I have compiled several need-to-knows for the avid scrapper that I feel are essential to know if you want to make a living out of scrapping. Some of this information I have discovered from experience , some is passed on knowledge, and some I have come across when referencing scrapbooking books such as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Scrapbooking and The Everything Scrapbooking Book. This is part one of an ongoing guide I will continue to write as I find and pass on useful information. In this section you will find useful tips about archiving, page protectors, glitter, punches, vellum, albums, and more. You will even discover why having a box of baby wipes lying around will be helpful!

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ARCHIVAL

First of all the most important thing to remember is all scrap related products must be acid and lignin free. This is the only way to guarantee safe keeping of your photos and memorabilia. If you come across items that are not you can use a de-acidification spray to neutralize the acid. It is ialso mportant to remember that acid can make its way down other areas of your scrapbook. You want to look for items that say archival which means safe.

PAGE PROTECTORS

 The second thing to remember is that the appearance of the package is just as important as the appearance of the layout. You don't want to sell someone a layout and then send it or present it to them in an unsafe or fingerprint smudged page protector. To tell if a page protector is safe-smell it. If it smells like a vinyl shower curtain, don't use it.

BABY WIPES

 If you like to use stamps to accent your layouts a good way to expand there lifespan is to clean them off with baby wipes before putting them away after use. Baby wipes also help when working with ribbon or fabric. It will remove adhesive that gets stuck elsewhere on your ribbon by mistake.

GLITTER

 If you are using glitter on your layout it helps to glue the glitter on LAST so it won't fall off onto your photos.

PUNCHES

If your punch jams up , punching through a few layers of wax paper will lubricate the punch. If you want to sharpen your punch, punch through a few layers of fine grade sand paper. Use a small crochet hook to remove jammed paper.

VELLUM

If you are having trouble finding an adhesive that doesn't show up under vellum-use brads. another tip is to use ribbon to cover the areas you have used adhesive.

ALBUMS

If you are using three ring binders for your album it is important to use the binders that have D rings. These allow the pictures to lay flat when the binder is closed. When choosing an album some things to take into consideration are: Will you ever need to move your photos around? Where will the albums be stored? Will children have access to flip through the album? How many pictures do you have? Will you need to add pages in the future? Three ring binders work for needing to frequently remove and replace pages. Plastic Strap Bindings work for expanding your album. Post bound works also but not the best to use if you have children. Spiral binding is perfect for children.

When storing your albums it is best to store them upright and high so less dust and dirt are likely to settle onto the pages. You also want to make sure where you store them the temperature doesn't fluctuate and make sure they are not exposed to bright light.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Use a soft clean cloth to wipe off dirt and fingerprints. Not tissue or paper towels. These will scratch your photos. When organizing your photos remember that using rubber bands, paper clips, etc. can leave imprints on your photos.