Do You Know Where to Shop for Discount Scrapbooking Supplies?

Posted on April 6, 2009 by admin

Do you want to get the most from your scrapbook supply budget?  We all want to save money, but finding quality discount scrapbooking supplies can be a challenge.Here are some places that you can find great deals on scrapbooking materials.You will find many great prices on your favorite tools, embellishments and papers.

Ebay

Ebay is a must for discount shopping.Do a search for the exact scrapbook item you need or you can just browse through the scrapbooking and paper crafts section.  Once you find a great deal, place your bid or use the “buy it now” feature.Always check the shipping price before you bid on an item, and don’t bid above your desired price.  Otherwise, you may not really be getting a discount on your scrapbooking supplies.

Scrapbook Message Boards

Read scrapbook message boards for a classified advertising category.Most of the large forums, like Willow Traders and 2 Peas in a Bucket, provide a category for their members to trade and sell supplies. There are some great deals to be found there.   Once you’ve purchased the item, be sure to provide your shipping information off the board in a private message and pay for your item promptly.

National Dollar Store Chains

Did you know dollar stores often have scrapbooking supplies.These are not usually top name brand materials, but at only $1, you can stock up on basics supplies like adhesive and cardstock.

Big Box Discount Stores

Walmart and Target both carry scrapbooking supplies at great prices.Look for their weekly sales ads as well.Both of these discount stores have a large selection, and offer products from many scrapbooking manufacturers.  Target often has scrapbooking supplies in their dollar bins as well.

Craft Stores

Craft stores like Michael’s and Joann’s also have weekly sales, but the best bargains are their weekly 40% coupons. Check your local Sunday newspaper for coupons.  The discount is on regular price items only.  If the item is on sale that week, you can’t use the coupon for it.  Don’t forget to also check the clearance items at these stores.

Closeout Stores

You will find scrapbooking supplies from many top manufacturers that have been heavily discounted at closeout stores.Shop at Big Lots or Tuesday Morning stores often for the best deals in those stores.  If you find something you like, don’t wait to buy it.  These closeout items are in limited quantities, but at fantastic prices.

Local Scrapbooking Stores

Yes, good prices can be found at your local scrapbooking stores.Many of them have a clearance section, and if you put your name on their newsletter list, they often send coupons by email or mail.  Not to be missed is the Hot Spot at Archiver’s Scrapbook Store.You will find products from Making Memories, Heidi Swapp and many more, and all for a dollar.99!  They even run occasional coupons for further discounts in the Hot Spot.

You can find great discounts on scrapbooking supplies.  You just need to know where to look.  Shop often for the best buys, and don’t hesitate when you find something you need. Even within a scrapbooking budget, you can find fabulous scrapbooking products for your albums.

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Have You Thought of Scrapbooking with Your Kids?

Posted on April 6, 2009 by admin

You love scrapbooking – do you think your children would like to try it? There are so many moms doing scrapbooking. I wonder how many of those moms who crop and love to scrapbook have tried getting their kids to make a scrapbook? Finding crafts and activities for children can be difficult when you have to compete with video games, iPods and television! It’s so important to provide a time for them to learn something creative – once kids get started painting, drawing or scrapbooking they usually love it.

If you want to scrapbook with your children, these tips can help you plan an activity.

You’ll need some basic scrapbooking supplies, such glue or adhesives, paper, scissors and a scrapbook album (or binder). Kid-themed scrapbook albums are available. You could find an album for each child (there are sports scrapbook albums, Disney scrapbook albums, and scrapbook kits for kids have similar themes to use for ideas. Or, you can find a large album for the entire family to contribute pages to. There are many small albums called mini-scrapbooks that can be fun for a quick scrapbooking activity time.

You may need to sort through which of your scrapbook supplies and materials you want to use for the activity. Set aside any materials you don’t want the kids to use (such as those you are saving for your own projects). You have to decide if you want to let the kids use any or all or just some of your supplies. You know your own kids and what would be best for your scrapbooking activity time.

Children’s Scrapbooking Activity Time Tips:

Tip 1: Have Fun

Make it an easy going fun time. They don’t have to be great artists or make things look perfect. Have the kids come up with ideas so they can develop their creative abilities.

