Paper Crafts: Scrapbook and Greeting Card Basics

Paper crafts are a popular pastime. Scrapbooking is a fun way to display pictures and chronicle family history or news events. Other paper crafts include making greeting cards and even making hand made papers.

When getting started, it is easy to spend a lot of money! Go easy at first until you know what sort of paper craft products you are likely to use.

Almost everyone has some photographs stored somewhere. Scrapbooks are a great way to get those photos out where people can enjoy them. You will need a loose leaf binder, some plastic page protectors, and some colored cardstock for starters. Most paper products, even the cheaper ones, are labeled "acid-free," which means that it shouldn't fade or deteriorate if stored for a long time

To start a scrapbook you have several options. You can select photos that all relate to one event, such as a trip or a child's birthday. This type of scrapbook will be short, but can be designed around a theme. This is a good choice if your photos are not in a jumble. If they are, then choose 3 or 4 photos around a general theme, and change the theme for each page. You may want to include some 2 page spreads in your scrapbook.

Attach your photos to the cardstock with double-sided tape squares or a gluestick. Then decorate the page with stickers, paper shapes, or rubber stamped designs. In addition, you can use a colored gel pen to write dates, names, and other highlights about the pictures.

Other items are available in paper crafts stores. These include die cuts, which are pieces of paper already cut into shapes and objects. There are also special scissors that cut paper with an interesting edge. A pair of the type called "deckle" scissors is very useful for making elegant looking scrapbook pages, greeting cards, and other paper crafts.

Many paper crafts enthusiasts begin with scrapbooking, but then branch out to making their own greeting cards. Greeting cards may or may not have an original poem written on the inside. A simple "Happy Birthday," "Get Well Soon," or even just "Hi!" is enough to brighten someone's day. So, don't worry about not being a good writer to make your own greeting cards. Rubber stamps often make beautiful greeting cards. You can even attach small ribbons, beads, and other items to hand made cards. A handmade card is sure to please anyone, whether they are interested in paper crafts or not.

1. Collecting Objects of Art

Collecting various objects, small or big, is great fun as well as a wonderful hobby. One of the most interesting things to collect is objects of art. Almost anything can fit into art collectibles. It can be as varied as wooden eggs with painted artwork, designer rugs, limited edition plates, thimbles, Christmas ornaments and figurines produced by such companies as Bradford Exchange. And of course, many people collect fine art paintings.

There may be a wrong impression that an art collector is a rich person who has the money to spend on an original Picasso or Rembrandt. A person of more modest means can collect art too. Post cards are a good place to start. Most art museum gift shops offer high quality, glossy postcards. Whenever you visit a place of tourist or historical importance you can buy postcards depicting various monuments, amusement parks or other places of interest in and around that area. Almost invariably, every place of tourist attraction has art or craft objects peculiar to that place. These not only add to your collection, they also remind you of the good times you had during that trip.

A great idea for inexpensively collecting objects of art is scouring flea markets, thrift shops, and garage sales. You never know what treasure someone else may be getting rid of. In many places you will find small vendors on the road sides selling old coins, stones, hand crafted pens, pencils and other mini items.