ABC’s: Creative Alphabet Techniques for your Scrapbook Pages
12 March 2009
Author: Karen Bulmahn
When I think of the alphabet, my mind wanders back to the traditional ABC border that hung above the black board in Kindergarten and first grade. That may be where it all began, but our alphabet is more powerful than we ever thought - especially for those of us who were born with an eye for creativity and a passion for crafting. There are so many fun ways to use the alphabet – stretch your mind with these creative alphabet techniques.
Letters are everywhere – storefronts, road signs, license plates, flags, etc. Take note of letters that can be photographed individually. Next time you run errands take along a camera and shoot some photos of the streets in your area. It may take several trips to find all of the letters, but once this task is completed, print the photos and try making a scrapbook page using all 26 letters to identify your surroundings. The outcome will be truly amazing!
Another suggestion would be to use the entire alphabet in a journaling block. Find a descriptive word beginning with each letter to support the theme of your layout. Use stickers or alphabet stamps for the letters, and your computer or handwriting for the additional text.
Acrostics are also a lot of fun. Find words that associate with each letter of a child’s name or the title of an event. Spell out the name using larger letters, such as chipboard or coordinating alphabet stickers, and include a descriptive word starting with each letter somewhere else on the page.
Try games or puzzles on pages for a fun twist with journaling. If crosswords are appealing, try using the clues as the main journaling block and then arrange the answers as a main focal point of the page in a crossword grid. Scrabble is also another fun one to try. Use descriptive words about your title or theme in place of a journaling block.
The alphabet can be used in many ways. Hopefully you can rewind your memories, see those letters on the wall, and allow the alphabet to inspire you to new creative heights in your crafting. I challenge you to try one of these creative alphabet techniques on your next layout!
