Decorative pins for scrapbooking are an easy way to create artistic and unique page designs. Pin designs are available at craft stores and from independent artists. You can also easily make your own. Discover scrapbook pin styles and get tips for using them in your project.
What Are Decorative Pins for Scrapbooking?
Decorative pins are artistic pin-on style decorations for scrapbook albums and pages. Available in both traditional and digital varieties that look like the real thing, pins are growing in popularity as stand-alone decorations and as methods of fastening other embellishments to a page.
Examples of Pin Styles
Scrapbooking pins come in various lengths and mechanical styles. Traditional straight pins, safety pins, and hat-size pins are all common. Some crafters and artists use regular sewing pins, while others make the pin with jewelry wire. The pins sometimes come in themes, such seasonal, baby, or patriotic. Many designs include mixes of gemstone for color and fun shapes, such as animals or hearts. Higher quality pins look like jewelry or works of art. Most pins are straight and generally range between two inches to six inches in length. Some pins have safety devices, such as a clutch fastener, to prevent sharp ends from damaging the paper when fastened.
These are a few examples of decorative pins suitable for scrapbooking:
- Colorful beaded safety pins
- Straight pins with gemstone and crystal beads
- Artistic-shaped pins with gemstones that resemble pendants
Ways to Use Scrapbook Pins
Scrapbook stick pins create the look of old fashioned handmade albums in minutes. Here are some ideas for using pins in scrapbooks:
- Use a butterfly pin to hold a fabric flower decoration in place on the album cover.
- Attach a layer of decorative fabric to a page with four heart pins to create a background for a photo.
- Fasten a happy birthday flag with a simple gemstone stick pin in a complementary color as the title to your child's party page.
- Secure a pastel beaded safety pin that spells out "It's a Girl" to a baby shower page.
- Create a layout on your digital scrapbook using an artistic pin design as the main embellishment.
Making Decorative Pins
It is fairly easy to make a basic decorative pin, even if you are new to crafts. You can use regular straight sewing pins or make your own out of a 21 or 22 gauge half-hard wire. The main supplies necessary for a beginner are a stick pin, beads of choice, a strong craft glue, and a paint brush.
Follow these Instructions to make a basic decorative pin:
- Decide on a bead design. It can help to sketch out the design or write down a few notes about the color pattern.
- Begin stringing beads onto the pin following the pattern.
- Slide the first bead down slightly and apply a small amount of glue to the bead end with a paint brush. Then position the bead back in place. Repeat with each bead.
- After the last bead is glued into place, wipe away excess glue with a damp rag.
- Allow the pin to dry completely overnight before use.
Buying Decorative Pins
You can find decorative pins at local sources, like craft stores and art shows, as well as online. The Internet may be the best place to find the most artistic and unusual stick pins. Many online retailers and artists also offer discounts.
The following online retailers sell scrapbook pins:
- Two Peas in a Bucket has decorative stick pins in cheerful feminine themes.
- Scrapbook.com sells both digital decorative pins, as well as stick pins for traditional albums.
- Designer Digitals has pin designs for digital scrapbooking.
Consider decorative pins for scrapbooking when you want to add an artistic touch to your project.
