Plastic

History of plastic

Alexander Parkes created the first man-made example in 1862. Since then, a large number of types have become household names including cellophane, nylon, polyurethane (used in lycra), polyester, polypropylene, velcro and vinyl (PVC), just to name a few.

Be careful

As scrapbookers there are some safety considerations to consider. Safe products include those made from polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene. Some unsafe varieties to keep away from your photos and layouts are vinyl (PVC) and acetate. Generally speaking, if the plastic emits a ‘plasticy’ smell, it could damage or destroy your photos.

Some examples

Some scrapbooking companies feature embellishment ranges made from plastic: products in the KI Memories Icicles range, Heidi Grace products, Doodlebug Design Tokens. These products are colourful and translucent, are an easy way to brighten your layouts, and add a nice dimension to a layout. There are also generic products such as plastic slide holders, buttons and watch crystals that are available under several company names.

Different ideas

Take a visit to a stationery store and you’ll find more products that can be used to make embellishments for scrapbooks. CD’s (the data type) can be altered; transparencies on which you can print journaling, titles, clip art designs and even photos; polypropylene presentation covers and coloured presentation folders/wallets can be cut into shapes (look for products made from polypropylene, or copy safe products). These are just a few stationery products you’ll notice as you wander through the aisles. Negative and slide holders from your photographic store can be attached to a layout with brads, or some stitching, and can hold embellishments, tags, small photos or blocks of journaling on your page.