how to make a scrapbook

As part of my Scrap Social series, I thought it would be interesting to take a look into the scrapbooks of other bloggers and creatives in the form of a Guest Scrap Social feature! We’ve previously taken a flick through the pages of Holly and Jacky, but now I have the wonderful Areeba from Not Your Type. (Also big shout out to Katie for introducing me to her!)

Why do you use a scrapbook? I’ve always used a diary/journal to write or make art so it has become a part of me after all these years and I feel like I can’t live without one. It helps me to give my creativity energy a way.

What are your favourite methods? Layering. I love putting pieces together, pasting different things on the page, making a lot of layers, balancing colors and drawing on pictures. I try to do much more on 2 pages than looks possible.

Where do you find the images for your pages? They’re mostly from calendars (my nanna has a lot of them) or newspapers. All of the magazines that I have are mostly about literature so they’re usually disappointing when it comes to visuals. So I’m always looking for calendars or maps because they have waters or skies, which are my most favorites.

Has your scrapbook inspired you to go further with any other projects/ideas?I started an art journalling project with a fellow blogger in January called #ohjournaletc, it’s mainly based on Instagram to give the teen artist community a direction to channel their creative energy into something.  We have weekly art journalling prompts to help them come up with excuses to make art. It’s been going pretty well so far.

This is my favourite page (first image above), which is your favourite out of this selection? The one with ribs and Lorde lyrics all over them. I’m a Lorde freak and these are my top 3 songs from her. And it feels like a little tribute to her through my art.

Do you think each page represents a period in your life, or the mood you are in? Not the mood, but the life changes I’m going through. I like spilling my current life phase on the paper to see how it looks like if turned into art.

When and where do you create your wonderful collages? Mostly in my room after midnight or in late afternoon. Mainly when I can’t sleep. I have this little wooden table by my bed and it’s loaded with my journals and art materials so it’s always easy to reach my creative tools whenever I want.

Do you think your scrapbook is a representation of your personality? Definitely yes. It’s creative, different, abstract with a touch of madness. It is so me.

Paint or Ink? Paint. I feel at freedom with them. Also, paint brushes are my most favorite tools.

Glitter or Puffy Paint? GLITTER! Give me some glitter and liquid glue and I’ll be the happiest girl in the world with pages full of glittery art.

Neat or Messy? Neat. I like all the pieces in their position, all colors balanced and blending perfectly with each other.

You’ve bought a new magazine which would be perfect for scrapbooking. do you chop it up straight away after reading, or wait a little while until it’s considered ‘old’? I’ll cut it into piece right after I’m done reading, if it has something that would make my art journal look prettier. I don’t care about magazines much.

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~ ABOUT AREEBA ~

Areeba is a creative lifestyle blogger who celebrates being different over her blog Not Your Type. She reads a lot of psychology thriller books and always has an excuse to make more art. She’s a professional fangirl and she is in love with a city. Culture and human psychology are two things she is always curious about.

BLOG – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – PINTEREST – #OHJOURNALETC

Look who’s back-back-back again! Both myself and our good little friend Scrap Social! I totally forgot of this series over the past few months so I’m back and I hope to still be doing it in the New Year! This is actually a showcase of the last few pages of this scrapbook. You’ll probably be mad at me for this but this scrapbook was finished in March… *gulps* so I will definitely have a new one to show you after this… don’t worry!

These pages unintentionally matched… I just suddenly realised after finishing them up that the model on the left page, had very similar sandals on to the ones from the postcard on the right. I loved the free spirit of the editorial piece on the left, so I added some fun little doodles around it… which sort of adds a contrast to the rough edges that I decided on to go with the natural backdrop and colour palette. To match the doodles, I added a border of ‘HAHAHAHAHA’ to the edge of the postcard (this one was featured in my Scrap Social Essentials post actually!), and some extra outlining as per usual. I love the colours of this page combo!

Another page combo with a nice colour palette are these two which I made up from a Claudie Perlot advertorial. I absolutely love the aesthetic it had, so I added a few other elements to it and I’m really happy with the effect. As I mentioned above, as per usual, there is some of my well known outlining again, which I think adds the finish touch. Sometimes pages don’t have to make sense in terms of telling a story, they just make sense in an artistic sense. Matching colours and creating a ‘vibe’ is what is important. Don’t ya’ think? Also – note the Hozier lyrics!

