Newbie needed advice & now my very FIRST PAGE EVER is done!! Link to Pic on pg. 3! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Missin'Disney

09-17-2008, 11:52 AM

HEY ALL, I'm new to this forum, have barely begun to scratch the scrapbooking surface - I've wanted to start forever, but it's very daunting. I've found the mouse memories website really informative from a beginner's standpoint, and I've decided to do Disney scrapping exclusively for my first album. I've got several trips to cover :eek: :eek:

Anyway, the prices for everything are sooooo expensive and I was just wondering if anybody can suggest a retailer with a good Disney inventory that may be cheaper than mouse memories. Or an ebay seller. Also, where is the most reasonable place to buy cardstock and supplies that aren't Disney-specific?

If any of you can point me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate it cause right now I'm feeling very disoriented. Just trying to figure out what things are necessities and what can wait until I'm more seasoned is dizzying enough. I have a friend who has been doing this for quite a while, has a whole dedicated scrapping room and has graciously invited me to come learn with her, but with 6 kids b/w the two of us, there never seems to be time! Plus I'm a travel agent and I work from home (Disney exclusive of course!) So there just aren't enough hours in the day. Any help or advice greatly appreciated!!!

chessie

09-17-2008, 01:57 PM

You don't have to go with all licence Disney products. I started scrapping Disney before there was any licence Disney stickers, papers or embellishments.

All we had were the Mickey head punches from all night media.

Go to your LSS or wherever you buy scrapbook supplies. Look for animal print papers for animal kingdom, travel papers or papers that have the Epcot countries for Epcot layouts. Think Hollywood for the Studios and anything with a movie theme

Use cardstock in colors to represent different characters. You can use pastel papers for princesses. green and purple for Buzz Lightyear.

Stock up on black, red , white and Disney yellow cardstock.

Get buttons, brads and eyelets in Disney colors.

You can really do an entire album without using a single licensed product

Missin'Disney

09-17-2008, 03:08 PM

Thank you for the advice Chessie....you raise some good points. But I still need to buy all the basics....I'm assuming I NEED:

scissors
Paper trimmer
safe glue
cardstock
paper
safe pens for journeling
plastic protectors for works-in-progress

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but I was wondering where everybody would suggest buying this stuff as cheaply as possible...:confused: Please feel free to tell me necessities that i left off the list.

I have a Michaels and an A.C Moore close to me. I know they both carry scrapbooking stuff. But I don't know if they are considered "good deals"
I also ordered the "Essential Disney idea book" off an online toy store that had it for 50% off. I am hoping that this can give me some layout help ideas. Has anybody used this book? Do you recommend it?

Alright, I really appreciate the advice of you veterans out in DISworld!
Thanks! :flower3:

BernardandMissBianca

09-17-2008, 03:28 PM

Price wise ACMoore, Michael's and Joann Fabrics will be as good as anywhere else. I would suggest shopping the sales though. And don't just buy for the sake of buying, you can spend way to much that way. I would start with 1 trip to Disney, probably the most recent (experts say to scrap the newest memory first, then work your way backwards).
Anyway, sort your pics, decide what size you want to do, I do 12x12 because I like to cram as many pics on a page as possible.
And you need an album too. Those are on sale at Michael's. 40% off.
When you have an idea of your pages, then start buying supplies for each page. I kit my papers, pics for that layout, and any embellishments into 2 1/2 gallon Hefty ziploc bags, that keeps them all neat and organized.

Get the supplies you have listed, but don't be thrifty on your tools. good quality tools will last a lot longer. For your plastic protector I suggest the Iris tote, they are on sale thins week at I believe Michael's. They are nice and sturdy.
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/organizeeverything1_2015_673402443

If you want an overall less expensive way to scrap, you can look into digital scrapbooking. I don't know much about it but there are other girls that can point you in the right direction. There are sites that will print your pages for you.

sorry to cut it short, gotta get the oldest from Cross Country. If I think of more later I will let you know!!

GrumpyMom25

09-17-2008, 03:57 PM

I'll second the Iris totes ... I use them to store my paper and cardstock in. I've sworn for awile that I'm going to keep one in my van so I can get my paper home safely from the store.
Since you've got a M's and ACM around they're a great place to shop ... watch for their sales and use their coupons. I started out with a Fiskar trimmer, some Elmer's glue sticks (I like Zig glue pens now as well), bought different edged scissors and never really used them, patterned paper and cardstock. You'll find tons of Disney embellishments at M's and ACM.
Have fun and don't let yourself become overwhelmed ... also found it useful to look at other people's work to get ideas.
Be sure to share when you get that 1st page done!
Another thing ... check out M's Sandylion Disney Album kit ... I picked on up last week to use for the trip we took last month. Came with the album, patterned paper and stickers ... used my 40% coupon on it. That may help you get started.

chessie

09-17-2008, 04:00 PM

Start off small. When I started scrapping, I bought only what I needed for the page I was working on. I only bought a tool when I needed it. Resist buying packs of paper. It sounds like a good deal but you end up not using much of it so it is not a bargain at that rate.

