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The school scrapbook page:
Create a collage of vintage images for
visual impact
The first day of school can be an emotional collage of excitement,
bewilderment, fear and adventure. All of these show up on this school
scrapbook page (and face) of five year-old Linus
braving his big day at Union School. We
wanted to capture the thrill and newness of it all, as well as
the centuries of educational tradition that Linus was now joining.
This scrapbook page is designed like an antique "school slate," once
used by Victorian children for practicing their letters and numbers.
The effect is easy with black paper and a simple frame
of wood-grain paper. Across the bottom, we assembled a collage
of vintage school-children "scraps," figures cut from larger vintage
images, with various school artifacts as slates, pens and ink wells,
balls, books, globes and apples, of course.
Our journaling was written on the "slate" with a white paint pen -
looking just like chalk. And the wonderful pictures of Linus have photo
corners of the always-coveted "gold stars." All together, it's an A+
School Scrapbook Page!
Materials for the School Scrapbook Page
- Vintage
images (Free PDF download).
- Background paper: black or slate-gray 12"
X 12" paper (we used American Traditional Designs -
Asphalt, PA-0632).
- Trim papers: wood-grain or brown (we used
Creative Imaginations travel design 12" X 12" paper).
- Scrap paper, 12" X 3/4".
- Self-adhesive, gold stars, about 5/8" .
- Paint pen, white.
- Glue stick or other non-acid paper adhesive.
- Small scissors, like manicure scissors.
- Scissors or paper cutter.
Instructions
 Print the vintage images on matte photo
paper. Carefully cut out with manicure scissors the figures that you
want in your collage. (On our PDF image pages, we've provided
you with several extra
images beyond the ones we used on our sample scrapbook page.)- Assemble your collage along the 12" X 3/4"
strip of scrap paper. (See tips).
When you are satisfied with the final arrangement, glue the figures to
the scrap paper strip and press under books until the glue is dry. If
necessary, trim the bottom of the image collage with a paper cutter or
scissors.
 Cut three, 12" X 3/4" strips from the wood-grain
paper. Apply glue stick to the backs of the strips,
leaving 1" unglued at each end. Attach them along three edges of
the black 12" X 12" page to form a partial frame, letting the
unglued ends of the strips overlap (You may want to press the
strips under books to keep the page flat while the glue
dries). - When the glue is dry, cut the strips
diagonally through the overlapped corners, to create mitered corners.
Glue the loose ends of the strips to the page.
- Glue the image collage along the bottom
(unframed) edge of the page.
- Arrange your photos on the "slate" portion of
the school scrapbook page and glue them. Apply the gold stars to the
exposed corners of the photos. Using the white paint pen, journal the
who, what, when, where and why on the "slate."
Tips
- Arranging a collage takes some trial and error.
Be thrifty: Print a
set or two of the vintage images on plain paper using your
printer's low-ink
draft setting, cut them out, then use them to plan your arrangement.
When you are satisfied, glue or tape them together on a 12" strip of
paper as a model to follow for your actual images.
- Think creatively when arranging a collage.
Place your "focal point" images first, then surround them with the
others. Aim for a pleasant (or functional) variation in height and
width of the figures. You can edit images to remove arms, legs, hats,
heads, or entire figures. Vary your placement techniques, from lining
the figures up, side by side, to layering them
densely.
- If some of
the white paper edges are prominent on some cut-out images, touch them
up with
a similar-color marker. Go lightly because the ink will bleed
onto your photo.
- When
cutting out silhouettes with fine detail,
two techniques will help. First, hold the scissors at a
45-degree angle toward the back of the paper to reduce the white edge
that will show. Second, move the paper as you cut, not the
scissors.
- If you need to change the size of
any images for
your scrapbook layout, refer to the information in the FAQ on resizing a PDF image.
- There are many different kinds of scrapbooking
covers and bindings, so you will need to adapt your page design for
your particular book.
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