A

Adhesives - any substance, glue, tape, dots etc that is used to adhere two surfaces together.

Acetate – a form of acidic plastic that causes photo’s, paper and documents to deteriorate and fade over time.

Acid – a substance that produces hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Acids have a pH of less than 7.0. Acid is produced in paper when the paper and paper-making chemicals

in that paper deteriorate, or when acid absorbed from its environment. This acid breaks paper fibers down and causes the paper to deteriorate and become brown and brittle.

Acid Free – a term describing materials with a pH value of 7.0 or higher. Materials with a pH level of 7.0 are neutral and those with a pH level greater than 7.0 are alkaline.

Archival Mist – a water free spray product that neutralises acids and slows damage against humidity and temperature in addition to removing harmful acids.

Alkaline – the opposite of acid. It is when something contains alkali or has a pH level of more than 7.0.

Albums – a book displaying scrapbooking pages and photographs. They come in many shapes and sizes from post bound, ring bound, strap hinge, spiral bound, etc.

Acrylic Paint - Water soluble paint made from pigments and a plastic binder; sometimes used with stamps instead of ink; sometimes applied directly to paper and other embellishments.

Analogous Colors - Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Aperture - The opening in a camera that lets in light. The aperture opens and closes when the shutter is released.

Archival - Term used to describe a product or technique used in preserving artifacts, photographs, memorabilia and other items.

ABC Album - A scrapbook album in which layouts/pages are themed around each letter (or a word beginning with each letter) of the alphabet.

Altered/Altering - Using scrapbooking/paper crafting techniques and supplies to alter an item to reflect an artistic idea. Altered items can include books, CD’s, metal tins, paint buckets, and book covers

B

Brads – similar to typical office split pins but are found in many different sizes, shapes and colours. Very commonly used for an embellishment.

Brayer – made from sponge it is a craft tool with a plastic handle and a small rubber rolling pin. Used commonly with plastic stencils to make background papers.

Buffer – an alkaline substance added to the paper to make it acid free.

Button – come in many different shapes, styles and colours. There are also many buttons that are made specifically for scrapbooking. They are thin, flat and can be attached with fibers, thread or glue.

Beads – also come in many different shapes and sizes and can be attached with glue, on wire, sewn on etc.

Basic Templates - Templates in basic shapes, such as circles, squares, ovals, etc.

Blending Pencil - Tool used to blend coloured pencils to create different shades of a colour.

Bone Folder - A flat piece of bone or plastic, round at one end, pointed at the other; about the size of a letter-opener. Used for scoring and folding paper.

C

Cardstock – generally plain in colour, ranging from 150 – 300GSM in thickness. It is thicker than normal paper and commonly comes in A4 or 12 x 12”.

Coluzzle – a plastic tool used to guide the cutting of various shapes. You need to use a craft knife as the cutting instrument.

Craft Knife – looks like a small blade at the end of a pen. Very commonly used for cutting fiddly corners, letters etc.

Cutting Mat – a rubber topped foam mat that is used to protect surfaces and is self healing.

Calligraphy - Formal, old-fashioned lettering.

Collage - An artistic arrangement made up of various materials (paper, cloth, wood, etc.) that are glued onto a surface.

Colour Blocking - The technique of using blocks (not necessarily square) of different, (usually solid) coloured paper to create layout/page backgrounds.

Colour Wheel - Shows colour relationships and placement within the colour spectrum.

Corner-Edger Scissors - Scissors that cut corners. Each pair creates four different types of corners.

Corrugated Paper - Thick, wavy cardstock available in many colours.

Crop -  To cut or trim a photograph or a scrapbooking party hosted by an expert who shares techniques, products and information with the group.

Computer Generated (CG) Layouts/Digital Layouts - Scrapbook pages that are created digitally using a computer.

Circle Journal – A group of scrappers all choose and album and theme. They then pass it around the group and everyone completes a layout on the specified theme for the album.

When everyone has contributed it returns to the owner as a completed album.

