Have you ever arrived at the counter of your scrapbook store, arms loaded with wonderful papers, embellishments and the latest and greatest tools, only to get the big shocker when the cashier rings up the total and you’ve spent far more than you thought you had? Yeah. Me too. But there are ways to cut costs when creating pages. You don’t have to spend a lot to have a great looking layout.
One of my favorite ways to save money, is to propose a challenge.
Usually I challenge myself to use up something (embellishment, paper, etc. ) that I have had sitting in my stash for awhile, on so many layouts. Perhaps a couple or even ten. Once I get started, I often find I’m on a roll and I just keep creating layouts with leftover and old supplies.
However, in more recent times, I have begun challenging myself to use old tools on several layouts, duplicating pages so many times just using different colors, etc. Another favorite way to create layouts faster and for less money is to challenge myself to use nothing but scraps on the layout, with the exception of the background cardstock. Its a great way to use up your scraps, and create beautiful layouts too.
Penny Papers – Use what’s already in your stash. If you do need to purchase new papers, try to stick to bulk buying – for instance pads, or slabs or however you can obtain the most papers for the least amount. Avoid using patterned paper as your background paper. Cardstock is by far much cheaper and just one piece of patterned paper can be stretched across multiple layouts.
Penny Titles – Use the computer. Seriously. It’s the cheapest, most attractive method to do titles or journaling on your pages. Well, not really – actually the cheapest method is to use your own handwriting, but since so many scrapbookers don’t seem to like their own handwriting, the computer is the next best thing. You can also try using scraps for your title. Square punches, mismatched stickers and rub-ons, and other items are cost effective, attractive alternatives as well.
Penny Embellishments – The first thing with cheap embellishments is simply to avoid using so many. Many scrapbookers really enjoy using embellishments (and yes I’m one of them), so if that is the case, avoiding them all together is not an option. So, to save money on embellishments, look for them at places other than the local scrapbook store. Often scrapbooking companies manufacture the same products that can be found elsewhere for mere pennies. For instance, eyelets and buttons can be purchased at fabric stores and can be painted to match your layouts. You can also purchase whole skeins of fibers, yarn and ribbon at several places – knitting stores, fabric centers and even craft stores. They are more cost effective than using the scrapbook manufactured items anyway.
Do you have any tips to help shave a little money off the cost of a layout?
For more ways to save money on all sorts of things relating to scrapbooking, check out the Frugal Scrapbooking Section of the Scrapbooking Blog.
Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog and for the Frugal Blog. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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