Yes, that is indeed the final page. It’s an odd one, once again using some postcards which have an old/retro vibe to them. Sometimes I genuinely have no idea where I’m going with pages so they end up being really odd and this is a great example. I like it though, it has a nice message to it in a sense, even if the picture has no relevancy to it whatsoever. The bottom postcard I used was kind of weird and gross in some aspects (sloppy hot dogs from what looks like the 90s in a public swimming pool?!) but adding some captions and the BORING sign made it tie in nicely.

It’s actually interesting to compare the first and last page of my scrapbook because they’re so vastly different in colour scheme and style. You can see I stuck to Biro scribbles throughout, but you can definitely notice a change. You can see it for yourself if you like, take a click through this year’s Scrap Social scrapbook!

~ CATCH UP ON #SCRAPSOCIAL ~

So, yup! That’s it 🙂 By the way, in case you missed it, there’s a #MooiEnLiefbyTDP give-away going on ight now! It ends in 2 days so make sure you get entering before it’s too late. Good luck and happy holidays everyone! Speak to you soon…

What has the “Queen of Never Finishing Blog Post Series” gone and done? Combined two series in one. Yes, today we have 15 new scrapbook pages for #ScrapSocial! Dah-dah! For those of you who want to see more of my scrapbook, carry on reading…

For these pages, I seemed to be loving red. I think there’s something kinda’ weird about red; It’s a strong and powerful colour yet it just doesn’t sit well with me personally. But for some reason, it just worked with these pages. I love how all of the colours clash and combine in a really funky way, and the shapes all blend nicely. As I haven’t looked at these pages in a while, it’s interesting to see what I disliked then and now.

These pages are totally different. The first two are very “me” in the fact that there are random features put together (aka. a cucumber tree?) and purple mountains, but the other two are actually directly from Tumblr. A long while ago, I decided to turn my Tumblr into a rainbow… so when you scroll it magically goes through lots of different coloured images. I then printed out each colour and popped into my scrapbook… so here’s white! It’s very minimalistic, but I kinda’ like it.

I experimented with this Tumblr section of my scrapbook by colouring the pages, scribbling and laying the pages out differently, as you can see with this grey and black spread. Also may I note that I am in fact, OK, and I do in fact have a small smidgen of a crush on Brooklyn Beckham. But, SHHHH!

Next up is navy to red. Yes, red again! I’m actually glad I did this colour scheme thingy-ma-bobby though. It’s a great source of inspiration for when I’m thinking about different colours (?!). I especially like this lilac/purple page that I created. What do you think? Do you like the idea?

Last but not least, the 15th page! This one was the orange segment of my Tumblr and I don’t know… I’m a bit ‘meh’ about it. It’s nothing special but then again that’s what scrapbooking is all about. It’s just about mixing lots of different ideas even if they don’t work out the way you had hoped. Orangggggge… 🍊

It’s been a long while since I got someone else to share their scrapbook with you, so today’s the day where I do that again for you 🙂 I’ve got another blogger, this time a fellow teen, who goes by the name of Jacky Auerbach from Do It For The Irony. Let’s take a peep in this Scrap Social post…

Why do you use a scrapbook? I started journalling when I was in high school.  It was a required art assignment from my art teacher but you didn’t have to go above and beyond with it.  Hers was SO amazing and it really pushed me to be creative every day.  I’d have days where I would just skip my schoolwork and journal after school.  It worked out!  So I continue it to always be creative.

What are your favourite methods? Anything messy.  My art mentor advised me that I needed to let go.  I was always so scared to make art on canvas because I felt like I would mess up and it’d be a waste of money.  So she’s just like let go.  Go crazy.  So I did.  Finger painting, layers, glue, fabrics, sketches and text everywhere.

You use quite a lot of paint and texture in your pages, why is this? I don’t like subject matter.  I don’t like to paint or make “things”.  Along with letting go of my art fears, I gained my love for messy things.  So I found beauty in texture and more importantly color.  Thus my love for color + color theory.  If you see my comments on fashion blogs, I almost always comment on color.  I’m not trying to be repetitive I really just care about color the most!  It shows emotion, which I care about a lot.

Has your scrapbook inspired you for any ideas/projects (or are you going to start one because of it)? I’m going to start a new altered book soon!  Basically journalling in a book.  Some say it’s a waste but it’s very beautiful.  I’m very excited because it will be my first art book without a mentor.  Scary, but hey letting go is always good in art.  I don’t like people telling me to up my technique or to get better at painting realistic faces.  I want to do my thing.

