of the same letter, one in a patterned paper and the other in a matching plain colored paper, then cut one letter in half horizontally and lay it over the top of the complete letter. You could also put the one uncut letter over the other slightly skew, in order to create a shadowed effect.
Another scrap booking solution is to mat your letters on plain paper like you would your photos. This makes the letters stand out and gives them definition, especially if your letters are cut out on patterned paper. This idea is great for titles.
Experimenting with different ideas and solutions is a lot of fun, and many new and original ideas can come out of this.
For more ideas for your scrap booking pages, visit: http://scrapbookideasandsolutions.blogspot.com.
Michel Maling
I love Dancing and I love Scrapbooking. Two completely different fields, but both require passion, hard work and ongoing dedication.