Chalk/Chalking – Applying chalks to papers; shading, colouring, aging, highlighting, etc; sometimes used in conjunction with templates or stencils. Chalks are usually applied with cotton swaps, cotton balls, or make-up applicators.

D

Die-Cut Designs - Paper designs cut from die-cut machines. Paper is placed on the die and pressure is applied either by rolling or pressing down on the handle.

Deacidification Spray - Spray that neutralizes acid in newspaper clippings, certificates and other documents.

Double-Mount - To place a photograph on two background papers and mount twice.

Dry-Brushing - The technique of applying chalk or paint to a dry brush or applicator and removing most of it by wiping/dabbing it on a piece of paper or rag before using it.

E

Embellishment - Any scrapbooking extra or additive (stickers, ribbons, punches, etc.) that enhance a layout or project.

Eyelet - A metal ring designed to reinforce a hole. In scrapbooking eyelets are mainly used as embellishments. They are secured (set) in place using a tool called an ‘eyelet setter’

and hammer.

Emboss - To create a raised surface by applying heat or pressure.

Dry Emboss – To create a raised surface by applying dry pressure.

Embossing Gun/Heat Gun - A professional heat tool that directs hot air to a precise area; used for heat embossing.

Embossing Powder - A fast melting powder used in heat embossing. It is sprinkled onto a wet, inked surface; the excess is shaken off, and the remaining powder is melted, creating a slightly raised design.

Ephemera - Refers to printed matter of interest, like ticket-stubs, cancelled stamps, vintage postcards, etc. They are typically used on layouts, pages, paper crafts, and altered items.

F

Focal Point - The element of a design where lines converge. The eye is naturally drawn to the focal point in an image.

Font- The style of a computer typeface; thousands of different fonts are available in word processing programs, on CD’s, and for download on the internet.

Family Album -- Holds photographs of everyone in the family and family documents, typically in chronological order.

Foam Stamps – Same as rubber stamps but made of foam material. Generally acrylic paint is thinly applied to the stamp design, which is then pressed onto paper or another

surface. Ink may also be used.

G

Gel-Based Rollers - Pens with pigment ink.

Genealogy - The study of the descent of a person, family or group from an ancestor. Many people who wish to create a family tree by researching their family's genealogy.

Gift Album - A compilation of photographs and memorabilia created with a person or event in mind and made into an album.
 

H

Handmade Paper - Paper made by hand that is often rough and uneven in texture. Sometimes there are flowers and leaves in the paper.

Heading - The caption or title that explains the theme of a layout.

I

Idea Books - Books usually about one aspect of scrapbooking. Can be written with the focus on a theme, eg. weddings, babies, pets, etc. or product, eg. stickers, die-cuts, templates, etc.

Intensity - The strength of a colour based on how true it is to the primary colour.

Ink (Pigment) - Different from normal dye-based inks, pigment inks are thicker and fade resistant, with slower drying times. They are generally bright and vivid and work well on matte papers.


J

Journaling - Any words you write in your book or on the scrapbook page, from titles and captions to long descriptions, poems or stories.

Journaling Templates - Templates with space left for writing.



L

Layout – The arrangement of elements on a scrapbook page, it may use photos, title, journaling, embellishments, etc.

Lignin - A natural plant fibre found in wood that breaks down over time. Paper with lignin is not suitable for archival projects and can turn photos and paper brown.


M

Memorabilia -- Certificates, documents, paintings, ticket stubs, etc. and other items that tell a story. Memorabilia can include souvenirs from trips and mementos from special occasions or historical events.

Monochromatic Colour Scheme -- Employs different values of the same colour.

Mount -- To adhere a photograph, embellishment or other item to another piece of paper.

Mini-Album - Small, usually handmade albums that contain fewer pages than typical albums. Generally mini-albums are dedicated to a certain theme, event, etc.

N

Neutral Colours - Black, white, silver, grey, and brown (and all their values); make good backgrounds. Neutral colours help to put the focus on other colours or serve to tone down colours that might otherwise be overpowering

O

Oval Croppers/Cutters -- Paper trimmers that cut paper and photographs into ovals.