This is my favourite page (the one with CUTE on), which is your favourite out of this selection? Definitely the green spread with a tie dyed silk on the other.  The text says, “I’m pressured by time Maybe I would have noticed it pass if the seasons had changed for once.”  I speak in metaphors and it irritates people.  But I was obsessed with time during this journal.  I love the aging person I quick painted on the other side.  I remember being so happy because I made it out of three messy globs of paint on the paper.

Do you think each page represents a period in your life, or the mood you are in? Both.  I was in a time of huge change and so many things about myself were rapidly different, I didn’t know how to deal with it!  Thus my expression of time.  And as for my mood, I always consider my subject matter to be emotion.  If it shows my emotion the way I want, then it’s a success.  I believe that’s my niche.

When and where do you create your wonderful collages? At home, in my room with any material I can find.  Even makeup.  Wherever I can find a ton of glue I’m there.

Do you think your scrapbook is a representation of your personality? For sure.  Emotional and metaphoric on the inside.  Mysterious and speaks weirdly.  But despite all the deep and enigmatic stuff, I’m super loud and bold and messy and colorful.

Pen or Pencil? Pen.  I can make mistakes and I can’t erase them.

Glitter or Puffy Paint? GLITTER.  Anytime I get my hands on cheap craft glitter, it’s a total mess.

Neat or Messy? Messy messy messy.  No planning.  Go for it.

You’ve bought a new magazine which would be perfect for scrapbooking… do you chop it up straight away after reading, or wait a little while until it’s considered ‘old’? Wait a little for sure.  I am weird about resources.  I hate shopping for art supplies and I hate using them up.  I hate spending money and the fear of wasting it.  I rarely buy magazines but when I do, they sit for a while.  I most of the time pick up the hidden free catalogs at H&M and use those!  Saves money and they’re great quality.

~ ABOUT JACKY ~

Do It For The Irony is a blog written by Jacky Auerbach.  She likes to focus on creativity in life & style but ends up being a little bit funny about it all.  She questions the world a lot and hopes to help you see from a new, accepting perspective. Having fun with casual fashion is something that Jacky holds dear and she just wants to be heard for a little bit!

BLOG – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – PINTEREST – #MAYMAKERS

Ahh, it feels good to sit down and update you on my scrapbook! I’m sorry it’s been a while but my blog has been pretty busy these past few weeks so I haven’t had much wiggle room in my schedule. Those few weeks have meant a bit more scrap-booking and actually finishing off the whole book! I have a new one waiting to be filled but for now, I’ll carry on updating you page by page 🙂 Hopefully this will give you some scrapbook ideas on making your very own collection of pages…

As you can see from the title the pages in this update are really just a bundle of experimental pages. I didn’t have a set theme, and because I usually scrapbook on different days the moods are all completely different. I suppose those top two pages match with the brand names and advertisement imagery. I always find KENZO is a great source of inspiration when cutting out from magazines… everything they put out is always so bold and interesting!

I remember making that ‘Me, Me, Me’ page really well; I believe I wanted to express what beauty is all about… but perhaps not beauty, more vanity really. It’s an expression of today’s society and how we’re all obsessed with being this specific version of ourselves. I’m very passionate about avoiding that so I think it makes sense!

I’m super happy with these two pages. The first came out with a super cool 3D effect when I started colouring in certain dots in the mesh. Simple details like this can really make a page stand out and can inspire you for things like fabrics and patterns. I’m a strong believer of the little details so that’s a good example!

I loved the colour palette of the opposite page too. I think grey is such a nice colour to compliment grey so this pretty much sums up my love for the combination. Plus, if you throw a bit of Chanel in there too, it’s going to look good, am I right?! 

Woah there! That’s a bit of a jumble isn’t it? Crossword squares, blue and monochrome patterns, neon lights and abstract hand prints. I told you I’ve been experimenting! Like I said above, creating simple pages can really inspire you for things like patterns and I think all of these pages do just that. Just a simple idea can become a big idea in the end, so don’t worry if a page is slightly random or weird… it might just be something awesome!

I just want to mention a bit more about those neon lights. Those are from God’s Own Junkyard and I’m obsessed. Sadly the artist and collector (Chris Bracey) has passed away, but he’s left behind such a treasure trove that one day I’d be honoured to go and have a peep at. It was a great excuse to try out my ‘puffy paints’!

My pages really do differ… like these pages are just so random! I would say this camera/paparazzi page is another page with an actual meaning behind it. As you can see I’ve covered up screens and written words about privacy on top. I think with the online world our privacy is becoming less and less so I thought the picture was a great way to sum it all up, especially with celebrities.

