Requirements for making a knitted doll
The knitted doll is very soft and simple to make. You can make it with any soft yarn kept for baby clothing that will really make it a gift for your kid. For making this, you need to have scissors, darning needles, ruler, knitting needles of size 8, cream colored ball of yarn or nay other color of your preference, a piece of 5/16 blue sheer ribbon, 5/16 blue elastic.

Steps to make a knitted doll
1. You need to cast on 34 stitches with the help of soft colored yarn but remember to leave a 5 inch end that you will sew later.

2. You have to knit eight rows so that the bottom of the doll is formed.

3. Then, change the pattern to create the body of the doll and for this you need to knit one row, purl one row till you complete 62 rows.

4. Next, cast off your stitches and cut the knitted piece from the ball of yarn again leaving 5 inch that you will sew later.

5. Now thread your darning needle with any of the 5 inch end and sew the end in the closest side. This will later roll up the sides of the doll such that the stitching is not shown.

6. Again, thread your needle with remaining 5 inch end and sew it to the closest side so that you can roll up the knitted side to form the doll.

7. Once you have the knitted piece complete, you need to roll and shape it up in the form of a doll. You have to lay down the knitted piece front side down on your work surface but keep the backside facing you flat.

8. Next, roll the edges tightly starting from each end so that they meet in the middle but remember to keep each rolled side even in size.

9. Now, turn the knitted piece that you have rolled up over your work surface. This way, the rolled side should be facing your work surface and the other side with eight knitted rows towards you.

10. Then fold the rolled knitted piece almost in half and the edge of the side you have just folded should be touching the top edge of the eight knitted rows.

11. Next hold the folded knitted piece tightly with one hand and wrap elastic twice over the folded area nearly one and half inch down from the top. This will make the head of the doll and also secure the fold you made to form the body of the doll.

12. Now, partially unroll the folded over knitted piece below the elastic but you need to unroll the knitted piece till you get the resemblance of the arms on either side of the body and also knitted areas stretched between them.

13. Now, flip the partial unrolled portion below the elastic over the head. This will make a hood covering the head with rolled up arms near the elastic that divides and creates the neck and hands.

14. You need to cut 15 inch length of sheer blue ribbon and wrap this blue ribbon round the hood from back to front in same position as the elastic. You can tie a bow in the blue ribbon with the bow in front of the doll. You can trim the end of the ribbon at a slant.

Thus, you have a knitted doll that you can gift to your kids or decorate it as a craft work piece.

To know more, visit our recommended website craft-books.net

Once the invitations are chosen, save one, completely filled out to put at the beginning of the scrapbook. When you send out the invitations, ask each guest to mail you one photo of the bride with the guest, along with a few sentences about how they know the bride, or a special moment they’ve shared with the bride. Another option is to have paper and pens available at the shower and have all of the guests write their thoughts while at the shower. For those guests who can not attend, it’s wonderful to have their photos and thoughts also. Since you want the paper to be acid free and lignin free, consider mailing the paper with the invitations.

Did the bride register at a particular store? Go to the store and take photos of the store, from the outside. If the bride goes with you, take photos of the bride standing outside of the store. If the store has a catalog, take a photo of the store catalog.

If the shower is held in a reception room, take several pictures before your guests arrive. If the shower is held in someone’s home, take photos of the outside of the house. Then take some photos of the decorated room prior to everyone arriving.

Are you serving food? If it’s prepared ahead of time, take photos of the table with all of the food on it.  Did guests bring the food? If so, provide them with paper to write down the recipe, which you can then include in the scrapbook you are making.

When the bride begins opening her gifts, try to take one photo of each gift. Jot down who gave her the gift and try to include a photo of the guest on the same page as the gift photo from that person. Make a point of getting at least one photo of each guest in attendance.

If you play any type of games that involve writing, try to use acid free, lignin free paper so that you can include the game sheets in the scrapbook.

If the bride has thank you notes, include a blank thank you note in the scrapbook, so that she’ll have the memory of what notes she used.

