Scrapbooking on a Budget

Memories are priceless, but the cost of preserving them can be high. Here are nine tips for making the most of your scrapbooking budget.

1.Be on the lookout for scrapbooking supplies everywhere you go. I once made the cutest shabby chic card with the corrugated cardboard liner in a light bulb box. Another example: you can buy 100 brass brads for less than a dollar at the local discount store and then customize them to match your layout with acrylic paint and/or sandpaper. Or look in the clearance bin for ribbon, fiber, and fabric remnants - or bouquets of silk flowers, which you can take apart and attach to your cards and layouts with brads, eyelets, bottlecaps, or button. You'll find all kinds of treasures at office supply, hardware, and dollar stores, as well as flea markets and garage sales.

2. Keep your supplies organized. When your papers and embellishments are logically arranged and easy to find, you'll always know what you have, which means you'll buy fewer duplicates. And you don't need expensive racks for storing your paper. The large 14" Ziploc bags are perfect for storing 12x12 paper. You can even hang the labeled Ziploc bags from skirt hangers to maximize your space. A few inexpensive baskets or plastic containers can hold your adhesives, pens and trimmers. And a common tacklebox is great for small embellishments. Or use resealable Ziploc bags to organize brads, eyelets and other small embellishments by type or color and store in a shoebox.

3. Here's a little known secret. You can join a scrapbooking direct sales company, simply to get the discount on your own supplies. Of course, you'll need to make sure the monthly minimums are low enough that you'll be able to meet them with your purchases alone. Here is one such company with monthly minimums of just $25 wholesale per month. Details are here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/wholesale-scrapbooking-supplies.htm

4. Use your scanner to create a unique patterned paper, perfect for your layout. Scan items of clothing, for example, that match the clothing in your photographs. Print the paper and use as part of your background or as a tag or other embellishment.

5. Do a google search for "free fonts" and "free scrapbooking." You'll find thousands of free templates, fonts, and other free resources for scrapbookers.

6. Check your local paper for 50% off coupons at large discount crafting stores. Save these coupons for your larger purchases. Subscribe to Joann.com's email newsletter at the store's website: http//www.joann.com. This store frequently offers special discount codes to newsletter subscribers. But keep in mind, when you are shopping the sale aisle, a good deal is not a good deal if you never use the product. Buy only those things that you love - and know you'll use.

7. When shopping for tools, keep quality and versatility in mind. Investing in quality tools will ultimately save you money, because you won't need to replace them very often. You'll also want to look for trimmers and cutters that allow you to replace only the blade - and not the entire cutting system. The Coluzzle, by Provocraft, is one of the most versatile cutting systems available. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can cut a huge variety of shapes and alphabets, as well as envelopes and tags - all with very inexpensive templates.

8. Save and organize your scraps. It's amazing when a small scrap is perfectly suited for a card of scrapbook. And you can always use the backside of white-core cardstock or patterned paper when you need white. Or give your scraps to your children. My kids are constantly making friendship cards out of my scraps. They each have a basket on the family scraptable, and at the end of a project, I divvy up all my scraps in the three little baskets. They love the new art supplies, and I love to share my love of scrapbooking - and my time spent scrapbooking - with them.

9. Network with other scrapbookers for more low-cost ideas. Arrange a supplies swap with your scrapbooking friends. And read through the scrapbooking magazines for more money-saving ideas. In the last few issues of Scrapbooks, Etc. and Memory Makers, for example, I've read (and then used) the following ideas:

(1) Take photos of interesting signs and cut out the letters for fun, eclectic alphabets.

And (2) make your own stamps from your favorite font or images with a computer printout and some foam board.

You can subscribe to these magazines at significant discounts online. I've compiled the best deals on the industry-leaders here:http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/scrapbooking-magazinesor see if you can check out current issues from your local library. Scrapbooking magazines often feature sweepstakes, drawings, and layout contests, in which you can win free supplies, as well.

You can also save on scrapbooking idea books and techniques books by shopping online. Overstock.com often has these books at an even greater discount than amazon.com, and their shipping is usually much less, too. http://www.overstock.com

Copyright 2005 by Susie Cortright

About the Author: Susie Cortright is the founder of momscape.com - http://www.momscape.com and Momscape's Scrapbooking Playground - http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking - devoted to helping visitors record and preserve their cherished memories. Susie also trains and supports new scrapbooking instructors with a new and rapidly- growing direct sales scrapbooking company. Find out how to join her team here: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking/business.htm

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Crafts-Hobbies Information:

