Have you ever seen someone wearing an outfit and thought to yourself that it just didn't look "finished" for some reason?  Or maybe you've seen someone wearing a great outfit that is perfectly complemented with the right tie or scarf or jewelry.  In many ways, scrapbook embellishments are like those finishing touches and accessories; using the right ones in the right way can make an album seem polished and finished whereas not using enough can make them seem bare and bland.  As with adding accessories to clothes, there are no real "rules" about using scrapbook embellishments but there are some basic guidelines and principles you can keep in mind that will help your albums to really stand out.

One important tip about scrapbook embellishments is that they can become too much very quickly and very easily.  Many scrappers find so many items they love and want to include in their scrapbooks that they have a hard time leaving anything out.  A good way around this when you have too many scrapbook embellishments is to consider adding more pages where you can include these items rather than trying to put all your items on one or two pages.  Remember that there will always be more scrapbook pages and albums you can work on so you don't need to feel as if everything needs to get used up at once!  Those scrapbook embellishments are meant to be used but not necessarily used all at once.  Many scrappers find that it's best to take the finished page and remove a few items to see if that doesn't make it look better; remember that you can always add items in but it's very difficult to remove items once they've been glued on the page.

Another important tip when it comes to scrapbook embellishments is to try to keep them coordinated with the page theme and colors.  For example if you have a photo of a walk through autumn leaves and are using paper that is an autumn theme, your scrapbook embellishments should coordinate with this.  Make sure they're rusty red, golden yellow, light brown or soft orange so that they look as if they belong with an autumn theme.  You wouldn't use pastel color or primary colors for an autumn themed page!  Aside from just the colors, many scrapbook embellishments belong to one theme or another.  Wedding albums usually use lace and ribbon, whereas a page for a child might use popsicle sticks as a photo border.  That picture of your child in a silly pose might not look best when framed with frilly ribbon, and a popsicle stick frame is going to be out of place on that wedding page!  So make sure whatever scrapbook embellishments you use seem to coordinate and fit with the theme of the page and album overall.

Believe it or not, the size of your scrapbook embellishments is going to be important to the overall look of your page as well.  Your decorative elements need to balance out the photograph or memento you have on your page.  One common mistake is to use smaller scrapbook embellishments when you have a large photo but this can make the page look unbalanced.  When using a larger photo, try one or two larger decorative items.  Smaller photos or mementos typically look better with smaller embellishments so that they don't look "lost" or overshadowed by the larger items.

There is really no limit to the number of items you can purchase when it comes to scrapbook embellishments, but of course you can always use items from around the house as well.  Have some clothes you're going to toss out?  Think of buttons, lace, pockets from pants or other clothing items, designer labels, or even zippers as being homemade scrapbook embellishments.  For children's pages, you can use pieces from jigsaw puzzles, popsicle sticks, pages from children's books, game cards from board games, and doll clothing.  Other items can include leaves and twigs from the yard, fancy stamps or envelopes, postcards, road maps, greeting cards, scraps of wrapping paper, yarn, and stones from broken jewelry.  You may need to cut or trim these things but they all make for interesting and unique scrapbook embellishments, many of which you may already have around your home!

You can even find many items online that work as scrapbook embellishments.  Many sites offer free scrapbooking clipart that may work well on your pages, or you can find fancy borders that you can print off; you may also find some new fonts you can use for your titles, quotes and sayings.

One challenge that many scrappers have when it comes to scrapbook embellishments is storing all those great items you find.  A key to success here is to get creative with your storage containers and options.  Get a few boxes of plastic zippered bags in different sizes so you can store your smaller scrapbook embellishments and still be able to see them easily.  Think of using containers you might otherwise throw away, such as those for grated cheese or olives since they're usually clear.  If you use other containers, consider gluing one of the embellishments to the outside of it so you know what's inside, or label it with a marker.  If you store your scrapbook embellishments neatly this way, you can then stack up your containers or put your zippered bags in a drawer or tray and they'll stay neat and organized.

Remember that scrapbook embellishments are like the jewelry or accessories to an outfit.  If you see a man in a professional suit but without a tie you may wonder if he even realizes he forgot to put one on; if you see a woman in a beautiful dress but with no jewelry you may think she seems just too casual.  On the other hand, wearing too many accessories can make an outfit seem busy and cluttered.  The same is true with your scrapbook embellishments; the right ones can really dress up your pages and albums!