Using all of the above suggestions, you can create a very special memory for the bride to be and I guarantee that the bride will appreciate this scrapbook much more than a toaster or blender.

How to get started with lace trimming:
To get started you will need a plain or unadorned towel, and lace edges, as well as a galloon, i.e. the ornamental trimming lace. The narrow bands of embroidery should consist of lace, braids, or thread colors of gold and silver. Preferably, you want lace. Make sure that the material is machine washable. Purchase the medium-weight lace, such as the taffeta, satin, or polyester.

How to create lace trimming for bathroom towels:
Once you have your materials gathered: (1) use the decorative trimming and cut an inch of the lace, cutting until it extends considerably a distance of your towel width. About a half-inch, fold the fabric under, folding it at the ends. In the desired position, pin the lace to your towel. You want the pins over the lower borders or edges. (2) Along the ends you have folded, stitch. Stitch along the edges of your scallop sides, keeping your stitching in a straight line. (3) Use the edges of your lace and repeat step one. You want the lace this time to fasten to the lower borders. Along the end folds, stitch and continue to the upper borders. Keep in a straight line. You should be finished at this point, unless you need to finish the upper borders of your lace. In this instance, on the opposite side of the bias band, cover it. Now you are ready to create your over-lock finished edges.

How to create serger, finished edges:
You will need plain material and a special needle, such as the tapestry. In addition, you will need nylon, combined threads of wool, contrasting threads of normal value, etc to get started.

How to stitch:
(1)    Your serger should be set at three-threads, to equalize your stitch, which creates the serger. Both of your loopers should be threaded as well. Use your nylon threads and common thread. Heave the thread through your needle and prepare your stitch so that it is set to desired widthwise position. The length should be set at least one (mm) (2) along the selvages, start stitching whilst holding in place the tail string tight. You want to avoid trimming the edge of your cloth. The tails should be left at the extremity of your cloth. (3) Now, you will need a stitching needle. Thread it. About one inch and begin weaving your tapestry needlework so that it falls beneath the stitches at your serger. The tail strings may have extra length, which you will need cutting tools designed for sewers to cut it off.
(2)    Once you finish your lace and serger, you may want to add a few other bathroom accessories to set off your patterns. Try considering creative towel hooks, rings, and bars.

A variety of rings, hooks, and bars are available online, including the medallion designs, which comprise bold backs. The stylish designs will offset your new-laced towels. You can also find the iron bolder, which tie back. The items bring luxury to your bath. Décor wooden pole sets are available, as well as many other designs to bring out your new towels. Now that you have your rings, hooks, bars, and towels you might want to offset the room further by adding bordered mirrors.

To make sure that you accomplish quality doll dresses, you will need the right equipment and tools. You will need a sewing machine, cleansers, universal needles, including stretch needles, pins, olfaa panel, and a rotary or gyratory cutter. You will also need hand-sew needles, dressmaker scissors, sewing scissors, fabric glue and pen, greaseproof paper for tracing, pencil, measuring tape, lace, ribbons, fasteners, elastic, paper scissors, etc.

Before you get started, you will need to clean your sewing machine. Use “Dust Away,” to spray your machine near the bobbin region. You will also need to clean the bar where the needles are installed, as well as the “tension” discs at the top. Once you clear the machine of dust, use a drop of oil.

Now you are prepared to make doll dresses. Before I forget, make sure you have thread, specifically DMC broder if you intend to make French dresses.

How to trim:

You can use the pin tuck method to trim your doll dress. You will need twin needles, and a foot that is designed for pin tucking. Set up your machine. The right needle should be clockwise while the left counterclockwise. At the “tension” discs, you should have the left needle threaded on the same side, and the right needle threaded on the right thread. To keep your dresses fresh, you can use starch to spray your dress prior to pin tucking.

How to pin tuck skirts:

When pin tucking skirts make sure you leave some space.

