For Scrapbooking

Naturally, the foundation for your page layout will begin with the photo(s) you wish to showcase, but the most exciting step to giving your page meaning is the paper(s) you choose to create your display. Your background paper can tell part of the story, whether it’s themed or just demonstrates a sense of fun or classy, the paper will help set the overall tone of the page. With specialty scrapbooking stores abound, and many arts & craft stores stocking aisles and aisles of paper choices, the selection process can be quite overwhelming! These papers will already be pre-cut to the most standard scrapbooking sizes (12 x 12, 9 x 9, and 6 x 6), making it much easier for you to get busy as soon as you get them home. Here is a basic list of paper types that you will find available to you:

Cardstock
Because the creation of a scrapbook requires much handling of your materials, it’s essential that you use paper that is made of a thick enough weight to withstand the beating it may receive as you layout, and often re-layout, your pages. Most background and accent paper is made of sturdy cardstock, and some are even double-sided, allowing you to choose which side you wish to use.

Solid vs Patterned
Many people choose to begin with a patterned background, and then use solid colors to frame their photos and embellishments. However, there are no rules here, and most paper manufacturers create paper sets that are all patterned and can be used with each other on the same exact page. If the patterns are different enough in size and shape, then they will look very nice being layered upon each other.

Textured
There are a lot of ‘fancy’ options available, including design patterns that include eyelet cut-outs, raised velvet patterns, dotted swiss prints, and even wrinkled and creased paper for an aged effect. Each one of these will create a top-notch presentation, and won’t require much decoration or embellishment to make the page outstanding.

Metallic
Manufacturers have put the dazzle into paper aisle by creating shiny metallic papers, which are great for accenting photos and type, and can add a great deal of class to a page.

Natural/recycled
For those not into shine and jewels, there are many hand-made and recycled papers available that offer a wonderful natural, whimsical element to a scrapbook. These would be a great choice when scrapbooking a recent camping trip, or your summer at the family cabin.

Vellum
A wonderful way to add a layer of subtle drama to any page, the use of vellum paper allows for the page to contain many layers. Since vellum is transparent, and the transparency comes in varying degrees, it is easily used to matte out text and images. This is a great way to decorate a page that is already very bold.

Themed Patterns
Whatever the occasion, there is a paper that has your theme on a background. Most stores group these pages by subject matter, such as sports, florals, holidays and seasons. This is a great place to start if you are commemorating a special season or special event.