Tip 2: Scrapbooking Tools and Materials

Depending on the children’s ages, you may want to be sure that your tools (such as scissors) are the child safety scissors and remove any other sharp materials (such as exacto knives) from within their reach. Explain how any special scrapbooking tools you have work – such as punches – and show the kids how to use glue or glue dots.

Tip 3: Get Organized before You Start

Prepare for the activity by sorting out your art, craft and scrapbook supplies. Keep photo corners, pens, stickers, paper, glue and other materials easy to use by sorting them in storage containers or trays.

Tip 4: Photos for the Scrapbook

Select photos and have them on hand for the scrapbook. You may want to use extra prints of photographs so the ones you are planning on using yourself won’t be used.

Tip 5: Stickers, Rub-ons and Embellishments

Show the kids what types of supplies you typically use in a scrapbook. You may even want to buy some scrapbook kits with specific artistic themes (holidays, birthdays, pets, boy themes or girl themes) for them to use.

Tip 6: Writing and Journaling 

Show the kids how to write their own notes or captions (introduce them to journaling). Having some colorful pens to use can make this even more fun. If your child likes drawing, they can make some sketchs or drawings for the pages. Have them add personal details about themselves (their age, the date, and their name) on a page. Keeping the date the scrapbook was made will be of interest to them in later years.

Tip 7: Set Some Activity Time Rules

Don’t let them eat or drink anything until AFTER they are done. You don’t want greasy fingers or spilled drinks to ruin any of your scrapbooking paper and supplies.

If you have teenagers who love computers, think about having them learn about digital scrapbooking – they may like computer scrapbooking as much or more than playing those video games!

Spending this quality time is a great way to bond with your kids and help them learn how much fun it is to be creative. They might come to love scrapbooking as a hobby as much as you do!

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What Are Midwest Scrapbooking Retreats?

Posted on April 6, 2009 by admin

Scrapbooking retreats have become more popular, and many scrapbookers are attending Midwest scrapbooking retreats, either alone of with groups of friends and family.Many churches and other organizations have members who enjoy these retreats and benefit from the new ideas presented and creative techniques they learn.

Most Midwest scrapbooking retreats, like other scrapbook retreats, feature someone that is organizing the event and that provides formal instruction on different methods of scrapping.They might do this themselves, or they may invite an scrapbooking instructor to present some new techniques, ideas or layouts.Having a person scheduled to make a presentation that has been prepared before the retreat is useful at any scrapbooking retreat.  This is because those who attend want to be sure that they’re actually going to be learning something new, and while you can get scrapbooking tips and pointers from other experienced scrappers you can’t always rely on the other attendees to share every minute you’re there.  And chances are the experienced scrappers are looking to learn something new as well!So most Midwest scrapbook retreats have a leader, or person in charge, who will present to the group or has planned for someone else to present something.

Sometimes these Midwest scrapbooking retreats will also have products they’re introducing.  Sometimes different scrapbooking manufacturers will sponsor these retreats so that they can have a spot at a table or booth or a chance to introduce their product somehow, but sometimes the organizer has just done some homework and features the latest and greatest items.  They may bring in samples of layouts and templates offered by some companies.  Very often scrapbook supply companies have items they feature at Midwest scrapbooking retreats and other venues so that the attendees can see their newest products.Then, everyone not only gets a chance to see the products, but gets to see how they are used on scrapbooking pages.

There are many Midwest scrapbooking retreats from which to choose, held in cities like Chicago, Detroit, and areas of Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.  If you can’t find one that you like and can afford, why not organize your own?  If you have enough people in your circle of friends, family, church or civic groups, all you need are some hotel rooms and a banquet hall or conference area and some organized presentations.

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Is Digital Scrapbooking Designer Job Right for You?

Posted on April 2, 2009 by admin

If you love scrapbooking and have some computer skills you may be wondering how you get a digital scrapbooking designer job.  Many people who are into digital scrapbooking don’t mind paying for premade templates and pages that someone else has put together, and very often they’re willing to pay quite a bit for those things.This can make a digital scrapbooking designer job very attractive to many people since the designs and layouts you can create are endless.