How to pin tuck sleeves and/or bodice:

Take a square of your fabric and pin tuck it. You can cut out the upper section of the dress and/or sleeves after. Keep in mind when you start pin tucking for sleeves and bodice, the fabric size is modified, or reduced.

If you are not familiar with pin tucks, you can tuck your doll dress. To tuck you merely consider the size and width of your garment. To start you press down, pressing the folded center. Along the fold and edge of your fabric, stitch the width precisely. As long as you stay consistent within your stitching lines, you will do fine. You should always start sewing at the grain after pulling a single thread.

After you complete your dress, or near the finish, you may want to consider bows, tassels, smock, or hand sewn objects. Hand embroidering is ideally used in finishing. Use a range of DMC embroidery to make finish your dress.

Smocking is the added finishing whereas you use patterns to complete your dress. Silk ribbons, satin single and double ribbons make up a great pinafore, or back dressing.

Tassels are easy to make, yet you will, need crochet threads and/or embroidery thread to complete your mission. You will also need cardboard in which you will need to cut out a part a length longer than your tassel. Use your thread, wound it around the cut part, and continue until you have achieved the thickness you desire. At one end of the part, use the same thread and channel it through the thickness. Next, tie the thread so that it knots and at the opposite end of your part, cut. Do not cut your thread. Now you are ready to make your tassel.

To finish, at the knotted region, convey your thread so that it meets with your tassel. Next, wound another part of thread about the finish of your tassel a few times. Knot the area so that it is taut. At the finish of your tassel, skid the thread in to fasten your finished work. If the finish necessitate cutting to make sure it is constant, do so now.

You’ll find wind chimes made of everything from huge pipes of metal to delicate porcelain sticks, anything that will make a lovely noise.  Some wind chimes don’t tinkle, wooden ones make more of a clunking noise but still contribute to the ambiance in a garden.  All sorts of household items can be used to make your own wind chimes and today we’ll discuss how to make chimes using old cutlery – knives, forks and spoons (look for them in junk stops or car boot sales).

You will need:

6 each – soup spoons and dinner forks
1 Butter knife
8-10″ Metal or wooden plate or circle
1/8-inch bit and drill
Rubber mallet
Different lengths of heavy fishing line
26 crimper beads
Pliers
Wire, if using a wooden or metal circle

Instructions

1.    Find the cutlery pieces you’ll use for your wind chime. The butter knife will be used in the center of the chime as the clanger and the spoons and forks will be located around the edge of the circle. You can use other headers such as sticks, plates, tea pots, etc. Beads and other embellishments can also be used.

2.    Put the spoons and forks on a flat surface and flatten with the mallet; it is very effective if they are twisted and the flattened. Once flattened, drill a hole in the middle, near the end of the handle of each piece, so the cutlery piece dangles downward. Set these aside while you get on with the rest of the project.

3.    Using the same bit, drill a hole through the center of the metal or wooden plate. The butter knife will hang there. For hanging the forks and spoons, drill 12 evenly spaced holes around the outer circle of the plate. If using a wooden or metal circle, attach the wire in an + across the circle and drill 12 holes evenly spaced around the circles for the forks and spoons.

4.    Cut six – 5″ strips, six – 7″ strips and 1 – 10″ strip of fishing line.

5.    Thread the ten-inch strip through the hole in the butter knife. Use pliers and a crimper bead to secure the knife to the fishing line and then attach the fishing line to the + in the circle or the centre hole of the plate, secure with another crimper bead.

6.    Using 3 of the 5″ strips of fishing line and 3 of the 7″ strips, thread the fishing line through the hole in the spoons and secure each piece to its line with a crimper bead.  Do the same with the forks using the remaining 5″ and 7″ strips.

7.    Alternating spoon and fork, thread the fishing line attached to each, through the holes on the outer rim of the plate or circle. Loop the line back on itself and secure with the crimper bead and pliers.

8.    Lastly, loop a 4″ piece of fishing line and thread both ends through the plate. Secure with a crimper bead under the plate. Use this loop to hang your new silverware wind chime.

