How to Use Vellum In Your Scrapbook Layouts

One of my favorite materials to use is vellum. It is a thin, semi-see-through paper. And there are so many uses for this! I always liked using it for the elegance and dimension it offers a scrapbook page. You can cut it, journal on it, tear it, fold it, punch it, gel pen it... and the list goes on. It is a fun material to use on your scrapbook pages and the ideas are endless! It isn't very expensive if you shop around. I'd shop for this on sale too. You can get vellum in clear white and many colors. I prefered to use the clear mostly, so I found a place that sold in bulk about got it for about 10¢ a sheet. Here are 3 different ways I have used it.

Scrapbook Layout Description

"Best Friends"

In this layout of my daughter and her best friend, I used wallet photos and camera photos. The background paper is a pale lavender floral print. I used purple cardstock for matting the photos. The title letters are also purple cardstock. I made the purple and vellum daisys using a extra large daisy punch with a button for the flower center. Some of the photos are matted, some are not.

Use Vellum to focus in on specific images.

In this layout, I didn't want all that background in the photos, but didn't want to cut the photos so that they were really small. They would have looked kind of lost amongst the large photos. So I used a circle Coluzzle template and cut the photo out with the face in the center. I then cut a circle matte 1/4" larger that the photo from purple cardstock. I cut a circle of vellum the SAME SIZE as the photo and using a circle punch, and precise measuring, I punched a large circle out of the vellum exactly where her face was on the photo and laid it on top of the photo.

NOTE: With vellum, you can't use glue on it or the glue shows through (I believe they now have a speciality glue to use just for vellum, but its just another expense that you can do without if you choose) So to secure the vellum circle to the layout so it doesn't slip off, I took 2 small rhinestones, and glued them on the top of the vellum. I then put glue BEHIND the rhinestones on the back side of the vellum and glued it to the photo. Now, I know that you aren't suppose to use glue on photos, but this small, tiny amount, it is my decision that it won't harm anything. It is only just a tiny bit to gently hold the vellum in place. I did this on both the vellum circles.

"Flower Girl

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This was my son's wedding. I did the journaling on the computer and it is in the words of his little neice as she was his flower girl, but was quite thrown by the whole thing! So I typed the journaling in her words on vellum. I attached it to the background paper simple by adding a piece of mulberry paper, crumbled it for effect and a button to bring it all together. I glued the mulberry paper to the vellum and then used photo adhesive squares on the back of the vellum UNDER the mulberry paper embellishment. You can read the journaling very nicely and the print background shows through just enough to bring it all together. A scrapbook layout to remember!

Use vellum for journaling

You can use vellum to computer journal on. I love this feature. It just gives that bit of elegance, yet not over doing it. The journaling is on the vellum and then placed on pattern background paper so that the pattern shows through the vellum for a "muted" background design, but not over-taking the journaling. The journaling blends in more with the layout instead of being the most prominent on the page.

"The Kiss"

For my son's wedding, I wanted simple elegance. I used a love song by Garth Brooks (I think it was!) that they played at the wedding and just typed it on white cardstock. I secured it to the layout with silver stickers.

Use Vellum for elegance and to highlight the theme of the layout.

I cut vellum the exact same size as the photos and then with precise measuring, I used a Coluzzle oval template to cut out the part to just focus on the kiss. One oval is horizontal the other is vertical. I secured the vellum with metallic silver heart stickers. The vellum creates 2 views of the same photo - one is focus on the kiss, what the layout is about, and then allows you to still see their attire through the sheer vellum. Now when you look at this layout, you focus on the kiss and feel its meaning. Simple elegance.

And you can use this technique on adult or children theme photos/layouts. Another good idea is to use this technique for school pictures - cut the circle out of the vellum for your child's face, but yet you can still see the rest of the class through the vellum. Or a family gathering or birthday- circle out the birthday person's face for focus, yet you can still see the rest of the family!

All these layouts are quick, easy and inexpensive.