Making Marvelous Scrapbook Pages

Edited and Published by Hot Off the Press

Venerable scrapbook company Hot Off the Press has created another must-have scrapbooking book in Making Marvelous Scrapbook Pages. Blending the best of the new supplies with how to use the old stand-bys, it knows what scrapbookers want to play with and how to use it all.

The book begins with an overview of scrapbooking basics, such as cropping, matting, and choosing papers, plus shows a few useful page templates that make scrapping quick and easy, like dividing pages into quadrants. Following this refresher coarse is a section on how to properly mix patterned papers with lots of good advice and lovely pages demonstrating each point. Then there is a section containing twenty mini-classes, each demonstrating a unique technique for adding flair and individuality to your pages. Examples of these mini-classes include nested mats, paper knots, collage, and bargello. Following these ideas is a section devoted to vellum, that wonderful, flexible stuff that adds elegance to your pages. As an unabashed fan of vellum, I particularly loved the inspiration in these pages. Finally, it provides any patterns you might need to copy (or “scrap-lift”) the layouts in the book.

This serves as a truly useful teaching text, also. The prose is approachable and clear. Layouts are presented in both 12” x 12” format and 8-1/2 by 11”. Any scrapbooker should find something they can use in this book, especially as a wide range of styles is represented, from simple, straightforward pages to more elaborate, but still tasteful designs. Some of the pages are very girly or country yet others are more streamlined, modern, or masculine. The pages using Hot Off the Press’ line of stained glass vellums are particularly gorgeous. There are pages for children, adults, holidays, sports, daily life, travel, and just about anything a scrapper’s mind could imagine.

One important note is that the sample pages for the most part do not require a huge investment in snappy scrapbook tools. Most of Hot Off the Press’ paper line is represented somewhere in the book, but you won’t need each and every pattern book to get started. Most importantly, the book shows you that maybe all you really need is some good quality, attractive papers and your beloved pictures; you don’t need to spend buckets of cash buying punches, crimpers, special tags or other pre-made embellishments. This is good news to budget-limited scrappers everywhere.

Anyone new to scrapbooking will appreciate this well-organized compendium of ideas. While magazines may present more of the trendy ideas in scrapbooking, Making Marvelous Scrapbook Pages does an excellent job of teaching the necessary design basics that will make slap-dash pages into beautiful showcases for your cherished photos. Old hands at scrapbooking will appreciate the refresher of basic design elements—some they might have missed while learning to begin with—as well as the fresh inspiration. It’s good to see the same tools and papers used with a new, imaginative eye.

Grade: B

Review submitted by Dindrane