Book Review
I’ve researched a large number of scrapbooking techniques
and layouts and found Decorative Embellishments for Scrapbooks:
32 Recipes for Enhancing Your Pages with New Techniques to be a
refreshing change from the typical ideas being published. The techniques
include: folded borders, paper clay, fusible fabric appliqué,
silk flower appliqué, shaped wire, quilling, pencil shadowing,
eyelets, sequins, lace-ups, weaving, ribbon embroidery, shrink plastic,
yarn painting, cross-stitch, quilting, machine-stitching, found-object
collage, paper-piecing, stenciling, wrapped thread, gold leafing,
sand painting, micro beads, dip-dyeing, aged paper, stamping, decoupage,
marbling, layered boarders and tassels. What makes this book so
unique is the ways in which the materials are used. The author has
taken traditional methods of crafting with paper, fabric and other
materials and applied them to scrapbooking, which gives the materials
and the layouts new intensity.
I like it that there are references to the applicable diagrams in
the instructions because it allows you to focus immediately and
clearly on what you should be doing. There are also references to
the applicable pages of the templates section at the back of the
book when an additional template is required to complete the layout.
Some templates (i.e. leaf template for the Sorority Sisters layout
in the Folded Borders section) and diagrams (i.e. the diagrams for
the Wedding Flowers layout in the Ribbon Embroidery section) necessary
for making the project are included with the instructions. Normally
I prefer all the templates to be included with the instructions
for convenience. With these projects however, the instructions and
materials/tools lists are so wonderfully detailed and clear they
occupy most of the page they are on and there isn’t room for
much more. I also really like the samples of the techniques at the
beginning of each section. They either include step-by-step instructions
(accompanied by photos) of an example of a technique (i.e. yarn
painting) or three different examples (i.e. Tassels) in addition
to the layout ideas provided. Decorative Embellishments for Scrapbooks
is a must have for any scrapbooker who wants to advance their skills
(and subsequently their layouts) to new levels.
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