Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tuesday Tip...

Today I think I will discuss scrapbooking on a budget. Some people ask me about this and with the gas prices skyrocketing I thought it would be a good topic.

When my friends and I shop together we always say we are bad together because we tend to spend more money! It is almost like that feeling you have in middle school when you just 'have' to have the things your friends have. I remember begging my mom to buy me a pair of 'Guess' jeans and a 'Liz Claiborne' purse... lol (dating myself here)

Anyway, to get to my point, we have to remember that scrapping is not a competition! Try to tell yourself to only buy what you will actually use. (I know it is hard... there are so many cute things)

So here are a few of my tips for scrapping on a budget (if you have some, feel free to leave a comment and share with us)

1. When buying paper, try to imagine your photos on the layout and just pick a few pattern pages. You don't HAVE to have the entire collection! (okay, here is where I need to take my own advice!)

2. New tools are cool, but when you really think about what some of them do, do you really need it? I try not to duplicate tools... for example, I have a Big Shot Express for my die-cutting... and that means I have no need for a Revolution or a Cuddlebug. I don't understand having multiple tools that do the same thing.

3. Save all your scraps! Scraps are great for making cards, paper piecings, tags, and more.

4. Since I bought my Cricut and the SCAL program, I no longer buy alphabet stickers, or lots of other stickers. I cut my own titles and embellishments. It is a larger initial investment that will pay off for sure! (And if you add a little glitter or flocking, they can look just as nice as the store-bought ones!)

5. Shop around! I look in all kinds of places for things I can use in my scrapbooks. Discount stores and hardware stores are great places to find little accents to add to your pages. Always use you coupons! And when shopping online, look for suppliers that offer free shipping.

6. Just be creative and have fun with your pages! No matter what your budget may be it is possible to make great layouts with some creativity!


8 comments:

  1. hello Kristy sent me over

    Thanks,
    Teri
    teri dot barefoot at gmail dot com

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  2. Thanks for the tips-saving money is always good!

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  3. Great tip !!! Now if I can just stay away from the paper isle lol ! I went to a scrapbook specialty store today and the had a clearance rack full of .10 designer paper I could not pass it up ! I think I got 62 sheets now if I can only convince myself that its ok to use them !! I am such a hoarder I am going to get out of it someday lol ! I pray I will anyway ! I got the Imagine and I was really wanting to not buy anymore paper and print my own but I really cant pass up .10 paper !!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas with us !
    HUGS,JANIE

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  4. Great tips for a Tuesday. Sky rocketing gas prices are once again going to kill our crafting budgets.

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  5. Thank you for following me Michelle... I'm now able to follow you *Ü*. I "liked" your Facebook too... it would mean so much if you could "like" my Facebook page *wink*. Your tips are fabulous... thank you for sharing them with us all!!
    **Lots of Hugs**

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  6. Thank-you for the tip, OH boy i must say im a papper horder, i have more then my local craft store..lol I need to stay away for those isles for sure. Your right with the gas prices, Ive been shopping online and looking for free shipping it helps with the gas and i get to buy a few extra things.
    Deborah
    http://scrappinmamma.blogspot.com

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  7. When buying a paper stack ask friends if they want to share with you as there are always a couple of each paper design in the pack. That way you don't have to choose between different stacks. Also if you live close to your friends try not to duplicate on things such as stamps, just swap some between you every few weeks then you are always getting new things without the cost,
    H xx

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  8. Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for sharing your tips as well! :)

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