The How-To-Guide of working with paper bag scrapbook albums

Paper bag albums are one of the hottest trends in scrapbooking today.  Although they are pretty similar to regular scrapbooks, there are some differences that make these albums unique.  This guide is to help explain the differences & provide a general how-to of working with this special kind of album.

Preserving the album

The most important thing to know about paper bag scrapbooks is that they are NOT acid & ligin free.  Without protection, they will deteriorate over time.  The easiest way to protect the album is to spray the album with an archival mist product before decorating.  This will neutralize the ph factor in the paper & make it so the album will not deteriorate.  If you don't care if the album lasts for generations, then just use copies of photos without preserving the album.

Decorating the album

The most common question that is asked is: "What kind of adhesive do I use?".  Dry adhesives are best for this kind of album, as they won't soak through & ruin the page.  Some examples of dry adhesives are: adhesive runners that have refillable cartridges, Zots, photo corners, photo mounting squares and Xyron machines.

In constructing layouts, the rules are the same as normal scrapbooks - there are no rules!!  Use your imagination as you would a regular album.  Use background papers, embellishments & photos to your heart's delight.  The only thing different is the scale of your layouts.  These albums are best for 1 picture or 2 small pictures per page.

The best thing about paper bag albums is the pockets!!  The open ends of the paper bags allow for the opportunity for more layouts.  To utilize this feature, just cut some cardstock slightly smaller that the size of the pocket & attach some sort of tab so you may pull it in and out of the pocket.  Stickers, fabric & ribbon make excellent tabs.  These pull out layouts allow for the opportunity for journaling or more photos.  You can use all or only some of the pockets in the album - depending on your needs.

Finishing the album

If your album gets kind of thick with all the embellishments & pockets, you might want to think about having a way to secure the album when not in use.  An easy way to do this is by attaching ribbon to the front & back covers of the album.  You can then tie the album shut, holding everything together nicely.

Here is an example of a completed paper bag album to help you get ideas. Halloween Paper Bag Album

We hope this guide has helped you understand the basics of scrapbooking with paper bag albums.