Most people who enjoy scrapbooking art spend a lot of time and money creating each page, so it’s a real disappointment when you’re almost done with a page and make a mistake. Mistakes happen; it’s a part of life, and no matter how careful you are, you’ll make a few on every album. However, there are steps you can take to prevent accidents from happening and ways you can fix your album so no one knows the difference.
The most common way to mar a page, such as with a shirt or a rug, is by spilling something on it. It’s not something you think about much, but it protects your work by keeping food and drink separate from your brewing station. Make sure your family knows that rule too, or your child may place a cup near your stuff, right where you won’t notice it and throw it away, potentially destroying hours of work. Plus, immediately place your pages in page protectors when they’re finished. Most albums come with these plastic protectors, but in case you run out, have a backup plan. I like to keep extra page protectors in a binder and use them to store pages until I can buy a replacement pack that will fit my album. This will help keep your pages safe from spills and dirty hands.
Other errors come from human errors when creating the pages. Always check your spelling before you start journaling. It’s a good idea to write it down on a piece of scratch paper before writing it on the scrapbook paper. Write your words on the paper before gluing it to the page if possible; that way if you make a mistake you can start over without messing up the whole page. If you need to glue the paper first, before doing so, cut another piece of the same paper to the same size, using the first one as a template. If you make a spelling mistake, you can easily tape the second sheet of paper over the first and no one will be able to tell. Other errors made while journaling, such as loose marks, can be covered with stickers or die cuts.
Be open to reworking your design. It’s easy to mistakenly place an image or decoration in the wrong place, off-center, or askew. Make the most of the bug – many times you will be surprised that the new look is better than the original. If all else fails, carefully cut out each item from the background sheet and start over. At least this way, he only ruined a piece of paper instead of various images and decorations. If you find your hands unsteady and you often misplace items, you may want to invest in removable tape or glue. You can easily reposition these types of stickers, so you’ll make fewer mistakes.
Try to laugh at your own mistakes when they are irreparable. Scrapbooks are homemade, so they will never be perfect. That’s part of the charm of the craft. Mistakes are often preventable or fixable, but the ones that aren’t just give your album character.