Preserving Memories: Dimensional Scrapbooking, Embellishments, Family Cookbooks

 In the Thick of Things

As you research your lineage, the flat facts about your ancestors gain depth and feeling. With simple tricks such as these, you can add dimension to your scrapbook pages, too.

• Include sentimental memorabilia, such as Grandfather’s war medal or Grandma’s hand-stiched handkerchief (shown) on a page with that ancestor’s photo and journaling. Use a good scan or photograph of the item, place it in a Mylar sleeve, or secure the memento to the page with a few stitches. Just don’t glue it on!

• Use “bulky” background paper. You can buy paper with the realistic texture and look of wood, leather, suede and more. Try embossed paper or fibrous handmade papers. Or texture ordinary paper yourself: Crumple and then unfold it, or run it through a paper crimper for a corduroy look (shown).

• Place foam tape under an embellishment to add height. Be generous with the tape to support all the tiny parts of an embellishment.

• Employ techniques such as paper folding, overlapping elements and collage. Remember to avoid adhering overlapped items onto an irreplaceable photograph.

Need a Lift?

Three-dimensional pages are all the rage, and you can safely give your heritage-album embellishments a lift with acid-free, PVC-free Peel ‘n Stick Stickly Strips from Therm O Web. The $3.75 combo pack, available in black or white, contains 24 pre-cut 5½-inch-long by ?-inch-thick foam strips in ¼-inch widths. Build a stack of multiple strips to achieve greater depth. (847) 520-5200, <www.thermoweb.com>

Get Moving

Fun moving parts — a paper doll that waves, a present that opens or a teapot that tips (shown at right) — are guaranteed to keep family members looking at your scrapbook pages and greeting cards. And DayCo makes it easy to assemble sturdy, smoothly operating interactive mechanisms. Animation Station reusable plastic templates ($14.99; the Seesaw template was used for this page) provide patterns for cutting all the pieces, and the Animation Step by Step Guidebook ($12.99) shows I you how to put it all together. (877) 595-8160, <www.daycodiecuts.com>

Scrap Speak: Embellish

To accessorize a page with stickers, die cuts, chalk, ink, rubber-stamped designs, paper-punched shapes or other decorative elements. Embellishments “dress” your page and let you express your style. Bulky embellishments are 3-D accents, such as buttons, wire, paper fasteners, charms, eyelets, raffia and textiles. Such dimensional decorations may not be acid-free or scrapbook-safe, so avoid using them with irreplaceable original photos.

Like Magic

You don’t have to be a magician to conjure up beautiful pages for preserving and showcasing your family roots. Monochromatics kits from Magic Scraps contain everything you need to create enchantingly elegant layouts: three sheets of solid cardstock, coordinating eyelets and vellum punch-out titles. Each kit retails for $5.99.