Scrapbook My Life

Christmas time is a great opportunity to clean out your scrapbook supply stash. To get your craft area organized and in shape for the New Year, remember these simple tips:

• Use scraps of leftover paper to make customized gift tags.
• Make handmade Christmas cards.
• Curl bits of paper along with charms, buttons, and tiny beads to fill clear glass ball ornaments. They make lovely decorations for your Christmas tree and fun gifts for friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
• Design a gift album for someone who is too busy or too overwhelmed to scrapbook. Create the pages using one basic template, leaving spaces for the recipient to add their own photos and journaling. Include an acid-free glue stick and pen for a gift that’s sure to please a new mom, newlywed, or avid traveler.
• Create a crafting treasure chest for the creative child in your life. Even if you think your paper and embellishments are a bit out of date, they’ll be great fun for a future scrapbooker to work with!

With the state of the economy the way it is, I’m trying to force myself to hold off on new craft-related purchases. On one hand, I really do have too much “stuff” in my supply stash. But, one of the things that always seems to inspire me is the purchase of cool new products. So, it’s quite the dilemma.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this recession will probably have a significant impact on the scrapbooking industry as a whole. It’s hard for people to give up scrapbooking entirely, but I definitely think everyone will be more frugal. Just from my own experiences and those of my friends who scrapbook, overpriced embellishments are out and understated pages with accents you make yourself are in. Cardstock layouts with brads and eyelets are fairly cheap to make, as are pages that incorporate digital scrapbooking freebies. Until the economy picks up, I predict you’ll be seeing a lot more of the “clean and simple” scrapbooking style.

I love free scrapbooking stuff! There’s nothing like new scrapbooking goodies to make you feel creative, but shopping everyday isn’t exactly practical when you’re on a tight budget. So, I like to spend some time surfing for free digital scrapbooking downloads to enjoy. Sometimes I use them for all-digital pages, but they’re also great to print out and add to regular layouts as well.

My newest favorite is Spontaneous Delight , the latest free kit from Shabby Princess. The flower embellishments are very feminine, but the green and blue color scheme is rich enough to work for masculine pages as well. The swirls and dots give the whole thing a hip, contemporary look. I have some summer parade photos I can’t wait to try using!

While thumbing through the September issue of CK, I found the “Snapshot of Me” album by Becky Higgins. It’s beautiful work, and you can download a PDF version of the embellishments she used on the Creating Keepsakes Web site. There are quotes, page titles, and journaling blocks to create pages of top 10 lists, sample schedules, and your favorite things. I can’t wait to get started on my book, especially since Becky’s designs are great for the frugal scrapbooker. Since she switched the color scheme to a more gender neutral design than what’s pictured in the magazine, I may even try to get my husband and son in on the fun.

While specialty scrapbook stores are definitely the place to go if you’re looking for new and trendy items, many crafters don’t have access to these great resources. The nearest scrapbook store is now about 2 ½ hours from my home in a location I really have no other reason to visit. So, I must be creative when shopping for supplies.

Places I like to buy items for my scrapbook stash include:

• Hobby Lobby – They’re not as up on the “trends” as a specialized scrapbook store, but you can find good deals on cardstock, adhesives, and other basics.
• Wal-Mart – Don’t forget to check out clearance section! Just this weekend, I picked up a Mickey font cartridge for my Cricut for $20.
• Dollar Tree – Oddly enough, the Dollar Tree is a wonderful place for buying craft supplies. You can find stickers, patterned paper, and chipboard, as well as yarn, beads, and ribbon that can be used to make your own unique scrapbook embellishments.

Of course, if there’s a particular “must-have” item on your list, there are plenty of Web sites willing to ship products directly to your door! My personal favorite is A Cherry on Top Scrapbooking Shoppe .

While it doesn’t cost much to buy a sheet of patterned paper or a few new stickers, larger scrapbooking tools can be expensive. If you have your eye on a new digital camera or other large purchase, put the money you save by implementing frugal scrapbooking strategies such as clipping coupons in a separate fund earmarked for this particular item.  Saving for a goal will help keep you motivated and by the time you have enough money for your purchase frugal scrapbooking will be second nature.

