Scrapbooking on a Budget

When scrapbooking began to gain popularity a few years ago, I decided that it was just the hobby that I had been searching for. I love taking pictures and doing creative projects, so it seemed like the perfect choice.

With purse in hand and delusions of grandeur in mind, I set out for the local craft store. However, while perusing the aisles overflowing with papers, stickers, die-cuts and do-dads, my enthusiasm began to diminish. Everything was so expensive! I realized that in order to create pages like those that I admired in crafting magazines, I would have to spend nearly my entire paycheck! Disappointed and discouraged, I left the store empty-handed.

A few days later, when I recounted the failed shopping trip to my mother, I was met with a nice surprise. Apparently, packed away in my parent's attic were nearly a dozen scrapbooks that my grandmother, then deceased, had created over the years. Curious, I drove over to check them out.

After flipping through just a few pages, my enthusiasm was renewed. What a wonderful gift it was to have these little windows into the life of my grandmother, whom I never had the chance to get to know very well. Looking at her beautiful creations, I realized that she had none of the fancy supplies that are available now. Instead, the books were filled with cards, notes, dried flowers, programs, invitations, etc. (and embarrassing pictures of my parents of course!).

I realized that I didn't want my pages to look generic and impersonal. I wanted them to reflect my own individual personality, so that when my ancestors looked back at them, they would have a better idea of who I really was.

With this new vision in mind, I headed back to the store and purchased a nice sturdy scrapbook, acid-free paper, adhesive, and pens in a variety of colors and thicknesses. I was willing to spend money on staples such as these, which I knew I would be using over and over again. Not that I spent much, as nearly everything was on sale. This time I went to Michael's, whom a friend had recommended for scrapbooking bargains.

As I began to fill my scrapbook and build up my supply stash, I found many other ways to save money:

-Instead of buying expensive store-bought stickers, I cut pictures from magazines and graphics from greeting cards I received. Any time I ran across something that interested me, I cut it out and put it in my scrapbooking drawer for later use.

-I started shopping at the dollar store, which turned out to have a very nice collection of scrapbooking supplies, at a fraction of the price of other stores. I also found other craft items and holiday decorations to adorn the pages of my scrapbooks.

-Dried flowers, leaves and other items found in nature make nice (and free) additions to any scrapbook.

-Rather than spending tons of money on rubber stamps and stamping supplies, I started printing images off of the Internet and tracing them. An easy trick: Rub a soft graphite pencil on the back of the design, then position it on your scrapbook page and trace the outlines - the pencil on the back will transfer onto the page - you can then go over the lines with pen and add color with markers or watercolors if you like.

-I checked the weekly ads for sales and coupons and stocked up on the necessities at stores like Michael's and JoAnn's.

-Making your own paper can add a nice personal touch to your scrapbook and can be a lot of fun. It doesn't save you a ton of money, but every little bit helps.

-Practice different styles of lettering and use your own handwriting rather than expensive stencils or stickers. It's more personal and doesn't cost a thing. If you want a more professional look, you can print fonts off of your computer and trace them just as you would a graphic.

-Indulge yourself every now and then on an item that isn't necessarily a bargain, but would be perfect for a page you are working on. Splurging once in awhile is OK, especially on things that you can't make yourself, like hole-punches and fancy papers.

You can create a beautiful scrapbook on nearly any budget by being creative and using the things that you already have available to you. And while it won't look exactly like the pictures you see in magazines, it will be more meaningful because it will be more of a personal reflection of who you are. And you will be proud that you did it yourself.