Ribbons and Lace

Ribbon and lace are by far most common and most beautiful border embellishments. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory scrapbooks. Ribbon is easy to glue and attach. Lace requires a bit more patience.

For an interesting change from ribbon and lace, try using jute or raffia.

Embroidery Cotton

Embroidery cotton can be used in a number of interesting scrapbooking ways. Individual fibers can be used to add a focus to special items or used to give dimension to artwork or drawings.

Embroidery fibers can also be twisted or braided for use in artwork or as imaginative borders. Embroidery cotton can even be used to tie down other items in a beautiful and creative way.

Hemp

Hemp can be used for a number of purposes in scrapbooking. Single, twisted, or braided fibers can be used to add focus as picture frames, or along edges of scrapbook page as a border. Hemp looks especially good in scrapbooks with a western theme. In general, hemp can also be used to make a scrapbook appear more masculine.

Hemp glues quite easily and hides glue messes well. To increase likelihood that a piece of hemp will stay in place while glue is drying, place a piece of scotch tape over rope until piece dries fully.

Always trust your own instincts and have confidence to organize and decorate your scrapbook according to how you see people and events it represents. That way your work will form a unique record and have even greater personal value.

Let pieces dry completely. Use dry colored tissue paper as a background, a border, or as a fancy embellishment.

Beading

Beads are another way to add color and design to page. Beading can be as simple as gluing a few beads onto a scrapbook page or as complex as a sewn beaded design. When arranged in an abstract pattern, they can create a child-like effect -- or place them carefully to make a fun title or artistic design.

Beads, micro-beads, and necklaces can be attached using two-sided tape or Xyron adhesive.

Make a Pocket

If you've kept a lock of your child's hair, why not store it in a pocket? Pockets allow you take out and put back items as you see fit and replace them without damage to your scrapbook page.

The easiest pocket is simply an envelope. But pockets can also quickly and easily made by folding a piece of paper in half and then gluing three of side edges.

Pockets can also be made from pieces of fabric sewn together. In this way, pockets can be virtually any texture, color, and weave to suit your required needs.

There are so many events in a child's life that you can celebrate with your scrapbooking. From first haircuts to birthday parties, holidays and school celebrations, you can use your scrapbooking expertise to preserve memories for years to come.