-Use your 40 % coupon for your paper trimmer
-Buy adhesive squares as your adhesive. They are the least expensive. You can invest in others as you go along.
-I prefer the Zig pens but there are tons of other journaling pens out there. Just get 1 in black
-A pair of cutter bee scissors or the equlivent is all you need to start.

You don't even need an album. You just need to know what size you want to use.

Go to your local pizza place and see if you can buy a pizza box. They might even give you one. You can keep your completed layouts in there until you get the album you want to use.

You honestly don't need much to start. I swore I would not accumulate any more stuff then would not fit into my XXL tote. I now have an entire room dedicated to scrapping and beading.

Missin'Disney

09-17-2008, 04:42 PM

Thanks so much for the responses and advice. I've got to resist the urge to stockpile (I've definitely got hoarding tendancies ;) ) And these online shops make it too easy!

I'm going to take your advice Bernard & Miss Bianca and start with our most recent trip. I was not sure how to tackle our numerous trips, in order or most recent first, or all together, according to theme. Too confusing. I'm glad to at least have that figured out now. I need to get the pix I want to use sorted out and then shop for paper that will coordinate. In the meantime I will use my 40% coupons to get the staples.

Thanks again for helping me sort this all out guys. It means a great deal to me. I'll keep you posted! :thumbsup2

BernardandMissBianca

09-17-2008, 05:32 PM

trimmers and tools are on sale at ACMoore this week, 40 or 50% off this week. I got a new trimmer for $13.

Oh another thing for Disney, I started an ABC album for left over pictures.

here is a link to the ABC's of Disney list:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1457364

and here is a link to the FAQs of Scrapping

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1502156

other options for scrapping numerous disney trips it to do 1 album for each park, scrapping some in chronological order, by park, or ABC.

Missin'Disney

09-17-2008, 05:45 PM

thanks for the links and the helpful ideas! Good to know the tools are on sale. I can't wait to start shopping. Any brand(s) known as the preferred brands for tools?

BernardandMissBianca

09-17-2008, 08:50 PM

Everyone has their personal favorites.

I have the Fiskars trimmer, Cutterbee scissors and tweezers, I like the Creative Memories tape runner (dry adhesive) they are like little double sided sticky tabs to hold the pics on the paper. For wet adhesive I like Zig glue pens (looks like a ball point pen) for small items and Scotch Quick dry tacky adhesive for bigger projects. Those you can find at Walmart.

That's really all I can think of.

I would recommend getting this bag, AMM tote-ally cool tote to store your tools in. It's essentially a plumbers bag, but cuter! LOL

http://www.scrapnsave.com/ammtocomitop.html

Oh and if you want more than say 2 of those iris boxes I would recommend this from Joann Fabrics, and use a coupon to get a good % off.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat323863&PRODID=xprd74098

Missin'Disney

09-17-2008, 09:02 PM

thanks again!!
Really helpful....
Now that I've been nosing around this forum I'm getting nervous about the whole Digital vs. Traditional scrapping conundrum....
Yikes! Another whole can of worms. I like the idea of being hands on....but the convenience of Digital and not having to take out, clean up, worry about working space or storage space is definitely alluring. But geez, talk about an even bigger learning curve. I'm completely confused!! I already have photoshop on my Mac (not that I use it or anything) and now that there is Digital Disney stuff I don't know if I'm better off going that route :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

BernardandMissBianca

09-17-2008, 09:06 PM

You can do both, a lot of people hybrid scrap, don't ask me what it means though. LOL

I am a tactile learner, so paper is better for me. I'm not the most computer literate person in the world, I get frustrated really easily when it comes to anything computer related, probably be cause DH is a computer guy.

BTW, YAY!!!!!! another Mac user!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
sorry, I get excited, there aren't many of us around. LOL

labdogs42

09-17-2008, 09:50 PM

I do both kinds of scrapping, but if was starting today, I'd probably just go digital. Check out some of the digi threads here to see what we're talking about! But, if you really want to go paper, I like Creative Memories albums the best. I also like their personal trimmer and tape runners. As for paper, go to Michael's or AC Moore and go crazy! I use a lot of plain papers in my Disney albums and I usually buy one of the dated kits when I'm in the parks to accessorize with. Have fun shopping, whatever you decide to do!

Boo Bear

09-17-2008, 11:09 PM

joann.com has a huge selection of discounted disney stickers. I got my 12 x 12 disney album from there for my last trip... $15 with their 50% off online coupon.

Missin'Disney

09-18-2008, 09:42 AM

I really appreciate all the feedback and advice you've all given me so far...what a friendly forum this is....:goodvibes
I think I'm leaning towards going the paper route to start with and then see if I could learn the digital later on...the paper just seems so fun....getting all the materials and embellishments seems like half the fun even though it is a lot of extra work. I guess a lot more expensive in the long run too. I'm gonna try to shop the sales though!

Bernard & miss Bianca...my hubby is an IT guy too...probably explains why we both have Macs (or more like 5 of them!)