9.    Hang where the breezes will catch it and enjoy.

How to dry flowers for scrap booking

You can use corsages, bouquets and any parts of the flower to craft your garden scrapbook. Once dried and compressed, the flowers should be laminated. Use Xyron sticker creation machine or any acid-free product to laminate your flowers.

Then glue or tape the flowers in place so that they are stuck securely on the page. The compressed and dried flowers can be lined up or placed at an angle – anything that pleases your eye, and added to your scrapbook page.  Once you are happy with the arrangement, smoothly glue them near your photographs and notations.  You may have seen flowers preserved in bibles. The process in scrapbooks is similar, only you will want to position and stick the flowers in place so that they do not fall out.

You can collect flowers, seed heads, leaves, grasses etc. at almost anytime of the year.  Every season offers you wonderful plants and flowers to add to your garden scrapbook. But collect the plant material after the dew has evaporated so that it is not too damp.

1.    The next step is to lay the plant material you’ve collected out on a flat surface (in a garage or outside shed, not in your kitchen) and allow any creatures hiding among the leaves or petals to walk away. You may have to encourage them by shaking the flower heads.

2.    Next the plants have to be dried. There are several ways to dry flowers but pressing them is probably the easiest even if it takes a bit longer. Collect enough of each flower head, leaves or stems so you have several to choose from just in case some don’t come through the pressing process as you would like.  To press the flowers, place them as you wish to see the finished product – petals spread out or in the shape of a bud, etc. – in between two pages of kraft paper or paper towels. You need something that will soak up the moisture from the plant material.

3.    Next, place a heavy weight (such as several books) on top of the paper enclosed flowers and leave for a couple of weeks to dry out completely.  After the first day, check to ensure everything is in the right position otherwise you could be disappointed by the outcome and may not have the opportunity to replace a particular bloom.

Arranging the story of your Garden Scrapbook

To start, consider what to put on the title page, what captions will go where, what journal entries you will include, the headings, lettering and photos you want to use and the story you wish to tell.

If you are making up a scrapbook to show every aspect of your garden, take pictures of the individual plants or flower heads at their best or the general layout of your garden.  Then draw a layout of the garden so you can describe what has happened in each area. The layout should include the details of your garden that you wish to highlight. Alternatively, you could include a journal of how you planted your garden, what happened during the growing season and any funny stories of say, rabbits coming into the garden and playing around the roses, etc. – anything to add life to your story as told in the pictures and with the other elements of your scrapbook.

If you’re adding colorful autumn leaves to your scrapbook, you may want to photocopy or laminate them as the leaves themselves will deteriorate over time. You could add the laminated or photocopied page of leaves as your title page or put it in at another appropriate place in the story of your garden.

Taking Photos

Anytime is the best time to take photos of your garden, and be sure to have your camera ready for each magnificent bloom as it emerges.  However take the pictures at the time of day that shows them in their best light. Each season provides a variety of colors, shades, texture, blooms, etc.

During each season record specific details in words and pictures so that when winter comes and you are putting your scrapbook together you can remember what happened during the year as well as be able to look back on your successes (and perhaps some of the failures too?).

Once you’ve taken the photos, print them onto good photo paper (cheap or ordinary copier paper will not give you the brilliant results you can get from high quality gloss paper made especially for printing pictures.)  Think about how you want the photos displayed and how they will add to your story.  You may want to laminate the pictures and use them as full pages in your garden scrapbook. Crafting your scrapbook in chronological order will help tell the story you want to portray to your audience.

Laying it all out

If you want to get creative, you could cut and paste magazine clippings showing your garden theme or how you got your ideas. You could also add your own special tips beside each pictures to teach your children, family or friends about planning, planting, growing, harvesting etc. garden plants as you have.

You will want to document your garden’s changes during each season.  You may want to add your family genealogy and some history of the family, the house and the garden to your scrapbook. Twigs, flat stones, seed pods and other things found in the garden can add texture (if not too bulky) and another dimension to the story.

