Designer Scrapbooks with April Cornell (ISBN 1402718675)

NOT your ordinary scrapbook "how-to":
I like it a LOT. It's artsy, messy, and uses bits and pieces of what you have around the house instead of having to go out and spend a fortune on manufactured "memories". I'm not one who does things neatly, precisely, or by-the-book. This book fits into a category that inspires me with loads of ideas. April uses bits of fabric, ribbons, tiny bits of paper, old icky photos (made suddenly wonderful by her lovely collages) and uses collage to it's most impressionistic and lovely effect. The longer I looked at the "messy" pages the more I fell in love with a creativity that sent me into reverie about what I could do with MY photos and souvernirs.

A fantastic addition to your Scrapbook Library:
I have always loved Anna Griffin's books and beautiful ephemera for scrapbooking. Her patterns are classic and timeless and make every scrapbook and card look elegant. The paper, rubber stamp and brass stencil patterns are very similar to the pattern fabrics of April Cornell. I have always loved April Cornell's fashions and fabrics, but never thought of using them for scrapbooking and making cards. Using April Cornell's book, you can make memories with fabric and jewelry. This creates a scrapbook with a whole new tactile experience. The pictures and ideas in her book appear as collages but are truly inspirational for what you can do with your own scraps or squares of fabric. Consider taking your child's baby blanket or favorite shirt and using it as a frame around a picture. Take a square of the first dress you or your daughter made, matching ribbon and a scrapbook charm and put it next to a story and picture about the dress. There are an infinite number of ways you can use fabric, jewelry, charms and beads to make an elegant and memorable scrapbook (or card!) In addition to this book I recommend Designer Scrapbooks with Brenda Walton, Designer Scrapbooks with Anna Griffin, and Designer Cards and Tags with Anna Griffin.

April Cornell 's scrapbook book:
I love April Cornell's style. I own her previously issued decorating book and I just love it. However, I was disappointed in this (scrapbook) book by April. I feel it did not give enough scrapbooking ideas. Most of the pages were filled with photos of April's family's scrapbook, sort of jumbled about. The photos are wonderful, but the ideas are limited.

An Inspirational Surprise!:
I hate to say that I didn't know who April Cornell was before purchasing this book but I didn't. I'm not really a scrapbooker, more of a mixed-media artist. Flipping through this book intrigued me so I carried it home. It's one of those books that you can look at over and over and find new details that you might have missed before. The colors are fabulous and bold but her use of materials that are not commonly used in scrapbooks is my favorite thing about this book. April Cornell uses small watercolor sketches, fabric, vintage lace, jewelry, and photocopies of beloved outfits. She even goes as far as adding miniature "clothing" for her pages such as a doll's dress that reminds her of her wedding. She uses images to tell the story of portions of her life, making this book a sort of mini biography and a great example of how memories can be captured in artful ways. I found this book to be a great springboard for my imagination. It really is a lesser-known treasure for mixed media artists and scrapbookers!