I’ve been scrapbooking for more than a decade, and as I assess my memory book-making skills, I’ve come to the conclusion that many of the lessons I’ve learned over the years have come from making mistakes. For example, if you live in Hawaii or another warm climate, you need to be extra careful about where you store your scrapbook stickers. Exposure to direct sunlight, heat, humidity and salt air can ruin stickers, regardless of whether or not you keep them in their original packaging. Other lessons I’ve learned the hard way is that paper products should be stored away from … Continue reading →

I’m not referring to radical layouts or zany embellishments. Rather, have you considered broadening your creative horizons by attending a scrapbooking trade show? I recently received an email listing a number of scrapbook trade shows that will be offered in my neck of the woods this summer. These organized events are incredible places to network, especially for individuals who currently have or are thinking of running a scrapbook business. Interestingly, most scrappers don’t realize that not all trade shows shun the general public. Granted, most require you to be a registered member of the trade organization or have a valid … Continue reading →

Besides overall look and ease of use, one of the most important factors I consider when purchasing a scrapbook album is refill options. In a previous blog, I detailed my recent purchase of two post-bound leather albums. Both books came with 20 pages, though the albums can accommodate about double that depending on the thickness of your completed layouts. The trick is finding the right refills. Beginner scrapbookers should note that most albums come with inserts that provide information on which style of refill pages can be used with individual books. If you don’t see a list of refill options, … Continue reading →

Live and learn. When it comes to scrapbooking, trial and error can often yield incredible results. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, right? When I attempted to make my first scrapbook, I was clueless. The process was akin to driving backwards down the wrong side of the highway. I was ill-prepared and it showed. The biggest mistake I made was not planning ahead. I waited until after the fact before deciding to piece together an entire book of memories. For me it was a vacation scrapbook, but I’ve seen others do the same with wedding memory albums. … Continue reading →

I am a die hard scrapbook sticker fan. I rarely create a layout without adding at least a few sticky embellishments. However, stickers don’t come cheap. At least not the ones I collect. Elaborate 3-D scrapbook stickers can cost upwards of $8 per pack. Knowing that I scrapbook on a strict budget, my neighbor has been after me to make the switch to rubber stamps. I’ve been thinking of giving my sticker obsession a break for a bit, but didn’t have a detox plan in place. However, things are about to change. Next month I am planning to attend a … Continue reading →

It’s that time of the year again. Time when my local scrapbook supply store starts erecting large posters heralding the joys of scrapbook conventions. I have never been to a scrapbook convention, though I would love to go if I could find someone to sponsor my trip. I live in a small rural town and the closest thing we get to a major scrapbook convention is store-sponsored crops that are capped at 20 because of the limited size of the venue. I would probably have to drive to Chicago or Minneapolis if I wanted to attend a large national scrapbook … Continue reading →