Some of the other common embellishments in wide use by scrapbookers today include slide mounts, beads, wire, and diecuts. You may already have some of these embellishments on hand from other crafts, and now you can adapt them to scrapbooking.
These little cardboard holders were originally used to house photo slides (remember those boring science class presentations?), but now they're in wide use for scrapbooking! Now, you can find slide mounts made of plastic, cardboard, metal, chipboard, and gel. Some are plain, some are covered in fabric, some are covered in paper, and still other are embossed, engraved, or otherwise adorned. Many of the diecut manufacturers now have dies in the shape of slide mounts, so you can cut your own from patterned paper, cardstock, chipboard, or foam. You can embellish them yourself and use them to draw attention to a focal point, as with the photo below.
Another way to use slide mounts is as the top layer of a shaker box.
Slide mounts make great, understated frames for titles and subtitles, as with this Easter layout.
Beads are another popular, super-versatile adornment to scrapbook layouts. You can use almost any small-sized beads, but popular choices are seed beads and microbeads. Seed beads are small, hollow cylinders that are typically made of plastic or glass. They are strung, tied, or sewn onto pages or elements with embroidery floss, thread, wire, or something similar. Microbeads do not have a hole in the center - they are basically tiny, painted metal balls. They can be glued onto a page using double-sided adhesive. Both microbeads and seed beads are popular choices as shaker box filler. Be sure to check out the lesson on shaker boxes.
In addition to being used to string beads, wire can be used to make letters and other shapes for layouts. You can buy pre-made, often embellished, words and wire shapes, or you can make them yourself from wire. Wire is available in plain silver, or in a variety of colors of coatings. When working with wire, be sure to get proper wire tools - I recommend you get a wire cutter, curler, and straightener. Wire-work requires some practice and finesse, but can produce really beautiful results.
Following are some ways I've used beads (both micro and other sizes) and wire in layouts.
Diecuts are another quick, easy way to add interest to your page. Diecuts are simply shapes cut from patterned paper or cardstock. Some diecuts are pre-printed and colored, and others are plain and ready for embellishment. Diecuts can be cut from hand-operated diecut machines like Ellison's Sizzix or the QuicKutz. Others are laser-cut by expensive industrial machines. Many quilters (myself included) invest in diecut machines to use at home, along with lots of dies to use with them.
Pre-printed diecuts can be purchased individually or by the sheet. They are very easy to use - just stick them on! You can add more detail to them if you want (see the section on paper piecing for dressing up paper piecings; the same techniques can be applied to diecuts), or you can just use them as is. Diecuts you make yourself - with the exception of letters or words - will generally need some kind of dressing up to give them some more appeal.
If you haven't already, I recommend you experiment with diecuts. They are a very low-cost, fun way to embellish your scrapbook pages.
Create a layout using at least one of the embellishments described above.
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