Any flowers you want to use will be beautiful in your scrapbook. Just as flowers set off your garden, so they will set off your scrapbook especially if they are themed to harmonize according to the seasons and the colors of each season.

There are so many different ways to craft your garden scrapbook, let your imagination soar but keep up with noting down what happens and taking photographs so you can easily show the complete story as it unfolds.

Now there’s a grown up way to preserve your treasures and memories – Scrapbooking.

The concept behind building a scrapbook of memories hasn’t changed much. You can still put photos, cards, newspaper clippings, poems, tickets and odd bits of stuff that remind you of events, people, those times you cherish into your scrapbook to preserve and/or display those memories.

Scrapbooking techniques and tools, however have changed substantially since you were a kid. Scrapbooking albums have replaced the messy bundles of paper. These albums are generally bound or placed in a binder. In this way, all your hard work stays together and won’t fall apart. Furthermore, new specialized covers provides protection from the outside elements.

That messy paste is also a thing of the past. Specialized glue dots and two-sided tape makes mounting your treasures simple and mess-free. Many of these products are so strong that you can now add ribbons, feathers, flowers, or even metal charms to your scrapbook pages.

Due to these new techniques and tools, the uses of scrapbooking have expanded drastically. Scrapbooking is still used to hold personal keepsakes and for gift giving.  However, scrapbooking techniques can now be used to make baby announcements, grandparent books, gift cards, artwork for kid’s rooms, recipe books, and even  educational tools.

How Do I Get Started Scrapbooking?

The best thing about scrapbooking is that although there are a plethora of scrapbooking supplies on the market, you really don’t need a lot to make your very first scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an album, some glue, a pair of scissors and some photographs, cards, pictures or newspaper clippings. Any fabric, ribbon, or bits of cloth, stickers, embellishments etc. leftover from other projects can be used to personalize your scrapbook.

As you get more acquainted with scrapbooking, you will find products that save you time and frustration. Many of these products are well worth the extra cost. At the top of this list is an Xacto-knife or utility knife. This strong and versatile blade allows you to cut almost anything into any shape. When the blade is dull, the end is simply broken off to reveal another sharp tip or another blade can be easily slipped into the slot and tightened in place. Just be sure to place the object you plan to cut onto a mat or wad of newspaper before using the Xacto-knife. Otherwise, the knife will cut right through your picture and into your table or counter top.

Another tool that makes life easier is a pair of tweezers. Trying to pick up and place small fiddly or sticky bits is a hassle. Though not very high tech, tweezers, allow you to move or place pieces without touching them with fingers.

Speaking of gluey bits, various glues and affixing options are available. These quick and less messy options include glue dots, two-sided tape, Xyron sticker creating machines, acid free photo tabs, and polypropylene corners.

To increase the preservation of your scrapbook and your treasures, look for albums that have acid free, lignin free pages. Both acid and lignin accelerate photo fading and general deterioration. Lignin is a chemical found naturally in the cell walls of plants. If the lignin is not removed during the paper manufacturing process, the chemical will cause the paper product to gradually yellow and crumble. Lignin and acid free products come in virtually any color and texture.

• beg  (beginning)
• bet  (between)
• bk lp  (back loop)
• ch  (chain)
• ch-  (previous chain)
• cont  (continue)
• dc  (double crochet)
• dec  (decreasing)
• dtr  (double/triple crochet)
• ft lp  ( front loop)
• hdc  (half-double crochet)
• inc  ( increasing)
• lp  (loop)
• yo (yarn over)

And, if you want to crochet, you’ll need to learn how to handle the hook, work jointly, chain stitch, slip knot and crochet a single row, so read on and we’ll talk you through it.

How to hook

To hold your hook you would start with how you hold a pencil. The hook may have a resting finger, which you can locate your thumbs to gain control.

How to work in union

Once you have a hold on your hook, weave the thread/yarn so that your left fingers have control and can be used to apply pressure. Once you begin your project (the work), you will want to use your thumb and the center left finger to press the stitches.