What do you think of these pages? Check out my last update here and share your scrapbook pictures with #ScrapSocial 🙂

I’m so sorry to those of you who have been missing my Scrap Social series, I really do apologise for the delay! I was meant to have put an update up a while ago but time flew by… eek! Today I have a round-up of what I use to make my scrapbook pages (sorry if you were expecting a full page-by-page review!). I’ve almost finished up my book so I’ll make sure to note it down as a near future post… I promise! Anyway, here are some of my scrapbook essentials which everyone and anyone should have if they want to start their only little book of scribbles and inspiration…

~ THE BOOK ~

Literally. Any notebook will do! My notebook is a really random one I picked up from a shopping mall in France and cost me about 1 euro. It’s lined, but I don’t mind because I actually really like the way the lines look, sometimes I even incorporate the lines into what I’m doing with everything else. It has that sort of homemade, more scrappy vibe to it, in my opinion. You could go all fancy and get a great big huge (uhum, A4) size one if you like, but A5 is cool too.

~ THE BASICS ~

It may seem silly and pointless to mention these two simple items, but they are absolutely necessary to be able to do any form of scrapbook. Any pair of scissors will do (if you’re headed to IKEA, they do sets of 3 different sizes I believe) and any stick of glue will do too! You may also like to get fabric glue or other more high duty glues to stick down things like sequins, feathers and anything else like that. Simple but vital!

~ THE SOURCE ~

No, not the ketchup of the scrapbook world… the source. The items and places where you get all your pictures and content from. Depending on what style of scrapbook you are doing, depends on where you should look. If it’s a travel scrapbook then you might want to use your own images and things like tickets, but it really does vary from person to person. My scrapbook is an art inspiration/fashion design bible, full of things that catch my eye and inspire me. So I turn to magazines, postcards and Tumblr for all of my content. My Company magazine collection is running on empty (almost) so my other favourites which are still available to buy are Vogue & Glamour.

~ THE DECORATORS: POSCA PENS* & TED BAKER PENS* ~

I’m a big fan of using pens and pencils as a decoration to each page. My favourite method is using biro pen to add scribbles and random details to photographs and writing words that match the mood of what I’m portraying. I recently added these 3 super cute mini pens to my collection (they’re Ted Baker, pretty snazzy if I do say so myself) and I love them. They’re a tiny size so they fit just in the spine of my scrapbook and I can have 1 or 2 on the side for my blogging notebooks too.

I also recently added my other ‘decorator pens’ to my stationery collection and I’m obsessed! These are POSCA pens (from Fat Buddha) and they’re pretty darn awesome. They’re sort of like paint in pen form, brilliantly opaque and they leave no streak marks behind. I’m converted and I would totally recommend!

Make sure to let me know what your scrapbook essentials are in the comments, I’d love to know! Speak to you very soon…

If you didn’t catch my last post (read it here), you won’t know that over this Christmas period, I won’t be blogging as much, so there will only be a post up every Sunday (not for long though, just until the new year!). So, seeing as series posts go up on a Sunday, I have a new Scrap Social post! You guys love them, you seriously do! Enjoy…

So as you can tell from the title of this post, I’ve been (accidentally) matching pages and creating themes… for some odd reason! This is a big example, all the colours match! I actually printed out things for this page for the first time. I just really liked the whole look of the left page. It reminds me of some 90’s teen movie or something. The illustration was from a magazine, and I’m so glad I cut it out! The other page is also really random… my mum was also scrapbooking at the time, so I borrowed some of her inks to add to this random lady covered in face paint. It now looks like she is puking paint, but I really like the outcome looking at it now! What d’ya think? Yay or Nay to ink?

Do excuse the awful air bubbles in that GIF! I hate working with thin floppy magazines… ew! Anyway… again these four pages all match in some way?! I love the idea I had for the top 2 pages. They’re like a bunch of pieces from your mum’s drawer… classic books, perfumes, hand creams from years ago, and pressed flowers. The colours all match and they have a really nice fresh aesthetic to them. The bottom page was when I was looking for blog photography inspiration. Fashion editorials have been my biggest ‘INSPO’ so, I decided to pop them in! Obviously a GIF was obligatory with the whole flip down business.

Okay these pages definitely don’t match altogether, but in pairs they do! The top two are again, blog inspiration, so just some cut outs and full pages. The bottom two are actually some of my favourites! I love the colours and simplicity of each page. The girl in the left page has such a strong face and character, I couldn’t not use her! My mum’s old scrapbook had similar style pages, so it was a big inspiration for when I put it together (let me know if you want to see her old one in a Guest Scrap Social!). The right page is basically a shrine for Chanel… aw, so pretty. I would probably die with excitement if those trainers were mine… one day, one day!

