Choosing scrapbooking theme paper is actually very easy.  Simply go online or to your local scrapbook supply store and choose what kits appeal to you, and you're on your way.  But once you get home and have those great kits or sets of scrapbooking theme paper, now what?  Simply pasting your photos on the paper is not going to give you a unique and attractive scrapbook.  So let's look at some creative ideas for how to use that scrapbooking theme paper when making up your own scrapbook.

Many scrapbooking kits come with precut frames for your photos or other mementos, but of course you can use your complementary designs of scrapbooking theme paper as frames as well.  Trace a shape of the photo or another cutout design on the back of the paper and cut it out for your frame; get creative with the shape.  If it's a romantic page, use hearts and flowers.  For a page of your beloved pet, get a template of a dog or cat shape, or a bone, or something else appropriate.  You can also do this even if you don't want to use it as a frame for your photo - these shapes make great embellishments on their own.  The subject of your page should clue you in on what to do with your scrapbooking theme paper; for kid's pages, cut them out in the shape of block letters, for weddings it could be those wedding bells or a wedding cake shape, for sports you have bats, balls, and so on.

One common mistake that many scrappers make when working with scrapbooking theme paper is to try to get everything to match.  However, the way to get your photos and other elements to "pop" is to use contrasting or complementary scrapbooking theme paper.  If your page is a light pink, use a dark red for accents and photo frames.  If your page is a deep blue, try gold or silver.  It's also important that your scrapbooking theme paper doesn't overwhelm your subject or seems as if it's competing with other papers and elements on the page.  If the page has a distinct design, your elements should be neutral in design and color.  Photo frames should be solid and not as busy as the page itself.  And of course the opposite is true - if your page is neutral and plain, use more decorative sheets for frames and embellishments.