Scrapbooking on a Budget (a small one)

SCRAPBOOKING NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 6

AUGUST 2013

The Scrapbooking Newsletter “Scrapbooking on a Budget (a small one)” Issue 6 A TYPICAL STORE WHERE YOU COULD BUY CHEAP SCRAPBOOKING SUPPLIES!

AUGUST 2013

Scrapbooking on a Budget (a small one) by SCRAPBOOK 24/7

On average, scrapbookers spend over $25 per month on supplies, and the typical scrapbook has over $1500 in supplies! Chances are, you buy products that you think are cute, or items you’ve seen someone else use but they don’t always end up on the pages of your scrapbook albums. What happens to the unused supplies? We stash them away, hoping to use them on a layout at some point- and run out to purchase more! There are things you can do to scrapbook on a budget, even when your budget is small! You can mimic the

look of higher priced products with just a little creativity, and you may be happier with the results of your lower priced, personally designed solution than you would have been using a product off the store shelves! If you’re a scrapbooker who uses alphabet stickers and

stamps to create the titles and journaling of your pages, you know the extensive variety of fonts available. Chances are, you always want the newest style in lettering, also! Buying alphabet stickers can really add up over time, because you only get a single use out of each letter. In addition, 1


you probably rarely have the letter stickers in the exact color that you want, so you will buy more and more to try and get every possible color imaginable to match any layout style! Stamps are a little more economical than alphabet stickers, because you at least have the option to reuse your stamps, over and over again on as many layouts as you would like. The only expense after you’ve purchased your alphabet stamps is ink, and honestly, an inkpad will last a long time. The drawback of using stamps is that as a scrapbooker, you probably won’t want to use the same set of stamps on every pageand you’ll be tempted to purchase more stamps in different styles to keep your pages exciting. An efficient solution to the alphabet supply problem is to use your computer to create your titles and journaling. You can

AUGUST 2013

manipulate text in your favorite word processing software, and with a little patience and knowledge, you can use graphics software to mimic the look of absolutely any style of lettering you desire. If time is a concern, doing a search online for “scrapbooking fonts” and related terms will find sites that you can download different fonts and lettering styles to use without any manipulation at all! When you do need to purchase supplies, you can increase your paper choices without buying more paper simply by purchasing paper that is “double-dipped”. Now available in the scrapbooking world are heavy cardstocks that have a solid color on one side, and a patterned paper on the other. This will give you more options when you are coordinating colors and choosing paper, without

having to have more paper on hand. If you’re lucky enough to live near a specialty scrapbook store, buy your paper there and chances are you’ll have free use of their die cut machines. Always remember to take into consideration nontraditional supplies for use in your scrapbook albums. Browse the office supply aisles, as there are many supplies that can be used on your pages- and office products are typically less expensive than materials dedicated for scrapbooking. You can also find great items to embellish your pages in the dollar store! You’ll have to think outside the box and use a little creativity to integrate these items on your pages, but there is such a variety of items in a dollar store, you’re bound to find something to liven up your next scrapbook layout. 2


AUGUST 2013

Scrapbooking Album Storage Scrapbookers spend countless hours creating pages that will stand the test of time, taking care to choose only photo-safe, safe, archival quality materials, but how you store your completed albums is just as important to the preservation as the creation of the layouts within the albums- a step many people forget. Storing albums in less than ideal situation can cause more damage than acidic supplies, so where you choose to store your completed albums is just as important important- if not more so, than using safe materials! Did you know that when photographs are stored in an environment with high degrees of heat, the photos will fade faster? If the storage area is humid, the humidity can actual cause the photographs to grow fungus, or get stains for the dampness. Make sure you take the proper precautions for preserving your photographs, both before they make it into albums, and then after they're on your layouts to help preserve

them. Don't leave photographs in the car after you've picked them up from the developer, never place your albums or boxes of photographs in attics or basements, since both are subject to extreme temperatures or dampness. The best areas to store your albums and photographs are in the main living areas of your home. Albums shoul should be stored vertically, and preferably

inside specially designed slipcases meant to keep dust from getting inside your albums. Studio K offers albums in a multitude of styles and sizes that come with protective slipcases to store the albums in. A slipcase is a thin box, with one complete side open so you can slide your album in and out, with the spine facing out the open end of the slipcase. This is an ideal storage solution because the albums are vertical, which will keep any three dimensional objects from damaging surrounding pages, and because it is stored with the album closed, which will prevent prolonged exposure to light which will help decrease 3


fading and yellowing of your photographs, papers and ink. Many scrapbookers love the look of the three dimensional elements, like eyelets, brads, rivets, wire, beads, buttons, clay and even items they've created themselves. The trouble with these beautiful additions is that they can cause indents, or scratches in the surrounding pages of albums if there is too much pressure on the sides of the album, or if the album is stored horizontally. A way to diminish the possibility of three-dimensional elements damaging your pages is to use them on pages that you've created a shadow box effect. You can use foam adhesive to build up a frame that is actually slightly

AUGUST 2013

higher than the embellishment, and then decorate the foam with paper and stickers to make it blend with your page design. If you're using post post-bound albums, or the three three-ring binder style albums, you can inser insert what are called "spacer strips" that you make out of cardboard or foam core cut about 1/2" thick, between each page in the album. Just use a three threehole punch to create holes in your spacer strips so that you can match it up with the holes on your pages. The additional depth the spacer strips create will reduce the adverse effects using three threedimensional objects can cause.

albums proves your desire to preserve your memories and photographs. ographs. Don't forget the last step to taking all the precautions to protect your preservations - proper album storage is just as important as choosing the right materials to design your pages.

As a scrapbooker, the amount of time and effort you put into creating your

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