Scrapbooking is becoming one of the more popular hobbies for men and women. While it's fun to do, it can also be rather expensive if you allow it to be. There are several tips that you can follow to keep costs to a minimum, but still have fun with it.
The first thing you can do to save costs is to use materials you already own. Many people especially those who have children or younger siblings around often have useful materials lying around the house. For example if you have things like colored paper and stickers you have enough materials to get you a few pages started. You should always use what you have first before stocking up on more items that will only collect dust while waiting to be used.
For those who need layouts or patterns you can choose to download them from the Internet instead of purchasing them from the store. By using the Internet you will have the ability to browse through a wide selection of layout ideas at little or no charge. Not only will you reduce the cost of purchasing layouts but you will be able to change patterns as often as you like at the touch of a key.
Try forming a scrapbooking club so you can pool resources. The more individuals who are involved the more materials that will be available. You will be able to cut back on costs by sharing with each other. This will not only keep cash in your wallet but allow you to bond with friends and family. You can share not only tools and idea books but creativity as well.
If you're new to scrapbooking don't over buy products. Even if you find a template that you think is a must have, contain yourself to only buying one instead of several. If you actually use the template you can always go back and buy more. This goes for tools as well, only buy what you need.
If you have a friend who is also into scrapbooking offer to split the costs on bulk items that you both will need for future projects. If you are able to purchase tools that you are sure you will use then its great if you can pay only a portion of what you would if you purchased on your own.
When preparing a list for the tools and necessities that you really need for scrapbooking you should do two things. One you should shop around for the best prices. Even ordering online may save you time and money. Also if you have a birthday or holiday coming up, why not slip your family a scrapbooking wish list? Never hurts to try, right?
If possible, buy in bulk because it will usually be cheaper if you do so. Also if you have more than one child always purchase double prints to save yourself money from having to reorder later.
These are just a few tips on how to save money whether you are new to scrapbooking or an old pro at it. Scrapbooking can be used for family memories, graduations, weddings, or anything else that you can take a picture of and then write about. Scrapbooking is about having fun and being creative so go wild and enjoy it.
Friday, September 12, 2008
SCRAPBOOK JOURNALING
NEED HELP JOURNALING YOUR SCRAPBOOK
So does the idea of scrapbook journaling make you head for the hills? Do you have some beautiful Scrapbooking baby layouts sitting around, not quite finished, they might just be missing the journaling part?? Yeah I know quite a few people who tend to either leave it out completely or they really dread that part of their layout, and when I ask them why, a lot of the time, I seem to get the same two answers.
I never know what to write, and I hate my handwriting; it looks awful and ruins my layout
Well it needn't be like that though, scrapbook journaling can be quite enjoyable and honestly, it is just as important, and sometimes more important than the photos themselves. Don't get put off or scared by the thought of it, it is your scrapbook album and for starters, no one is going to judge you on it. It does not have to be a whole story, it can be in point form, or it can be written in a proper paragraph, the choice is yours. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like, fancy or plain, it really doesn't matter, so long as it's there.
When you want to know what to write, it is quite simple, try to use the five W's when you do your journaling, this way you shouldn't miss any of the facts or important things going on in the layout. The five W's are of course, the Who, What, When, Where and Why. Those are the things you want to know when you look at a scrapbook layout, who are the people, what were they doing, when was that, where was that and why? So many layouts nowadays just don't seem to have any focus on the journaling, it's almost like journaling has lost its popularity or appeal.
As for your handwriting, if you really hate it, then there are lots of computer fonts you can use. There are fancy calligraphy styles, funny styles, bold designs you can use for titles, there are hundreds, if not thousands to choose from. There are plenty that you can choose to download off the net or just look in your document writing programs like Microsoft Word etc, they have heaps of fonts in them too. If you do choose to use computer fonts, just don't go getting carried away and using too many different fonts on each layout, it can end up looking messy and hard to read. I find sticking to just one, or two at the most usually looks nice. Don't forget that it is a nice touch to have some of your own handwriting within your scrapbooking baby album; it helps give that personal feel.
Sometimes your journaling can be as simple as a well written title and a date within the layout somewhere. A well written title can tell you so much, it can instantly give the who, what and where without any dramas what so ever. It really depends on the individual layout, some layouts can get away with just the simplest of details, whereas other would not be justified without an in depth explanation and recount of the activities that are shown in the photos.
The whole idea of scrapbooking is to record and preserve our precious memories. How can we preserve these memories without any journaling? We can't, scrapbook journaling is a vitally important part of a scrapbook, especially our scrapbook baby albums. Time flies by so quickly and what you once remember that you think you will never forget, soon becomes a distant fading memory, and unless you record it, it's gone, forever.
So does the idea of scrapbook journaling make you head for the hills? Do you have some beautiful Scrapbooking baby layouts sitting around, not quite finished, they might just be missing the journaling part?? Yeah I know quite a few people who tend to either leave it out completely or they really dread that part of their layout, and when I ask them why, a lot of the time, I seem to get the same two answers.
I never know what to write, and I hate my handwriting; it looks awful and ruins my layout
Well it needn't be like that though, scrapbook journaling can be quite enjoyable and honestly, it is just as important, and sometimes more important than the photos themselves. Don't get put off or scared by the thought of it, it is your scrapbook album and for starters, no one is going to judge you on it. It does not have to be a whole story, it can be in point form, or it can be written in a proper paragraph, the choice is yours. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like, fancy or plain, it really doesn't matter, so long as it's there.
When you want to know what to write, it is quite simple, try to use the five W's when you do your journaling, this way you shouldn't miss any of the facts or important things going on in the layout. The five W's are of course, the Who, What, When, Where and Why. Those are the things you want to know when you look at a scrapbook layout, who are the people, what were they doing, when was that, where was that and why? So many layouts nowadays just don't seem to have any focus on the journaling, it's almost like journaling has lost its popularity or appeal.
As for your handwriting, if you really hate it, then there are lots of computer fonts you can use. There are fancy calligraphy styles, funny styles, bold designs you can use for titles, there are hundreds, if not thousands to choose from. There are plenty that you can choose to download off the net or just look in your document writing programs like Microsoft Word etc, they have heaps of fonts in them too. If you do choose to use computer fonts, just don't go getting carried away and using too many different fonts on each layout, it can end up looking messy and hard to read. I find sticking to just one, or two at the most usually looks nice. Don't forget that it is a nice touch to have some of your own handwriting within your scrapbooking baby album; it helps give that personal feel.
Sometimes your journaling can be as simple as a well written title and a date within the layout somewhere. A well written title can tell you so much, it can instantly give the who, what and where without any dramas what so ever. It really depends on the individual layout, some layouts can get away with just the simplest of details, whereas other would not be justified without an in depth explanation and recount of the activities that are shown in the photos.
The whole idea of scrapbooking is to record and preserve our precious memories. How can we preserve these memories without any journaling? We can't, scrapbook journaling is a vitally important part of a scrapbook, especially our scrapbook baby albums. Time flies by so quickly and what you once remember that you think you will never forget, soon becomes a distant fading memory, and unless you record it, it's gone, forever.
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