logo

The Global Domain Name (url) Families.com is currently available for acquisition. Please contact by phone at 805-627-1955 or Email for Details

Scrapbooking: Scraping By

You’ve unplugged your cable TV, flushed the pool passes down the drain, stopped the gourmet coffee runs, and eliminated the restaurant lunches, but the slumping economy is still threatening to shut down your scrapbooking habit. What do you do?

If you don’t have enough money to make weekly trips to the scrapbook supply store to stock up on seasonal embellishments or new tools, then make the most with what you have.

Use some of these cheap fixes to stretch your supplies, so you can keep scrapping despite having to deal with financial hardships:

Combining Existing Elements: Instead of purchasing package sets of different embellishments, make your own from your scrap stash. For example, if you are looking to add a bouquet of flowers to a Mother’s Day layout, don’t purchase a giant ready-made version; rather, combine several small flower die cuts and use a small rhinestone to embellish the middle of the blossoms. You can then add the flowers to a vase made from scrap cardstock.

Flocking Powder: I love flocking powder, and not just because it is so versatile. Flocking powder is also very economical. A little goes a long way. You can use a bit on die cuts to give them a textured appearance, similar to velvet. In addition, the powder can be used to accent fur on an animal cut-out or on die cut letters to help make your titles pop.

Ink: If your budget is really tight, then turn to good old fashion, inexpensive ink to breathe new life into otherwise boring embellishments. You can use black or brown ink on the edges of cardstock or die cuts to mimic a vintage look. Or use a calligraphy pen to draw whimsical looking doodles on frames, page corners or the sides of journaling blocks for added visual appeal.

Related Articles:

Scrapping Summer Adventures

Summer Scrapping

Do You Have a Favorite Scrapbook Brand?

This entry was posted in Altered Projects 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.