As a bonus, saving for the item instead of simply adding it to your credit card will force you to determine if the purchase is really that important to you. Many times, scrapbookers get so caught up in the urge to have the “greatest” supply stash that they forget to consider whether or not a particular item fits their creative style.

One of the most common complaints I hear from people who don’t scrapbook is that scrapbooking is a hobby for “rich” people. It is true that new products are released weekly and yesterday’s trends are often today’s clearance merchandise. However, you don’t need to be a millionaire to create pretty scrapbook layouts. (I can assure you that I’m not exactly rolling in a pile of cash at the moment!)

When your children and grandchildren look through your albums, they’re not going to care if you used the trendiest embellishments or the coolest papers.  What they will care about is that you took the time to preserve your family’s precious memories.

Creativity is the key to getting the biggest bang for your scrapbooking buck. Use free fonts to jazz up your journaling, print off computer clip art for frugal embellishments, and look for bargains on cardstock and adhesives at your favorite craft store. Sharing supplies with other crafty friends is also a great way to stretch your budget. Challenge yourself to be resourceful and I bet you’ll be surprised by the great ideas you come up with!

A continuation of yesterday’s post, with more frugal scrapbooking ideas….

• When you purchase a top-loading album, save the white paper for matting photos or printing journaling instead of purchasing white cardstock at the scrapbook store.  Removing this paper from the album’s page protectors will also make your finished scrapbook less bulky.
• Larger paper scraps can be used to mat photos or print journaling, but even the smallest scraps can still find a home on your layout.  Turn tiny patterned paper and cardstock scraps into unique handmade paper.  You can find instructions online or at your local library.  Making your own paper adds a custom touch to your layouts, especially if you add leaves and flowers from your garden to the paper pulp.  Another good way to use up your scraps is by creating custom collage photo corners or serendipity squares. 
•   Use up leftover alphabet stickers in various fonts by creating a ransom note title for your layout.  Coat the stickers with gesso, then paint with acrylic paints in colors to coordinate with your page.
• When you’re finished with a sheet of stickers, use the background as adhesive to adhere fibers and ribbons to back of your layout.  It might not look as pretty as purchased adhesive products, but you won’t be able to see it anyway once your layout is inside the page protector.

Surprisingly, you don’t need to spend a fortune to create scrapbooks future generations will cherish! Stick to your budget and make the most of the supplies you’ve got.

• You don’t need to mat every photo on a layout; matting photos will quickly use up your supply of cardstock. For a cheaper alternative to matting, outline photos with chalk. Using a pencil, lightly trace the outline of your photo onto the paper. Use a sponge applicator to apply chalk over the traced lines in a rapid up and down motion. You can also create the illusion of photo mats by placing multiple photos close to one another.
• When you are matting a large photo for a layout, cut away the inside of the mat and save the extra paper for another project. You won’t be able to see the cut after the picture is place on top and your album will be less bulky.
• Stop using so much adhesive on your pages! For example, you can snip your Hermafix tabs in half and use just one half on each corner of your photo. It will stick just as well and you’ll have more money left to spend on other supplies. Remember, your plastic page protectors will also help keep items attached to your page.

In continuation of yesterday’s post, here are a few more ideas to consider when creating frugal scrapbook embellishments:

• Save ribbon from gift baskets and presents you’ve received to use as a pretty page borders.
• Make your own patterned paper by scanning interesting bits of fabric or flat objects and printing onto white cardstock or the back side of unwanted patterned paper. Just remember that even though it might seem like a great money saving tip, it’s a violation of copyright law to scan and reuse copies of purchased patterned papers.
• Create your own textured cardstock by folding your paper and letting the creases add texture and dimension to your layout. Add chalk or ink to enhance the look. Another easy way to add texture to a sheet of cardstock is to dry emboss a background with a stencil and stylus.
• Pull buttons from old shirts to use as the centers of silk flowers.
• Create a simple geometric background by layering various sized circles or squares cut from scrap paper over your cardstock. Although it’s a bit more expensive than other types of adhesives, a Xyron 150 is especially handy for this technique because it will let you turn small punched or die cut shapes into your own stickers.
• Break out your sewing machine to embellish your layouts. Use different types of stitches to create photo mats and page borders. If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, hand stitching will work just as well.