Does scrapbooking have to be expensive?

[katiepops]

I must admit I wouldn't use Pritt stick either - nasty stuff! It seems to me that unless you absolutely plaster it on (in which case your paper wrinkles) then it doesn't stick for very long, and you come back to your album to find all your stuck-on bits lying at the bottom of your page protector ... but perhaps that's just me!

I always use Herma, and to be honest I don't think it's that expensive. Okay, so the initial outlay is around a fiver (though lots of us are still selling the repo Herma with the free refill included), but the refills aren't expensive, and you don't need to use loads and loads of it to stick a photo down - just a little in each corner is sufficient. I think the key thing to remember is that you want your photos to stay stuck, so use the best adhesive you can afford.

Oh, I did try one of those Pritt runners that Jane said were fab (got it from Staples) ... it was complete pants! I used it for one of the cybercrop layouts, and bearing in mind the layout has been sitting flat on a shelf since, the only thing that is actually still stuck where I left it is a silk flower ... because it was held on with a brad!

It IS very easy to spend a fortune on this marvellous hobby, but just as easy to be frugal too - there is always a sponsor here that has a sale going on, or free P&P, and that's the time to stock up with essentials. I honestly don't think that cardstock or patterned paper is expensive - when you consider that cardstock is generally around 40 p a sheet and patterned paper between 40 p and 70 p a sheet, that's not bad at all, but if you want to be really frugal you can gut the cardstock/paper behind your photos etc.

You do need to buy quality tools though, that's essential, otherwise you'll never get the results you want. A decent trimmer is an absolute must, craft knives with the snap-off blades are dirt cheap, and if you shop around you can get some great deals.

If you're going to a crop ask if they have a swap table, and if not have they considered having one in the future? This is a great way to get rid of unwanted stash, and you can either sell it or swap it.

In my opinion the thing that we spend most money on is embellishments - I know that I tend to see something and think 'Wow' and then buy it, but without any thought of what I might actually use it for ... which is why my craft room is groaning at the seams with stuff that I will never use (like 50 million different colours of eyelets).

I think the definitive answer really is that it can be as expensive or inexpensive as you choose it to be!

Kate

[sweetlilsarah]

I've only been scrapbooking for about a week, and have managed to spend all my birthday money, (200) so im gonna have to stop and use the stuff i have for now! lol

[scoobiesue]

You can buy photo tabs very cheaply in Boots,they are double sided adhesive and made for affixing photos in albums (now and then they are on offer for 50p a box).
UKScrappers can actually make you spend money! I never knew I needed a Zision trimmer/Prima flowers/MM distressing kit etc etc til I saw threads on here praising them. It is very easy to get caught up in UKS 'you must have this' mania when someone is talking about the latest range of paper or a sponsor is having a sale.Sometimes its a good thing...

[Hypatia]

I like to challenge myself to copy something or get the same effect with what I have in stock rather than going out and buying the latest thing. Prima flowers are lovely but a flower punch and some mulberry paper scraps would give a similar effect. I do buy tools and colourings - inks, paints etc. which mean I can then alter basic supplies to match.

Last night I used standard brads and embossed them with Embossing powder, used the same on the title (using a new embossing pen) and then changed the colour of a bunch of scraps with an ink pad - not completely but by adding those bits the whole LO hung together so much more easily.

I do think that browsing on UKS or in store can make you want to spend money... it is much easier not buying if you don't know it exists <G>

[cw18]

... which is why my craft room is groaning at the seams with stuff that I will never use

soooooo glad it's not just mine that's like that.... and what makes it worse is that it's the room my grand-daughters use when they stop over, and the older one is about to move out of a cot into a bed!

can't move it to the dining room either -- not even just for when they visit -- as none of us have been able to get in there since mid-January due to everything I just 'had to have'! Think I'm going to have to have a serious de-junk and get involved in the PIFs on a major scale

[scrapJ]

Did you know that in the Early learning centre shops they have a scrapbooking section. I know a lot of it is aimed at kids but there is some other stuff too like sticky alphabet letters really cheap. Worth a look.

[hollybo]

i love pound shops where you can get ribbons, fibres and sometimes even embellieshments for scrapboking.
there are lots of bargains to be had its just a matter of keeping your eyes open wherever you go!
i have a large stash now considering ive only been crafting for 3 months and i havnt spent a lot of money at all. for big things like sizzix machines or really good cutters im puting them on my christmas and b/day list so i dont have to spend my scrap budget on them!