P

Paper trimmer - a scrapbooking tool that is used for trimming photos, cutting paper and cardstock and comes in many shapes and sizes. One of the leading brands is Fiskars.

Page Protectors - Plastic sheets that display and protect pages within an album.

Page Exchange - Participants are invited to create a page to share with other scrapbookers. Often, a theme is given (Halloween, Christmas, etc.). Each participant brings enough

copies of an original page to trade with the others.

Pattern Paper - Paper with designs repeated on the entire page and can be double sided.

Punches – Metal tool available in a variety of shapes that can be used to punch out shapes from card or paper. The scrapbooker can then use the punched out shapes as embellishments on a page.

Paper Crimper - A tool used to corrugate paper or card stock.

Paper Piecing - The use of cut out shapes to produce a picture.

Paper Tearing - A technique in scrapbooking where you tear paper, rather than cutting it to create a unique texture.

pH Level - Measurement that tells a scrapbooker how acidic something is. For scrapbooking, you want to use products with a pH level of seven or above. A pH Testing Pen is a

pen used to test the acidity of paper. The pen mark changes colors, depending on the level of acid present.

Post-Bound Albums - Albums that are held together with metal posts that run through the pages.

PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorides) - This substance is harmful to photographs, scrapbookers should avoid it and use products that are composed of polypropylene.


Q

Quilling - A technique where you roll strips of paper into various shapes.

R

Red-Eye Pen – A pen used to take red-eye out of flash photographs.

Rubber Stamp - A detailed, intricate design cut out of rubber and mounted on wood or foam. A design is made by applying paint/ink/chalk to the rubber and imprinting on paper.

Rub-on Transfers - Fonts, word art, and other designs that are made to be applied to surfaces by rubbing them on; usually a tool such as a flat wooden stick is used to rub across

the back of the design until it has been transferred.
 

S

Secondary Colours -- Colours created by blending primary colours. Orange, green and violet are the secondary colours created b mixing a combination of red, yellow and blue.

Sanding - A technique for distressing/aging and roughing up the surface and/or edges of paper, stickers, photos, etc. Sanding tools include: sandpaper, foam sanding blocks, and nail files.

Scraplift - To copy another layout, acknowledging credit to the original creator.

Scraplifting - Using someone else’s layout or craft design as a detailed pattern for your own creation. Acknowledging credit to the original creator.

Shade -- A colour with black added to it.

Shape Cutters -- Tools designed to cut shapes (ovals, circles, squares, etc.). The cutters can be adjusted to create different sizes of these shapes.

Spiral-Bound Books -- Albums that are secured with a metal or plastic spiral binding running up the side of the album.

Sticker -- An adhesive decorative accent ranging in size from a few centimetres across to a full page.

Strap-Binding Albums -- Albums secured with plastic straps that run through a holder directly on the pages and keep the book in place.
 

T

Tape Roller - A device that distributes tape on the back of photographs and scrapbooking pages.

Template - A stencil used to trace shapes or letters onto scrapbook pages or photographs.

Tertiary Colours - These are blends of primary and secondary colours. Colours such as red-orange and blue-green are tertiary colours.

Theme -- The overall emphasis or idea of a page or scrapbook.

Theme Album -- A scrapbook devoted to one idea. Some popular them albums focus on birthdays, weddings and school days.

Tint -- A colour that has had white mixed in.

Triad -- A group of three colours that form a triangle on the colour wheel.
 

U

Undo – A liquid applied to paper adhesives to remove their bond.

 

V

Vellum -- A lightweight, translucent paper available in a variety of colours.

Velveteen -- An archival paper with fabric-like, velvety texture.

W

Wax (or grease) Pencils -- Soft pencils designed for use on photographs.

Workshop -- A class usually held at a scrapbooking store and taught by an expert. Participants bring photographs, supplies and pages to work on and get advice from the instructor.


X

Xyron Machine -- A machine that applies adhesive to pages and paper and can also laminate.