Beginners Guide to Scrapbooking: Frequently Asked Questions

Beginner scrapbookers can be overwhelmed by the amount of products that are available for scrapbooking. Where do you begin among the sea of papers and embellishments? In this ten part scrapbooking series I will walk you through where to begin, how to get organized, and designing your first pages.

Let's start by answering some frequently asked questions.

I have thousands of pictures, how am I going to scrapbook all of them?
The simple answer is, you won't. When you sit down to organize your photos you will also be weeding out photos that are duplicates, blurry, or otherwise unsuitable for scrapbooking.

I love the look of scrapbooking, but where will I find the time to make a scrapbook?
You don't have time to preserve your family history? Even if all you create are simple, yearly pages for your scrapbook you are still scrapbooking. Not every scrapbook has to be an elaborate work of art that took months to create. Get the family together for a family portrait or use individuals photos and create a two page spread for each year. With a decades scrapbook you'll preserve your family history and be able to enjoy watching everyone age.

Isn't scrapbooking expensive?
There are some fancy, 3-D scrapbooking embellishments, but there are also many low priced scrapbooking items. When shopping for items to embellish your scrapbook pages look for stickers and diecuts, both are inexpensive items that you can use to create scrapbook pages. Avoid purchasing scissors and tools that you can do without. More on this later...

Where will I scrapbook?
If you've got small children at home or just a small home it can be difficult to scrapbook at home. The lack of space or quiet time can hinder even the seasoned scrapbooker. Your local scrapbook store has the solution for you, Crop Parties. A crop party is where crafter's get together to work on their individual projects. Some stores charge a small fee, but the advantages are wonderful. No children to interrupt and you can purchase items as you need them instead of having to stock them at home. Purchase a travel bag where you can keep all your supplies stored then on the night of the crop you just grab and go.

Do I have to be creative to scrapbook?
Here's your quote for the day, "You don't have to be creative to scrapbook. You just need to learn the techniques." That is my response to anyone who asks me about being creative. Some people are naturally talented, they rest of us have to learn it!