Related Articles

The Easy Way to Make a Special Present
We all know someone who is difficult to buy a present for. Someone who has everything they need and would not appreciate 'normal' gifts.
Scrapbooking Tips And Tricks For Photos And Images
When you're incorporating pictures of any kind into your scrap book, why not set them off with an unusual finish? This could be an original idea for a border or frame -- or an arrangement of several items on the page to add a little drama. Here are a couple of tips that might do well for a children's album -- perhaps a keepsake baby scrapbook, or just a page for a boy or girl.
How to Create a Reverse Painting on Glass
Introduction:Glass is a non-absorbant painting support which does not allow paint to easily adhere to it - apart from through the paint's own drying process.For this reason the outlines of a subject painted on glass need to be simplified when applied to an extremely smooth glass surface.
Organize That Stash!
Do you control your stash or does it control you? I have become the master of my stash. When my husband found out that his sock drawer had become yet another place for cross stitch supplies, it was either get it under control or end up in divorce court.
Why Do You Need to Have Your Tools Blade Sharpen After Work
If you like to do wood carving or making sculpture as your hobby, you surely need tools to make your creation. If you just starting this hobby, knowing your tools and how to treat your carving tools probably the best way to make everything easier for you, thus make efficient time when doing your work.
Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas
Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal your scrapbook pages?You are not alone! Many scrapbookers find it hard to get started when it comes to adding journaling to their scrapbooking layouts.If you are one of those people who go blank at the thought of having to journal, don't worry.
Easy Crafts for Kids - Help with Learning
According to the research on child cognitive development, making use of basic easy crafts for kids can stimulate their mental growth and enhance the learning process. Since early times, mankind has always known that early crafts for kids taught some important lessons.
Patterning and Spacing in Your Scrapbooks
How can you arrange your scrapbook page to best show off your mementos and embellishments? You can place everything in the center of your page, place a single focus item in the center, or divide the page into sections adding items to each section. You may also choose to lay the items out in a standard recipe or calendar layout.
Functional Pottery Makes a Great Gift, Plain and Simple
Are you looking for something unique to give a friend or family member for an upcoming birthday or holiday? If you really want to wow that special someone, why not consider purchasing an original one of a kind pottery gift that makes life better in some way.Pottery gifts come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and they can be practical or extravagant.
Jar Lid and Jar Candle Decoration
Supplies Needed:Most items can be found around the house or in a craft store.Jar Candle with lid - with removable plastic bottomCraft GluePaintScissorsDecorating Candle Jars and Lids is a fun and easy project for all ages.
The Most Powerful Attribute in Antiques and Collectibles
What can increase your sales volume and make you more productive day in and day out? You've probably heard this three word statement that seperates those who wish they could do better,from those who really do.Knowledge is power!This three word statement is more than just a great philosophy.
Rare Depression Glass Pieces
Depression Glass - The Rare PiecesDid you know that if you happen to have a crystal (clear) and pink Depression Glass refrigerator bowl in the Crisscross pattern in good condition and with its original cover, that it'svalued at between $300 and $335? Or that Shirley Templecream pitcher your grandmother keeps in the back of her upper cabinet could bring up to $1,250 at auction? If you didn't, thenyou've been in the dark about rare Depression Glass pieces and their values! Here are a few pieces for which knowledgeableDepression Glass collectors stay on constant lookout:The Ruby Red Aladdin Beehive LampMade for only six months during 1937, this lamp currentlybrings anywhere from $700 to $950 - if it can be found!Most collectors owning this piece understandably do not haveany interest in letting go of it, which makes it even rarer.The color of the glass in the Aladdin series of ruby lamps variesfrom a light red with an amber tint to dark, rich red, with the deeper reds fetching more interest with today's collectors.
Cleaning Silk Bouquets In 3 Simple Steps
How To Clean A Silk BouquetA Silk bouquet can last a lot longer than a bouquet made of real flowers, but it will still droop, and get dusty, over time. Fortunately a little bit of preventive care can go a long way towards keeping your bouquet looking like new.
Pagan Crafts
Greetings to all Crafty Pagans,Witches and those who want to learn Pagan crafts.The purpose of this is to provide doable crafts and to create crafts and tools that will have your positve energies that will enrich your power while performing rituals or spellworks and in your every day life.
Production and Pricing of Craft Show Items
This is where you can really make or break your craft showcareer. Being able to produce quality crafts as efficiently andaffordably as possible is the key to making a tidy profit fromcraft shows.
How to Clean Your Jewelry at Home or Work
It looks like a million dollars but after a couple of months it doesn't have the same 'Sparkle' or look it once had (a bit like me really).So what are we to do?The first thing is to make sure it is SAFE to be cleaned!Naturally, delicate items should be best left to a professional Jeweler to clean.
Decorative Metal Work Techniques From The Early 1900s
Today's Metal Craft workers should truly appreciate the artistic skills & techniques used exclusively by the highly skilled metal artisans from almost one hundred years ago.Decorative metalworking is undergoing a new renaissance as more &more people become involved in hobby metal craft.
A Brief History of Candles
For centuries man's progress has been lighted by candles. However, people know only very few things about the origin of candles.
Photograph Mosaics and Markers in Your Scrapbooks
An attractive technique for placing photographs into scrapbooks is the photograph mosaic. Mosaics stretch photographs into an artistic rendition of the original photograph.
Making a Chunk Candle
Making chunk candles is an and fun activity for all ages. A unique technique using wax chunks of different colors gives the finished candle a beautiful texture and look.
>