by M. Sparga

Created on: February 12, 2008

Scrapbook embellishments are the extra touches that surround your photos and journaling and make your scrapbook pages pop. Whether you buy them or make them, there's no shortage of items that your imagination can turn into scrapbook embellishments. Here are some of the most common types of embellishments:

Stickers
Special stickers for scrapbooking are acid-free and lignin-free so they won't damage your photos. Most craft stores and scrapbook suppliers are stocked with rows of these safe stickers, but you can also find them if you keep your eye out in places like dollar stores. Some scrapbookers also buy sticker-making machines that convert their own magazine cut-outs, computer print-outs, or even ribbon swathes into unique stickers for their layout.

Tags
Take a walk through the gift wrapping section of any store and you'll see how fancy the To-From tags are nowadays. Scrapbook tags are similar, bringing a dash of color and a change of shape to any scrapbook page. They might have a small decoration on them like a flower, or they might frame a piece of journaling like a photo caption. The beauty of tags is that they're easy to make just by cutting out paper that fits with the layout.

Ribbon
Ribbon is great for making page borders or finding a creative way to attach a photo to a page. You can stretch it across the length of a page or make a bow out of it. Sewing and craft stores carry all colors and thicknesses of ribbon, plus a scrapbook is a great way to use the ribbons that come on gifts you receive.

Brads and Eyelets
Metal embellishments like brads and eyelets are great for drawing the eye to part of a layout. Brads are like pins in that you puncture the page with them, but then you bend down and flatten the bits of metal on the back of the page to hold the brad in place. Scrapbook stores carry a variety of decorative brads that give some texture to a layout. Eyelets are the small, round rings that hold shoelaces in place. These are great for looping string through.

Florals
Using actual flowers or leaves might not be the best idea if you don't want your scrapbook to deteriorate too much over time, but silk florals are a great alternative. You can adhere silk flowers to the page, or you can take them apart and scatter their petals.

Stamps
Stamps are a favorite for many avid scrapbookers. Alphabet stamps are great for getting uniform letters in your page titles. Shapes that might show up multiple times on a page or in multiple layouts, like stars, music notes, or flowers, are also useful stamps to have.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. Scrapbookers have used items as diverse as sea shells and staples to embellish their layouts. You can sew buttons or charms directly onto the page. You can use punches and die cuts. You can include doodles. When it comes to embellishing a scrapbook, your imagination is the only limit.

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