Reviews

"Scrapbooking Secrets " by Becky Higgins (Nov, 2001)

Its difficult not to compare this work with the other ideas book that Becky Higgins has out at the moment, My Creative Companion.

While more of a traditional layout-based ideas book, this work is also divided by page element and techniques rather than by page theme (eg heritage, wedding etc).

Areas covered in the book include:

• Spotlight on your photos - which concentrates on techniques and layouts to highlight your photos and not let page elements take over a layout.
• The Wonder of Words - this section looks at the importance of journalling and how to make it a feature of your layout rather than an afterthought (use of things like tags, journalling boxes, "signs" etc).
• A Splash of Color - using various techniques to bring colour not only in choice of cardstock but in use of other, supporting techniques such as watercolour pencils, chalks, brush pens).
• Artistic Backgrounds - looks at various techniques to add colour and texture to the background page of your layout. This section uses mainly solid cardstock to create various effects like strips, colour blocking etc.
• Simple Sophistication - looks at the simplists pages possible, photos (plain and matted), journalling and thats about all - simple, but sophisticated.
• Sweet Additions and Tie It On - These two sections will be of most interest to those into the lumpy bumpy accents that BH is getting well known for. Here we have techniques and layouts using punches, accents (buttons, fibre, etc), borders, ribbon, sewing, hanging accents.
• Little Treasures - is full of helpful ideas for incorporating memoribilia into layouts - using various pockets (cardstock, vellum, plastic etc), photographs of oversize etc.
• Gallery - is full of layouts that mostly combine bits from all the previous sections (about 26 pages in this section, great ideas for colours etc).

Throughout each section of the book, there are example layouts of the technique under discussion as well as the traditional BH colour pencil illustrations. Also, lots of pictures of potential embellishments to use such as fibres, buttons, gems, ribbons etc.

If you like the Becky Higgins style of scrapbooking, you will love this book. It has great examples and lots of helpful design theory to let you learn the basics and then go and do your own thing. For those who wouldn't feel comfortable with just have the elements type of ideas given in the "My Creative Companion", this book would suit you as there are LOTS of completed layouts to copy.

There are 162 pages in the book and perhaps a little unexpectedly, there is advertising in the book (not as much as in a standard magazine though). While I think this is acceptable in a magazine, I could do without it in an ideas book.

Rating: 7/10

Details: "Scrapbooking Secrets " by Becky Higgins, published by Primedia Group (2001), ISBN: 1 929180 06 3

Price: $35.00