[katiepops]

It's all relative really, isn't it? It really depends on what you think is a lot of money to spend ... to some people, spending £50 a month on supplies isn't a lot, but to others, £10 a month is - I suppose it depends on what value you place on money. Those of us who have little or no disposable income each month are more likely to worry about spending a tenner, where someone else with a much higher disposable income (ie no kids/kids left home/mortgage paid off/higher income bracket etc) are more likely to think that £50 is a drop in the ocean.

Kate

[Hils]

Lots of good ideas and points made here I think my twopennyworth could be to invest in good cardstock (the cheaper stuff is, imho, just not as good - it is more flimsy and spoils more easily) and to invest in some Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents. These have so many uses - I love my GA - and you can make loads of embellies with it, eg the chipboard embellies that are so popular right now but which cost a lot to buy ready-made....

[Kihaku]

1. pritt stick is acid free
2. try out tools before you buy - i have bought tools and then sold them again becuas i didnt do that and now i know - i dont like eyelets - use brads instead.
3. invest in goos stuff.
4. share with friends etc.. you buy 1 packets of brads in one colour, they do same in another colour and splt the two packs and have half each,...

you need a cutting mat, a knife and a ruler ...

after that...
a trimmer is handy - i use a zision & love it
a hole punch (unless you have an eyelet setter) good for tag holes etc

invest in good cardstock - baxxil, prisma etc...

after that think carefully about what you want to achieve - jion swaps here to fo fibers/ribbon swaps.. build up slowly...

you dotn need a sizzix/quickutz/zipemate/dies/craft robo etc to start off with... and youc an always ask if you would like to see soemthign from them...


you can do a lot with plain cardstock and a photo... http://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/photopo...00&ppuser=1525

I dont follow the 'acid free' rules becuase my photos are digital printed out on kodak paper (snappysnaps.co.uk) and will last 80+ years... also i have other reasons but that will just end up with debates on here... look after your photos - scan originals, use copies etc...

so i use poundshop double sded tape for EVERYTHING, glossy accents for sticking stuff like accents etc, and yes i have far more than i wil ever use but i do use it ...

[Waynesgirl]

It sounds like you already have lots of things to use in your scrapbooking already. I would suggest cardstock, cardstock, cardstock - acid free of course. Theres a lot of colours out there and you can paper piece almost anything to match the theme of your page. (Paper piecing is where you cut out a picture eg: a clip art image from your computer, perhaps in several colours, cutting apart all the individual elements, and piece it all back together again to make a great looking embellishment. I also frequent my local thrift shops and pick up buttons, lace, ric-rac etc.

Alison
in New Zealand

[katie squirrel]

Have just been reading through this with a smile on my face.... agree with what everyone has to say - think sorting out your basics - like glue and cardstock important. Although it is v tempting to buy lots of goodies (she says as she cant see her desk under everything needing a new home!)... try and look in the bargain/sale sections - there are some very good bargains to be had - and lots of the sponsors regularly have free or cheap p&p. I think the swaps are great - have done a few - and its a great way to build up lots of different colours of same thing - without having to have hundreds of the same colour!

Another good buy could be a PH testing pen - available from quite a few sponsors - I think they are between 2 and 3 pounds - but money well spent - test the card/paper you have at home and see if you could use them too???

most of all - have fun!!!

[bramblepie]

I have a scrapbooking book which was printed in South Africa THE LAYOUTS ARE VERY GOOD AND DON'T COST A FORTUNE.As most people there are on a tighter budget than us they make full use of ribbons etc and they do more with plainer papers but use different techniques like they do mosaics by cutting up photos etc.
i THINK IT COMES DOWN TO HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD TO SPEND but don't let that stop you having fun.Go to a crop to use quickutz sizzex etc and swop with uks you soon build up a nice selection of goodies

[English Rose]

I scrapbooked for several years with one book of HOTP papers, a pair of deckle-edged scissors and some CM stickers, though the result isn't much to look at!

There are great bargains in the marketplace on this site.

To be honest unless you have a LOT of free time for scrapbooking you probably won't spend too much if you only buy what you need.

Rachel

[NIKIG]

my one tip for scrapping on a budget would be 'Don't buy unless you 'need' it. only shop with a LO in mind, no point in buying vintage ephemera and papers if you don't have old pics to go with them!!!! yes, i have done that they are lovely though

seriously though, shop around and check out your local pound shops for adhesives, blossoms, charms etc, pull apart hair bands, love bottle caps but don't like the expense, buy plain bottle caps from places like wilkies and make your own embellished ones. there is so much out there that you can use in scrapping that doesn't have to cost a fortune.
whatever you decide is your budget, enjoy spending it and have fun