Ah two of my favourite things… Suki Waterhouse and McDonalds… I jest, I jest! Recently though, Suki Waterhouse has come to my attention and has become my new girl crush. Ergh, her hair, her style… basically just… SUKI! So I printed out some blue turquoise stone and bordered it around some shots of her. The final page was just simply added because of the awesome black and white editorial, and the Moschino bag… another sigh because I genuinely want that bag, SO. MUCH. Again, I printed out some McDonalds food, and stuck it down, outlining them with my trusty biro pen. I really like the outcome of this page, I think I might try this method again!

Let me know what you think of this update! There will sure be another Scrap Social post sometime soon, and maybe even another Guest Scrap Social, so stay tuned. 

The other day I had a bit of a brainwave… why not share some creative people’s scrapbooks in my Scrap Social series? You guys seem to love the series so much so it only seemed to right to share the love! So today I have fellow blogger, Holly Cassell, from The Persephone Complex! I’ve asked her 12 questions to go along with some of her favourite pages, and some of the answers are pretty interesting! I hope you enjoy…

Why do you use a scrapbook? It’s cathartic, mostly. I make pages about people, things I’ve experienced, dreams I have, or even certain sub-sections, or mini characters, within my own personality.

What are your favourite methods? I find cutting paper and gluing it down really trance-like, and my method remains pretty much the same no matter what. I like to think of a concept for a page, choose a phrase or a lyric that is stuck in my head, and then look for images that suit the mood of what I’m trying to make. I have some cute craft materials and I always use acid-free glue so that my work won’t ruin over time.

You feature a lot of text in each page, why do you think that is? I find working exclusively in images or exclusively in words really limiting and frustrating. I always need both to express myself. Which is probably why I love blogging so much too! You can get so much more across by mixing mediums. The right words can completely change the meaning of an image, and vice versa.

Has your scrapbook inspired you for any ideas/projects (or are you going to start one because of it)? Definitely! I’m currently working on an ebook that should be available via my blog quite soon, featuring new material as well as some of the stories behind my art. It’s going to be a deeper, more explicit insight into my art journal and why I started making the kind of work that I do, which often focuses on some very dark themes.

Do you think each page represents a period in your life, or the mood you are in? I can sometimes make a whole collage about something as small as a text message that has been sent to me. Sometimes I won’t make one for months. I have a strange mind that sometimes chooses to focus on unlikely things, and see importance or beauty where there isn’t any. My pages are just the manifestation of this slightly off-kilter focus.

When and where do you create your wonderful collages? Always in my bedroom. Always at night. Always listening to music.

Do you think your scrapbook is a representation of your personality? I think most people have many different personalities that they inhabit at different times, or around different people. I use my scrapbook as a way of coming to terms with them all, or expressing something that I don’t get to in “real life”. We keep a lot of ourselves bottled up, and because of that, those parts are often the most beautiful and shocking when splashed across a page.

You’ve bought a new magazine which would be perfect for scrapbooking… do you chop it up straight away after reading, or wait a little while until it’s considered ‘old’? HAHA That’s such a good question! I usually wait for a while until I’ve read the magazine a few times, but sometimes I do get impatient. If a magazine doesn’t interest me very much I’ll be ruthless and gut it straight away. I’m not precious about magazines any more. I see them all as potential collages..

This top image is my favourite page, which is your favourite out of this selection? If I had to pick one I’d probably choose “This Is How The Story Begins”. As far as my aesthetic goes, this one really represents me. It’s quite dark and fairy-tale themed, and the words are menacing and hopeful at the same time. They were said to me by a real-life monster I met once.

Paint or Ink? Ink, just because I’m a better writer than I am painter.

Neat or Messy? Both.My collages are very precise, but I wouldn’t call them neat. Kind of like an organised explosion.

Glitter or Puffy Paint? Glitter paint. Glitter everything.

~ ABOUT HOLLY ~

Holly is a blogger and freelance creative-type who lives in a pretty white apartment she’s too lazy to keep tidy. Her work is mostly inspired by love, text messages she receives in the middle of the night, and archetypes from ancient literature that no one else remembers. Her floor is always covered in glitter.

 BLOG – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – PINTEREST

This was so interesting! A big thank you to Holly for letting us take a dive into her scrapbook! I love some of the pages and they have definitely given me some inspiration for some of my own pages. Let me know in the comments what you think of Holly’s style, and if you’d like to share your own pages in your very own post!