Looking at the list of things that you have bought already the first thing that I would recommend is a good paper trimmer. I like having a 12 inch one for my papers and a smaller (8.5 inch?) one for my photos. Here is an example of what I am talking about:
http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sew...d=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11379408 . You can find them at any craft store, and at
Walmart and Target or as you can see, online.
The other thing that you will probably find you need are more page protectors. You bought albums but you will find that you can fit about 3x or more pages in each album than what comes in them. If it doesn't have instructions on how to add more pages let us know and we can walk you through it. You can get page protectors in bulk online or at the craft stores. You do need to be sure they will fit your album style.
Also for the essentials, some good quality scrapbooking pens/markers. Also found at any craft section of Walmart/Target or craft store. You want a fine tip you can write with, and maybe a thicker tip you can use for titles. I like my Zig double sided ones--fine on one side, broad on the other. Get at least black and red and some other primary colors to start with. At craft stores you can usually buy them individually or in multipacks.
Glue Dots are good for heavy, bulky embellishments--buttons, charms, rhinestones etc.. But for your "regular" use just sticking down paper and photos you will want something else. I like Photo Mounting Squares:
http://www.scrapbooksupercenter.com/fiskarswhitephotostickers.html (note, I am not advocating purchasing from these links, I am just looking for photos so you can see what I am talking about). These are double sided and you stick them on your photos, then when you have them where you want you remove the cover from the other side to stick it down. Many people like these type:
http://www.scrapbooksupercenter.com/hmv-9292.html . It is all personal preference. I don't like them because I never got the hang of rolling the tape out, and the "sticky" is immediately exposed. There are also Glue Pens but I don't like to use liquid glue unless I really need it, and it is expensive. Also some people use glue sticks, but I personally just prefer the stickies.
And finally you will want a good selection of cardstock. Since you are doing Disney you may want to be sure you have black, red and yellow but really you want a good selection of many colors. QVC sometimes has some great multipacks at good prices. I also found some good multi packs at Micheals last night for good prices (on sale). As you get more experienced you may get more picky about the quality, weight and brand you get, but for now these types of multi packs will work fine for you.
Okay, I think that is good for the basics!
Now to get started. You want to get organized. This coming from someone that spent 2 hours last night searching for a set of photos I need for tomorrow, and in the process found a box of paper and embellishments I completely forgot that I had!
Office supplies are great! You want your scissors, pens, glue etc within easy reach. Accordian files can be used to catagorize your stickers and other embellishemnts. I have one specifically for Disney and have things filed by character or by park. A 12x12 file (may need to get one from the craft store) is great for paper-- sort by color so you can easily find what you need.
Organize your photos. How do you think you want to do your album? By park? In chronological order starting with your first day? By character? Sort your photos into the way you want to use them. Put all of the MK photos together. Then maybe seperate out from there. Do you want to do a layout of just it's a small world? Or just of meeting Goofy? You need your photos in managable groups.
I like to do two page layouts. Meaning I have 2 pieces of 12x12 paper side by side and layout my photos and stickers etc. to make one cohesive layout. Take a look at the thread stickied at the top to see examples. I generally have a lot of pictures so sometimes limiting it to 2 pages is difficult! Sometimes I do go to 3 or 4 pages if needed.
Okay, you are all organized and you have your first set of photos ready to go. Pictures of you with Mickey Mouse. You have some paper with Mickey on it that seems to go great. And you have the cutest stickers with Mickey that you want to use. So now what?
First look at all the pictures. Are some of them blurry? Throw them out. Is Mickey's left side cut off in one? Throw it out. Narrow it down to the best ones that you like the best. Now look at those. Will they all fit on the page(s)? Is there a lot of "blank" space? Then you may want to trim them. As far as I am concerned this is the hardest part of beginning to scrapbook. Cutting up that photo is SCARY! But after the first few you will be fine. And fortunately with Digital photos now it is so much easier and cheaper to get a reprint if you do mess up somehow.
This is where your trimmer comes in handy. Nice straight cuts. Trim out the blank walls. Trim out distracting people in the background. But also make sure you leave things that may be important. Is there a cute sign you want to show? Is the castle in the distance and looks beautiful? Is there a plant behind you that looks like it is growing out of your head? Decide what you want the photo to show and trim appropriately.
Next decision is "To mat or not to mat? That is the question." I love mats. Meaning I mount the photo on a piece of cardstock or other paper and make a small border to "frame" the photo. Particularly if you are using a patterned paper as your background, and solid mat will help your photo stand out. If you are using plain paper for the background, then a patterend mat can add color and interest. I just put 4 of those sticky mounts on the corners of my photo, stick it on the paper I want to mat it on, then put it in my trimmer and trim the edges down to the size I want. You will get much better as you gain experience. I used to measure carefully and make reference marks but now I just eyeball it. Your need for perfection may vary!
Through this all you want to have an idea of how you are going to arrange your photos on the page. You may play with it a few times before you trim the photos. You may move things around again after you trim. Then the mats may mean more changes. Just do what you like. Make sure you leave room for a title for you page (if you want one) and room for journaling. When you like where things are, stick them down!
Journaling is one of the important parts of scrapbooking. While a picture tells 1000 words, adding more never hurts! A short description "Kitty, Magic Kingdom, August 12, 2009" Or the full story: I really loved meeting Mickey at Magic Kingdom. I waited in line for over an hour and was the last person to see him. I asked him when he was going to marry Minnie but he seems afraid of commitment! He signed my autograph book and we posed for a few pictures. When I said good-bye he gave me a big hug and a thumbs up as I walked out." If I have a lot to say I often type it on my computer and print it out on colored paper or on white and mount it on paper coordinates with my layout. If I don't have much to say I like to write it by hand. Yeah, my handwriting is awful, but my kids love to see it. In 50 years when they are showing my scrapbooks to their kids I want them to see Grandma's handwriting.
Pictures are on. Journaling is done. Now you have some blank space and want to add some stickers. There are thousands of ways to spice them up. Some basic things I like to remember are that stickers floating in space can seem strange, and that when grouping things odd numbers look best. So if you want to put in line of Mickey Heads use 3 or 5. Same with a group of flowers. To keep things from floating I like to put them on a mat or make sure they make sense where they are placed on the page. For instance I would put a full body sticker of Goofy at the bottom of the page, instead of the top. Again, when you look at other's layouts you will understand what I mean.
Guess what? You have just completed your first page!
Here are some examples:
The Eeyore sticker is on the bottom of the page. I used 3 flowers in the upper corner and then 3 on the border. The bug on the left side is placed so that it looks like it is coming away from the photo and toward the title.
This one has my handwritten journaling. I didn't crop the family photo on the second page because I wanted the topiary and Spaceship Earth in the background.
I love to look at other layouts and see if there is something I can take away from it. Sometimes I want to copy the entire thing! Sometimes I just like the color combinations they used and think it would look good for something I have. Sometimes I love their Title and use it.
Okay. This is my basics of getting started. Once you do one page then you get the confidence to start trying new things. As PP said, look at the thread of techniques and see what you would like to try. Look at the layouts posted and see what you like, maybe keep some notes in a notebook of things you want to try, or post numbers to go back and look at, and why.
Other posters here may have some more ideas on getting started, essentials that you need or other ideas on how to make your first page--I hope they share! The great thing about scrapbooking is that it is very personal and no way is the right way. It isn't like knitting where if you miss a stitch you ruin the whole project. As long as you like what you end up with then you did a great job! And post your pages here so we can all enjoy them!
