If you're wondering how to make a chipboard scrapbook, you've come to the right place! LoveToKnow Scrapbooking is here to help you design a beautiful and unique chipboard album for your favorite photos.
About Chipboard Scrapbooks
Chipboard scrapbooks are one of the hottest trends in the paper crafting world. Unlike traditional square or rectangular scrapbooks, chipboard albums have pages that are made of shaped pieces of thick cardboard. For example, you could make a chipboard scrapbook where each page of the album spells out a letter in the word MOTHER or FATHER.
Chipboard scrapbooks are fun to make and to give as gifts to your family and friends. Even people who aren't normally interested in scrapbooking are amazed to see how a chipboard album can be used to showcase their favorite photos.
Since learning how to make a chipboard scrapbook is a common goal for crafters, these albums are generally available wherever scrapbook supplies are sold. If you can't find a chipboard scrapbook that fits your needs at your local craft store, however, you can purchase an album from one of the following online retailers:
- Accent Scrapbooking has chipboard word albums covering a variety of themes, including albums for FAMILY, LOVE, FAITH, SUMMER, WINTER, TRAVEL, and VACATION scrapbooks.
- Scrapbook.com has chipboard albums in fun shapes like hearts, stars, flowers, and scalloped squares.
- Create for Less has a chipboard accordion purse from 7 Gypsies that could be used to make a cute and clever themed scrapbook.
How to Make a Chipboard Scrapbook: A Basic Tutorial
If you want to learn how to make a chipboard scrapbook, follow these simple steps:
- Choose your supplies. Generally, it's a good idea to use the same product line throughout your album to provide a sense of continuity and to make sure all of the pages look like one visual unit.
- Plan the arrangement of your album, deciding which photos you want to appear on each page and what supplies you want to use for each layout. Since a chipboard album is usually very small, you'll be rather limited in how many photos you can include.
- Cut the background paper for each layout. It's helpful to use a pencil to trace the outline of each page onto the backside of your patterned paper, then cut with a craft knife or sharp scissors.
- Adhere the background paper to each page using Hermafix glue dots or another strong adhesive that won't buckle the paper.
- If you discover that your paper is a bit too big for your background, try rubbing the edges gently with fine-grit sandpaper to remove the excess.
- Arrange photos and journaling blocks onto each layout.
- Add stickers, rub-on phrases, and other embellishments. Try to avoid placing too many dimensional accents onto your chipboard album since this type of scrapbook doesn't have plastic page protectors to prevent damage to your photos caused by embellishments rubbing against the facing page.
- If you wish, add a thin layer of ink or acrylic paint around the edges of each page for extra definition.
- For scrapbooks that will be handled on a regular basis, consider brushing each page with a coat of Mod Podge for added durability.
- Tie small scraps of ribbon to the album rings for a fun finishing touch, adding small beads or charms if desired.
If you're looking for sample projects to provide some added inspiration, check out the following chipboard scrapbook ideas:
- Scrapbook.com Forum where people are sharing links to their chipboard scrapbooks
- A Cherry on Top has detailed tutorials.
- YouTube video on a chipboard scrapbook idea
- Card Making and Crafts Guide has a video and pictures of ideas
