Scrapbooking on a Budget

I am a devoted scrapbooker. Every moment I get to myself I hide in my little corner of the house and work on the endless pictures and momentos that never stop accumulating. Lately, I have been working on our wedding album which has over 300 pictures. Because I am constantly scrapping and have zero room in my budget for a hobby, I do the best with what I have by frugally scrapbooking:

• My little corner of the house, in the office, set up with a craft table and enough room to lay everything out. It is so much easier to make a plan when you can come and go as you please to your scrapping area. You're more likely to take your time and make good decisions.
• Pick up supplies at garage sales and thrift stores. I always find tons of rubber stamps, whether they are name brand or children's sets from the toy store. I have a lovely Harry Potter set that was never meant to be used for scrapbooking. REPURPOSE!
• The Dollar Tree is a goldmine for frugalness. You can get packs of paper, punch-outs, stamps, scissors, and stickers, all $1 a piece. My scrapbooks have even survived the dollar store glue.
• Momentos are great substitutes for stickers and embellishments. For our wedding album, I saved the ribbon and tags from the favors, the silk flowers from the decorations, the menus, and greeting cards. I made a Cinderella page with a Happily Ever After card someone gave us. Think in 3-D!



silk flower used on a wedding page

• Buy on sale, ALWAYS! Michael's always has sales on paper and stickers. They put coupons in the Sunday paper and I never shop without these. I know how low I can get paper, etc. and never shop until that price comes up.
• Scrap with friends! I sometimes attend "Crop Night" at a local scrapbook store. You pay $10, get dinner and full access to the store's supply room such as the Cricut machine, paints, and cutters. You also get to see other scrapbooks and chatting time!Save all of your scrap paper! Leftovers are great for tags and mounting pictures. A bunch of small squares can be used to make a checkerboard design.

If I left the house to purchase specific items for every scrapbook layout I would be very behind and in debt. I make do with what I have because my goal is to show off my family and friends, not how much I spent on the album.

A Little Rearranging...

Last Christmas we were blessed through Freecycle when a lovely lady a few towns away gave us all of her Christmas decorations. There had been many many years of collected items that were dear to her heart, and she delivered them to our doorstep to our young family. This year as we were unpacking the boxes we realized we had something for every room! It was great....I'm really glad that people still think of others :)

I usually have trouble finding table centerpieces because of my trecherous kittens. I had some leftover glass ornaments that I do not dare put on the tree, so I decided to place them on a serving plate with some votives left over from our wedding and here it is.....

I also wanted to share a picture of a Ninja Turtles stocking that I found at a rummage sale for $.25. This is my husband's stocking because he is feeling goofy this year...

I hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit. As I drive through our neighborhood I see all of the Christmas lights going up, and it makes me all warm inside.... :)

Family Ties

So I am finally back. I am back in town and back online with a working modem! Yay!

I spent Thanksgiving with my Mom's side of the family and had high hopes of posting lovely autumn ideas, but then a bout with a terrible cold left me in the fetal position on the couch. So I thought instead of backtracking now that it's December, I would just post some pictures of my favorite things at Mom's. A little photojournalism if you will....

Wine Cork Crafts

I had a bunch of wine corks left over from my wedding favors, and I didn't want to let them go to waste. I decided to make a trivet out of them. All I did was arrange them evenly in a shape, making sure I had enough. Then I hot glued them row by row. Added some ribbon, also from the wedding, and there ya have it! It matches my Tuscan house and can make a great gift too.