Slip knot

Form a shape-like pretzel by looping your yarn about, allow the loose ends to drop and fall behind your loop. Pull the ends of your yarn but without pulling too tightly.

Chain stitch

On your hook, position a slipknot and use your hands, i.e. center left finger and the thumb to hold the yarn in place. Wrap your yarn first up and then over your hook starting at the back and moving to the front. You will need to familiarize your self with this procedure, since it is a basic crocheting technique known as “Yarn over” or yo.

Now pull the yarn using your hook bringing it through the lp (loop). When you yo (yarn over) and combine it with lp, it forms a ch (chain).

Continue until you have the acceptable chain and continue motion on even strokes and until the stitches that form a chain, and each stitch (st(s), are even. Near your work area, hold your chain and continue twisting while avoiding counting the loops on your hook.

Crochet a single line

Beneath your crown loops, insert your hook at the second chain away from your hook and begin Yarn over (yo) crocheting. You should continue to stitch between the two loops. Continue the yo (yarn over) process and pull your yarn through the chain so it meets two loops on your hook. Continue the yo process again and pull the yarn through the other two loops (lp).

Once you complete your hook work, slipknots, chain stitch, single line, etc, you will need to learn how to double crochet, half-double, triple, slip stitch, back loop, popcorn stitch, etc. Behind the steps is the process of working back loops, chain space, stitches between, and about the post.

Double stitch

To double crochet you will need to perform the yarn over (yo) steps and then insert your hook into the third chain away from the yo and hook. Next, pull your yarn so that it goes through your chain and three loops (lp) at the hook. Continue the yo (yarn over) steps and pull the yarn through the next two loops (lp). Again, continue the yo (yarn over) and pull the yarn through the remaining two lp (loops).

Half double

Conduct the yo (yarn over) steps and insert your hook so that it goes into the second chain away from your hook. Yo (yarn over) and string your yarn through the third lp (loops).

Triple crochet

Yo (yarn over) a couple of times and insert your hook so that it goes into the fourth chain away from the hook. Yo (yarn over) and stretch your yarn through the chain and the fourth lp (loop) at your hook. Yo (yarn over), stretch the yarn through the second lp (loops) at the hook, and finish your three time steps.

Each detail that goes into your scrapbook will add to the memory package you build. When you create the time capsule – your scrapbook – you carefully preserve the period of time covered in your story. Time capsules can include just about anything – photographs, clothes, hand/foot prints, CDs, details of family members like names, weights, heights, relationships, genealogy and more. For instance, you can make a scrapbook that covers the time from your baby’s first step up to this very moment – however old your ‘baby’ is now.

Ideas To Get You Started

First, you need a container to put your time capsule in. Get something big enough so that as your collection of things grows, you won’t run out of room. Put in pictures of your family members and friends along with items they may want to add. Make up a collection that includes all the items, photos and details you want, close your container, label it, add the date you started and of course,  include the date you intend to begin your scrapbook.

Then pick out a beautiful scrapbook album that is the right colour and size for the contents you have in mind. Get one bigger than you think you need because these projects always grow bigger than initially anticipated!  Also think of the theme you want to create and have running through the whole project. Once you get the scrapbook started, try to organize everything in chronological order so the story flows.

Don’t forget to put dates, names, locations, etc. on everything so that details are as complete as possible and the memories stay fresh for a long time to come.

If you have newspaper clippings recording significant events, add them to your scrapbook. You could trace your children’s feet or hands onto paper and add them to your scrapbook. You may want to craft a favorite page for each of your children, for you and your partner, for special friends so that anyone looking at the scrapbook can see what items were of particular interest to each of you. Add any artwork drawn or made by the people you love or make a special page for this person by mounting their artwork onto separate pages in your scrapbook. Memories like this are priceless.

If you have bits of clothing that bring up memories, add them to your scrapbook. CDs make great additions as well, especially if the dates are marked on them. Photos always tell stories about you, your family and friends and the times you spent together.

