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Crafts: Books offer ideas that will have you scrapbooking in no time.

By Traci Smith and Associate Editor
Published on March 19, 2009
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COLOR COORDINATION: Everything you need to know about colors to create balanced scrapbook pages can be found in this handy book.
COLOR COORDINATION: Everything you need to know about colors to create balanced scrapbook pages can be found in this handy book.
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ADD VARIETY: Combine patterns with solid colors for a perfectly proportioned page.
ADD VARIETY: Combine patterns with solid colors for a perfectly proportioned page.
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LAYOUTS WITH DEPTH: Add dimension to any scrapbook page by adding texture in the form of embellishments.
LAYOUTS WITH DEPTH: Add dimension to any scrapbook page by adding texture in the form of embellishments.
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REWORK FLAWS: Turn sour photos into sweet scrapbook layouts.
REWORK FLAWS: Turn sour photos into sweet scrapbook layouts.

Whether you’re new to scrapbooking, or you’re an experienced scrapbooker who is out of ideas, we recommend a few good books to help you out.

The books are from Krause Publications in Iola, Wis., and they will have you on track – or back on track – in no time.

Create great color combinations

The Scrapbooker’s Essential Guide to Color, from the editors of Memory Makers Books, is a 128-page book dedicated to helping scrapbookers master color combinations so they can turn memories into attractive works of art.

The book comes with a color wheel, and the first few pages explain how to use it to create colorful layouts that are pleasing, not overwhelming, to the eye. It also includes a profile of each of the basic colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

In addition, the book features multiple examples for seven color schemes: monochromatic – the use of only one basic color; analogous – one color to dominate, one to support, and one to three others to accent; complementary – one color to dominate and one to accent; split complementary – the use of one warm color with two cool colors (or vice versa); diad – the use of one dominant color with one warm or cool color; triad – the use of one dominant color with two accent colors; and tetrad – one dominant color used with three accent colors.

The book also includes a section on how to add artful neutrals – blacks, whites, browns and grays – to your pages to give a sense of sophistication. Also featured are color tips from the editors. 

Mix and match patterned paper

Scrapbook artists and designers Brandi Ginn and Pam Klassen are the authors of A Passion For Patterned Paper, in which they explain how to combine patterned papers with solid colors and other patterned papers to create beautiful, balanced pages.

The book features themed categories – children, masculine and feminine ideas, holidays and seasons, vintage and retro themes, travel and nature, to name a few – to help you use paper as embellishments, accents and backgrounds. Also featured are more than 50 exciting techniques – such as how to alter and create your own patterns with the help of chalks, die cuts, paints and inks; how to make a paper patchwork; and how to make your own embellishments instead of buying them.

Throughout the 96 pages of the book, you’ll also find dozens of helpful tips, as well as a variety of example layouts using different styles.

Add texture to your pages

The book Tantalizing Textures, by Trudy Sigurdson, focuses on adding texture to scrapbook layouts. To do so, all you need are items such as textiles, metals, natural elements, art mediums, paper and clear elements.

Textiles come in many forms – including fabric, lace, ribbon, buttons, fibers and silk flowers – and are easy to find. In fact, you may already have some around the house. Any of the above will add depth and dimension to
a page.

Metal embellishments can turn an ordinary page into one that’s playful, fun, rugged, masculine or rustic. Items that make great metal embellishments include wire, mesh, lettering, charms, brads and eyelets. You’ll be amazed at the difference metal makes.

When added to a scrapbook page, natural elements – including flowers, leaves, burlap, cork, wood, sandpaper, twine and twill ­- create a feeling of beauty. Just be careful what you add to your pages, because many natural elements contain acid and lignin, which are known to cause photos and paper to become yellow and brittle over time.

Art mediums include such things as crackle, texture paste, clay, ink and metallic flakes. When you add art mediums to a page, you won’t believe the effect they have.

Paper is a must for scrapbooking, but it doesn’t have to be plain ol’ pretty paper. It can be handmade, watercolor or puffy paper. Besides the paper itself, techniques like embossing, sanding and distressing can give your pages a fresh feel.

Last but not least, clear elements, including beads, sequins, transparencies, acrylics and glass, add great beauty to a page, especially when layered.

The 128-page book also includes a supply list for each of the example layouts featured.

Turn not-so-good photos into beautiful layouts

We’ve all taken bad photos that leave us scratching our heads, wondering what to do with them. Now, with the book When Life Gives You Lemons, by Sherry Steveson, we can learn how to turn sour snaps into sweet layouts.

The 128-page book features ideas on how to create a page that focuses more on journaling than on a flawed photo. It also covers how to fix photos that are too dark or have a distracting background, and how to make use of extra space in a photo.

Also included are techniques for balancing out dark photos by either using vivid colors or by creating movement and energy – or by doing both. Other suggestions include how to create interesting pages using faded photos, as well as how to design around flaws that can’t be fixed.

You’ll also learn how to use the computer program Photoshop Elements to correct or adjust photos when possible. Sometimes a color photo will look better when turned black and white, which can often reduce blurriness and poor lighting. Other times, simply correcting the color contrast with a program can solve the problem. Photoshop Elements can also eliminate red-eye, merge separate photos together, and remove background distractions. 

With this book, you’ll no longer look at imperfect photos and frown. Instead, you’ll be eager to start creating flawless pages with your flawed photos.

All of these books are available online at www.FWBookstore.com, or by calling, toll free, 1 (800) 258-0929.