How to start?

HI Gina,

Welcome to our little piece of cyberspace.

In answer to your question: you can use the heavy cardstock that is inserted into the page protector. But the question is "with all the beautiful paper out there" why would you want to?

The heavy cardstock included in the page protector doesn't need to be glued onto your layout. It is there for support. If you really wanted to glue your layout onto that cardstock then I'd recommend using an acid free glue stick and go over the back of your layout out as much as possible then put it on the cardstock.

But I've never really used the white cardstock except maybe as extra cardstock for mounting pictures and etc.

Kate

Hi Gina, if I use paper then I usually attach it to a piece of cardstock to give it some support and if I build on cardstock I don't bother. I leave those white sheets in the albums for extra support and I just slide the layout in on top of it.

HTH

Boy Gina I sure remember getting all my Creative Memories tools and supplies and feeling like the CM gal said, "Now GO!" I didn't really have a clue what to do. The stuff just sat for 1 straight year. I didn't even break the plastic seal on the stuff. A year later she asked how it was going... I was too shy to say, "I haven't even broken the seal on the stuff I din't know what to do." But somehow she read it in my face. She said I'm having a crop Friday bring all your stuff I'll get you started. Sure did help. There were about 10 of there at all different stages of scrapbooking skill. I walked around chat and viewed what people were doing and enjoying their different styles.

Some people glue right onto the white page with simple shapes, stickers and photos. Some like background paper. Me, I like background paper. If your page protector is sealed on 3 sides you could just slide the decorated back ground paper in and not glue it to the white paper. Slide 2 sheets in back to back. Do one on background paper and do the other on the white sheet insert. I have CM albums and the pages are open on 2 side; therefore, I do glue the page to the white page and then slip the page protector over. When I say glue I'm using either a tape runner or separate adhesive strips. What ever is handy. I wouldn't use a glue stick it has been proven that they dry out and every falls off with a traditional glue stick.

Does that help? If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Lynne

Hi Gina, I leave the white cardstock in the page protectors and insert my pages on either side of it. Although, if I have a book with lots of pages, then I take the white sheets out. You would be amazed at how much room you can save by doing that! Good luck with your first pages. Hope you will share them with us.

I'm getting the idea that the white "stiffener" is disposable or optional. Some folks build on a piece of cardstock (colored), which makes sense. If I wanted to use a whole piece of patterned paper as the background of the layout I'd need to mount that on either cardstock or the stiffener page since it is too lightweight to support several pictures with embellishments, right? (Although I'd probably cut it smaller to make a border effect with the sheet underneath, just because I like that look).

I just went on a trip to Disney World Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I loved, so I have lots of pictures of beasties to scrapbook.

Thanks! Gina

I have patterned paper backgrounds on a friend's album I made and once they were slid into the page protector (it had one opening unlike the CM albums which have 2) they needed no stiffening to stay put. I slid 2 sheets together in the page protector. I think it's an experimental thing. See what works. Cathy is right sometime less paper can save you room in the album thickness and weight.

Lynne

I'm glad you got your answer. I use the white pages in the protectors as scratch paper. LOL If I'm using paper as a background, once I slide it in the protector, it's just fine. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Gina,

I've done albums building on the "stiffening" page and on my paper. I prefer building on the page that comes with the album. I would never use a glue stick, even if it says "acid free." Gluesticks that truely are acid free do not have the longevity and durability that other products have. I agree with Lynne use either a tape runner or separate adhesive strips (you'll also use less product... with a gluestick you have to use a lot with adhesives you put them on the corners and they're permenant after just a few minutes.) I've been scrapbooking for

24 years now and have used tons of products and have suffered from pages falling apart years later because I hadn't researched my adhesives. Find a CM consultant and they can teach you about archiving (that's there business), then enjoy... be aware that stickers purchased at Disneyland (in their scrapbooking section) though they are acid free they are made using PVC plastics (pvc is as dangerous to photographs as acid). So do not let them touch your pictures.

And lastly, when you do have acidic materials (brocures, maps, memorabelia, etc) mounted to your page, you don't want it to be mounted directly to the same thing that your picture is mounted to; acid travels. The easiest thing to do is mount each of your pictures separately on an accent color... it will make them pop off the page drawing the eyes to the photos immediately. Good luck.

P.S. our website has a "Getting Started" page that is easy and simply to understand. Print it up and get started. There is a ton of fun and no rules. How archival you want to be is up to you, what your pages look like is up to you. There is no right and no wrong way to create your books. Every page is perfect and there is, of course, a learning curve. It's fun to see what we did in the beginning versus now. Best of luck and be sure to post your images, we all love to compliment each other here!

Sincerely, Melissa in Seattle

I forgot, there's a consultant finder at the top, right-hand corner of the Creative Memories website... all you have to do is put in your zip code and it will tell you the 5 closest consultants to your home, the mileage and so on then you can investigate further and choose which you want. This is how I found my consultant when I moved to a new town.

Melissa

The stiff white paper can be used as the backing for a page... and sometimes I use it plain. Otherwise I pull it out and substitute a different colour of cardstock... and if I want to use patterned paper as the base of a page I might fasten it onto the white paper because it's very flimsy and it can buckle or tear if you put heavy stuff on it (like metal page embellishments).

If I'm glueing it on I run around the edges with the gluestick and make a big X across the middle - it doesn't need to be ENTIRELY covered in glue...

HI Gina! I have used the white papers to mount pages on, and sometimes I take them out, and just insert two finished pages back to back in my top loading albums. I have found that you don't have to glue them in at all, and just in case you want to rearrange pages in your book, if you glued them in, then you couldn't do that! JMHO Welcome to world of scrapping, so now go and take the plunge on your first page! :-)

Linda

I take that white paper out and put my lo in. I imagine most everyone else has told you the same thing though. It's usually too tight a fit w/ two sheets of cs back to back and that in between. If I've used a thin piece of pattern paper instead of cs I sometimes leave the white sheet in for stability.

Katrina in KS

Hi there Gina nd I remember you too!! Welcome back and just jump in and ask away as you will get lots of guidance here as you know!!

80 for 06 2 cards

OKC Dave

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