If you accomplished special goals, you may want to add some physical evidence of those to your scrapbook. The successes we have early on and throughout our lifetimes are wonderful to remember, therefore rereading the stories about your successes, both big and little, can give you a great moment to remember or a real boast when you need it. These all add to the depth of the memories.

Stuff having to do with graduations, like graduation photos, the graduation gown, any newspaper articles, all  make great additions to the time capsule your scrapbook will become.

If you or someone else in the family wrote short stories or a journal when much younger, add those. In later years, you’ll be really glad to have preserved them.

Some people put a lock of hair from a baby or other loved one into their scrapbooks. The hair is a lovely reminder of a person they loved, as well as representing a moment in time when that person may actually have had hair!

A special rose received from a loved one or a friend, dried and pressed, could become part of a flower or garden section. The flowers will need to be dried, then glued or laminated to a page. You could create a page for your loved one or special friend, particularly the one who gave you the flower.

All in all, you can include almost anything in your scrapbook.  Most of us never get around to putting names and dates on the photographs we’ve taken over the years and then later on while cleaning out the attic, we wonder who that person was.

Scrapbooking is a fun way of collecting together and preserving all the things that tell the story of your life and the lives of your family member and friends.  So get busy collecting those precious memories and produce your own unique scrapbook.  Who knows what fun you can have opening this time capsule years from now.

Using the right adhesives to keep your scrapbook materials together is really important. Equally, chose the correct adhesive to use with your photos.

You can choose glues, paste or tape to create your scrapbook. The best materials to use should always have the words “pH neutral”, “Acid-free”, “Archival Safe” or the “CK OK” seal somewhere on their labels. For best results, your adhesives should also be lignin-free.

The Photo Activity Test or PAT is an internationally recognized, standardized test used to determine  whether or not materials such as papers and adhesives can be used for photo storage or archival purposes and won’t damage your scrapbook or whatever you put in it.

Adhesives which are safe include acrylic-based or starch-based products. Mounting square, photo corners, tape runners, double sided tape, vellum tape and acid-free glue (liquid or stick forms) can all be used safely.  Avoid purchasing adhesive that run, relax, transfers or have a strong odor.  Recent studies have shown that rubber cement and other strong smelling adhesives will damage photos over time.

TIP: Use heavy papers when crafting your scrapbook.

In craft stores, you will find a wide selection of glues, including sticks, bottled liquid glues, glue pens, etc. Always read the label and test the products, if you can, to see which are best suited for your scrapbooking projects. For smaller projects, the glue pens are great. Apply enough force to stick smaller objects together or onto the pages.  If you want to embellish, you can use the two-way pens. Avoid ordinary glue sticks or the glue your kids use at school.

Cellophane tape is great to use as an adhesive. Tape is usually easier than glue to use. When choosing tape, however, makes sure you use a tape roller. Using tape also allows you to change your mind and easily remove and re-stick the item.

Using Photo Splitters. 

Photo splitters are easy to apply, acid free, photo safe and convenient mounting squares that permanently attach memorabilia, photos, certificates and awards, news clippings, letters, post cards, and other papers in scrapbooks or memory books. They are double sided, so just peel off the protective cover and stick the item onto your scrapbook page.

Glues and tape are cheaper to use than the Xyron machines, however these machines do help make up quality scrapbooks. Xyron machines can be used as laminators and for making stickers. The machines are also ideal for creating multi-scrapbook projects.

In addition to the machines, glues, tapes, you may want to invest in photo splits and precut tape, and a pair of Honey Bee Craft Scissors from EK Success. With their non-stick blades, the stickiest of adhesives won’t be a problem because the blades stay adhesive-free and smooth.

Scrapbooks are a way to bring your family together.

Scrapbooks help to recall memories of the people and event in your life, they spark fragmented memories, and bring the past to life.  When crafting your scrapbook, you’ll want to use only those materials that will keep your memories safe.  With all the time and effort you put into scrapbooking, you don’t want to have it all fall apart because of the wrong choice of something so elemental as the correct glue!

Choosing The Right Adhesives for Your Scrapbooking