Of course you can get a freelance digital scrapbooking job where you simply create layouts and templates and try to sell them to distributors and manufacturers.This is very likely the hardest way to making a living in this industry since you won’t have any guarantees of who is going to appreciate your work and who will want to buy it.  Most who freelance will instead become associated with a digital scrapbook manufacturer and receive assignments from that company – they may be required to come up with certain themes or color schemes each month.  One month it might be school-related, the next it may be holidays, and so on.  By being open to these assignments you’re more likely to have regular work with a digital scrapbooking designer job rather than assuming you can just create your own work and someone will pay you for it.

Sometimes you can land a full-time digital scrapbooking designer job with a scrapbooking supplier or manufacturer, but these jobs are few and hard to come by.To do graphics or advertising, you usually need a degree in graphic arts or previous experience with a company.Portfolios are like resumes in this type of job – most potential employers will want to see your work and assess your talent before they will interview you.  And remember that to get a digital scrapbooking designer job you need not just designing skills but computer skills as well, and this may mean technical abilities with different digital scrapbooking programs.Knowledge of Photoshop is important in this field; you’d do well to brush up on your digital scrapbooking software skills.  If you can get certification in any of these programs that will help your resume as well.  Of course you need samples of templates and designs to show potential employers but technical knowledge is always appreciated.For any digital scrapbooking designer job, these things are essential.

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Vacation Scrapbooking Pages: Planning Before You Go on Your Trip

Posted on March 31, 2009 by admin

Scrapbooking Tips for a Vacation Scrapbook

When preparing for your vacation, you always remember to pack your camera, but do you ever think about how you will scrapbook your vacation photos before you leave on your trip?  Planning your vacation scrapbooking pages before you begin your trip makes it easier and quicker to design a beautiful vacation album when you get home.Here are a few tips to think about when planning a vacation scrapbooking album.

Your Vacation Scrapbook

Most of us plan in advance for our vacations. It’s never too early to start shopping for a vacation scrapbooking album.You will want one that reflects the location or the theme of your vacation.  Consider a location-specific album like Disney or Hawaiian scrapbooks.You might prefer a basic vacation album or an album with a beach theme.Planning ahead will give you lots of time to check your local craft store or scrapbooking store for specials and sales.You can even buy a plain, chipboard-covered album and design your own scrapbook cover.

Vacation Scrapbook Embellishments

While you are shopping for your album, look to see what coordinating products are available to match it.  Planning in advance allows you to take advantage of sales on embellishments as well.Select paper and page elements that will coordinate with the theme and location of your vacation pictures.For convenience, you should keep all your embellishments with the album you chose together in one spot.  They will be ready when you come home from your vacation.

Writing About Your Vacation

Remembering the details of your vacation is part of the journaling process on your scrapbooking page layouts.Make it simpler by wrting in a journal or keeping notes on your trip.  Note the dates and the places you visit as well as your feelings and thoughts.  Now when you return home, journaling in your scrapbook will be quick, easy and more detailed.  You can even tear a few pages from the journal and include them right in your layouts.

Planning Photos of Your Vacation

Pre-plan some of your vacation photographs.  You’ll want a picture that can serve as the title page of your album.  If you’re going a cruise, a picture of the ship would work well for this.  If it’s Disney World, take a photo of the Disney World sign.  Remember that as you take photos of the places you visit you will want to be sure to include yourself in the shots too.Before you leave on your trip, make a list of what photographs you want to remember to take.  Tuck the list in your camera bag so it’s always handy.

Vacation Mementos

You’ll want to bring home mementos of your trip for your vacation scrapbook.Pack small, plastic bags to hold them so they will not be damaged during your trip back home.Save your tickets to shows and parks, maps and brochures, menus and napkins.  You will definitely want to add these to your page layouts.

With planning, your vacation scrapbook album will easily come together.  Try to get your pictures developed as soon as possible, and start working on your pages while the memories are still fresh in your mind.  Following these scrapbooking tips, you’ll have everything you need when you arrive home to design a beautiful keepsake of your trip.

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