Scrapbooking can be expensive but does not have to! I get many of my supplies at Walmart or Michael's Craftes on sale. Sometimes you can find stuff at yardsales.My favorite "frugal" trick is this: when I find neat sayings or just want to write about the picture or event, I type it out on my computer using a neat font and print it on  coordinating paper.With the computer you can program it to print in coordinating colors.MY favorite trick is to   go online and type in sayings from your favorite sites and use those.I have picked up 2 books over the years at yardsales, full of famous sayings and alphabetically  organized so that I can find what I need to use.

I also scrapbook, make cards and do rubber stamping.  It can become a very expensive hobby if you let it.  I watch Michael's and Hobby Lobby for sales on paper and supplies.  I use the coupons that are in their ads to purchase supplies.  Check out the clearance area at all the places I shop.  I've found things I could use at the Dollar Tree, yard sales and the thrift stores.  I save all my scaps and reuse them for other projects.  I also use my computer like budzmom does.  I also have a bin that I have all my scraps organized in folders so that I can use those for small projects or embellishements.  I've found paper punches at the dollar tree and use those to make my own embellishments.  You can use ribbon, buttons, sentimental items that you have saved, anything you can secure to the page can be used.  As for making copies of the pictures, they don't have to be secured to the page.  I made a scrapbook for my SIL's 60th birthday she wanted to be able to remove the photos to make copies for her daughter.  I used photo corners so that she could take the photos out and copy them.  I found a punch that you can make your own photo corners with.  It was an expensive purchase but I will now be able to make my own photo corners out of coordinating (sp?) scraps of paper from the project I'm doing and that will save me money. 

Shellia

Shellia

 I agree on watching the acid and lignin quality of your paper.  One of the best investments is a pen where you can test the paper if your are prone to use extras for paper and embeshiments.  

 I save my small pieces of scrap paper and run them through the paper shredder then remake it into my own paper for cards or embellies. 

 A cheap kids coloring book  can work instead of a circuit.  Find a pic then cut it out of cardstock or pretty paper. 

My preferred size is also 8.5 x 11 so page protectors and binders are found for less money and  can be stored in regluar bookcases.

I buy many of my special tools on ebay.  I have close to $2000 worth of die cut tools but only paid in the neighborhood of $300 (seperate affordable sales, not one chunck).

 Scrapbooking is one hobby I couldn't get into. Even just putting pictures into an album is a chore, let alone embellishing those pictures. I know many enjoy it, but it is one of the most expensive hobbies if you go all out and get the special equipment available.  Edey

Edey:

get the special equipment available. 

The most expensive pieces I plan for is the decorative paper and some embellishments. I fail to see a need for more than regular scissors for all the cutting and proper paste.

 

 

 

Dont feel bad a lot of people dont like it, but I HAVE to have my decorative edged scissors! i fould 8 pairs for 7 dollars though, my most expensive pieces are the page protectors, but they are worth it. I get 25 for 10$, and each one holds 2 pages (or 1 double sided page)

TiffanyJohnson:

but I HAVE to have my decorative edged scissors

What do those do for you?

 

I just finished a scrapbook of our trip to Disneyland last year.  I bought one pre-made package of "Disney" themed stickers and a few sheets of paper as well as a few packs of Disney stickers that matched some of the characters in the photos.  I then bought several individual sheets of coordinating themed scrapbook paper, I would venture to say I spent $10 total.  I waited until a big sale at Michael's and also used a few 40% off coupons.

I saved our tickets, a pirate hat that one of the kids got from a restaurant, a map, a schedule of events and the key card to our room and used those for some of the embelishments.  I know they aren't acid/lingin free but since they aren't actually touching any photos I'm not sweating it.  I wanted to include items from the actual trip and keep costs down as well. 

I use the decorative edged scissors to add borders to my pages, and to highlight main pictures or embellishments on my pages

my dear Sil has been trying to get me to scrapbook since I met her just cant do it ..she loves to scrap she got all the toys including her cricket . she made some wonderful things .