Michele Gerbrandt's Scrapbook Basics

She gives very detailed instructions for sorting your photos and includes a worksheet to help with this. Good layout is explained and tips given for finding ideas for your scrapbook pages. The reader learns how to use scrapbooking tools like shape cutters and paper trimmers, how to mat, how to crop silhouettes and a variety of techniques. What a terrific book this is with straight forward directions for new scrapbookers. Even experienced hobbyists will find some useful tips and ideas here (making a pocket page, encapsulating memorabilia, questions to improve journaling).

I had no idea where to start with scrapbooking. I had seen those scrapbooking magazines with very elaborate pages, but that seemed too advanced, and I really wanted to begin with something simple. This book was exactly what I needed. It takes you through the basics, tells you what supplies you will need, and gives examples. It's kind of like one of those "Dummies" books--it assumes you know basically nothing beyond what glue, scissors and paper are, so it starts right from square one. The only complaint I had with this book was that now that it helped me get started scrapbooking, I can't seem to stop! :)

She gives very detailed instructions for sorting your photos and includes a worksheet to help with this. Good layout is explained and tips given for finding ideas for your scrapbook pages. The reader learns how to use scrapbooking tools like shape cutters and paper trimmers, how to mat, how to crop silhouettes and a variety of techniques. What a terrific book this is with straight forward directions for new scrapbookers. Even experienced hobbyists will find some useful tips and ideas here (making a pocket page, encapsulating memorabilia, questions to improve journaling).

I found this book very helpful. As a beginning scrapper, many of the magazines and idea books are overwhelming. The layouts in those books and magazines look so professional, and are time-intensive and costly to make. I really appreciated this book, in which Michele tells you what you need to know to get started, and helps you along the way.She starts at the beginning - with how to choose supplies and how to sort your pictures. She takes you step-by-step and after reading this book, I guarantee any beginner will be thinking, "I CAN do this!" I'm not saying this book is only for the beginner, however, there are quite a few different techniques described that would be helpful to more advanced scrappers as well. I really enjoyed the author's pages and the fact that she was sharing her own family's photos made it that much more personal and real. The layouts in this book are do-able and realistic. I would encourage wanna-be scrappers and newbie scrappers to not get hung up about the latest trends and doing things in a particular way. Your own style is what's right for you! There are a few basics to learn about using acid-free products, but I feel that there's too much pressure now to do fancy, "lumpy" and [extravagent] pages. I highly recommend this book!

I enjoy the book, it explain the basic of scrapbooking as well as giving easy technique to used. Each step is explained and illustrated. You will learn which materials to used and not used. How to prepare yourself to create a scrapbook for every occassion.