Need to get a scrapbook DONE?
Try these ideas to get it done without making yourself crazy or breaking the bank.
Choose a theme: This may be a year or a single event or a even a single person. Maybe you want to scrapbook all your family reunion pictures into a single book or create a book for your chlid’s first year?
Choose a theme look: Doing a book of your travels over the years? Coordinate your papers and embellishments with a single theme like airplanes or maps. Not only will this make your pages have a consistent look, it can also help you save money. This is when Stampin’ Up!’s Designer Series Paper and Simply Scrappin’ kits can come in handy. These pages and kits are color coordinated and they can really stretch your dollar!
Only work on one album at a time: Most of us are working on 3 or more books at a time. That’s ok. But when you are trying to get it done, concentrate your creativity and efforts on one thing at a time. This will also help when deciding what papers and embellishments you purchase and will keep you within your budget.
Create a budget: Yep, I dared to use the “B” word. Most of us scrampers spend, spend, spend! Choosing a budget of $1-$2 per page will keep your album from breaking the bank.
Buy wisely: Now that you’ve set that budget, use it! If you buy a package of embellishments with the intention of just using one piece on one page, you aren’t making the most of your money or your tools. Also, check out your own stash and see what you’ve got that you can make work. You may not have to buy a single brad!
Keep your layouts simple: One of the major scrapbook companies had a slogan a few years ago about keeping it simple and getting it done. I never liked their stuff very much but as time went by I really appreciated their point of view. Save those layouts you want to copy from the latest magazine for just 1 or 2 pages. This will do two things: 1) Help keep you sane and away from the perfectionism that cripples a lot of us from getting our albums done. 2) Make those pages even more special.
Don’t expect to scrap EVERY picture: It’s not realistic because not every picture is a keeper. If you want to include every picture, get some pocket page protectors and put them at the back of the album.
Think about repetition: When I’m designing a scrapbook, I often sketch out just 3-4 layouts that I’ll use throughout the album. By changing papers, embellishments, and even slightly changing the layout, you can have some consistency throughout the album but also gives each page it’s own identity.