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Embellishing Embellishments

Say that title five times fast.

Stroll down the aisles of your local scrapbook shop and it won’t take you long to see that the slumping economy is hitting the world of memory book embellishments.

Have you noticed that your dollar doesn’t get you nearly as many die cuts these days?

What’s more, the size of the cardstock cut-outs seems to be compromised, as does their overall appearance.

What has this world come to that we now have to embellish embellishments in order for them to add pizzazz to page designs?

In defense of die cuts, most are relatively inexpensive, easy to attach to layouts and don’t add a ton of bulk to your scrapbook. In addition, the variety of die cuts available is virtually limitless. You can find packages filled to suit a range of themes from weddings to baptisms, birthdays to graduations. Of course, the more elaborate the die cut, the more money you will have to fork over.

Fortunately, you can offset the recent scaled back versions by exercising some creativity. To embellish die cuts consider adding rhinestone or fabric covered brads to them. This option is a wonderful way to spice up a flower die cut. In addition, you could add brads to a plain pumpkin die cut in order to transform it into a spooky or silly jack-o-lantern. Another option is to use eyelets to alter the look of a die cut girl’s shirt or skirt.

One of my favorite ways to make die cuts pop is to add some sparkle to them via glitter. It doesn’t get much easier or cheaper than adding glitter to the mix. What’s more, a little goes a long way. Simply select a die cut to embellish, spread some glue on it and sprinkle away. Finally, add the finished piece to your layout and look at the way it makes the entire page shine.

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This entry was posted in Frugal Scrapbooking by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.