Keep the great advice comin' gals - I need all the help I can get :thumbsup2

Missin'Disney

09-18-2008, 09:54 AM

Oh, Jessica (Labdogs42) your digital pages were great to look at. thanks for posting the link to them in your sig. I'm sure you've had lots of practice to get 'em looking that good... & your family is delightful!

BernardandMissBianca

09-18-2008, 09:57 AM

Bernard & miss Bianca...my hubby is an IT guy too...probably explains why we both have Macs (or more like 5 of them!)

Yep!!! I have 2, he has 1 for work. We have a Linux box (or 4) in the basement. We have Apple TV, the whole nine yards.
He works on windows boxes all day long and hates them! LOL

Plus the kids use Mac at school so it's an easy transition for them.

BTW you can call me BAMB or Buffy, Bernard and Miss Bianca is such a pain to type. LOL I love my name but I never expected to be on the DIS this much, so I picked the wrong username. :confused3 :rotfl2:

MazdaUK

09-18-2008, 09:58 AM

Host a creative Memories class and get free stuff! (Although its not a cheap option, I love their albums and ended up becoming a CMC so i could get the whole kit cut price ;) ) It will also help you through getting started - and they do a bit of Disney stuff ;)

Scrappindeals also has good bargains, but its a bit dangerous as I always end up with LOADS of extra stuff.

I don't want to digitally scrap as I'm in front of a screen all day (guess where I am now :guilty: ) and last thing I want to do when I get home is look at it for another few hours. of course I do to keep up with this lot, but you see what I mean:rotfl:

One more tip - hide your credit card or give it to your partner to look after:lmao:

nicurn

09-18-2008, 10:24 AM

I am another one who has an entire room of stuff. :) I like to make stuff vs scrapping at this point. (paper bag books, board books, exploding boxes..) I just discovered digital scrapping and I LOVE it. you can do it anywhere, it's not messy and it's much less expensive than paper scrapping. (there are all kinds of free kits, and you can make your own stuff). You also don't run out of stuff, once you download it, it's just there. :) There are a bunch of places to print out your pages in most sizes (8x8, 12x12, etc) I just got 10 pages printed at scrapbooksplease.com for 99cents for a 12x12 page. I was quite happy with them. I am also "caught" up now with pretty much all my pictures thanks to digital. Here's the best part though, my cats can't drag everything around! :) have fun scrapping, no matter how you do it. :) maggie

Missin'Disney

09-18-2008, 11:58 AM

For those of you who "hybid-scrap" do you feel like the digital finished products look as awesome as the layered paper ones do? I feel like the flat finished product would lack a certain something. Of course the ones I've seen posted look awesome and it does seem like there is SO much you can do with the digital layering, but I wonder if in person they look "flat" (since they are). The whole learning curve of the digital route seems extra hard...I mean, can you figure it all out if you don't have someone teaching you?

nicurn

09-18-2008, 12:11 PM

well, I'm just winging it. :) it's just really fun. maggie

chessie

09-18-2008, 12:57 PM

A friend was moving out of state. She made an 8 X 8 album of our fun times together and then had it printed to make duplicate albums for each of us. Behind a page protector you really can't tell they are prints and not the original dimensional pages.

I don't know where I stand on digital verses actual. One can only have a place to put so many albums. I've heard of people having 40 albums and counting. I don't know where I would put 40 albums. My thoughts of digital is to scrap an album, make a slide show out of it and then put that on a CD/DVD.

I also like having a book on the coffee table to browse through now and then.

I think maybe eventually I will become a hybrid scrapper, since I have this inner need ( addiction ) for paper.

nicurn

09-18-2008, 01:08 PM

rofl chessie, I so know what you mean about albums and where to put them. :) I have a cute little basket on my coffee table in the living room with several mini books. (paper bag books, etc) People pick them up all the time and flip through them. they are not intimidated by them because they are small. :)

as for printing the pages, I'm really happy with what I got back from the place I used. I just pretty much put a drop shadow on all the embellishments and that really does make them come off the page. :) maggie

Bikergranny

09-18-2008, 08:01 PM

I, too, have been scrapbooking (traditional) for almost 2 years and am just now getting interested in digital scrapbooking. My Creative Memories rep is offering a demo class next week and I'm going to attend so I can learn more about it and see if I might want to hybrid-scrap, too!

If you're relatively new to scrapbooking and do not yet have a lot of your own tools, I recommend signing up with a Creative Memories rep in your area (you can search their website by zip code to find the rep nearest you), and attend their workshops. As far as I know, they are all pretty much the same...the CM Reps put their OWN personal tools out for use by their customers, and you also get to scrap with others who share the same interest. You can browse other people's books and get new ideas, ask opinions of more experienced scrappers...I personally think CM workshops are wonderful and I attend at least 1 every month! This weekend I'm attending an all day workshop with 29 other scrappers...I attended last year's, too, and had a BLAST!

I have found some pretty reasonable prices online at place called Scrapbooking Warehouse (sorry I cannot give you the link because I'm too new to this forum and I do not have permission to post links yet, but I can tell you that when you type in the url, put a hyphen between the words, like this "scrapbooking-warehouse" dot com ;) ). I also agree that shopping the sales at Michael's, ACMoore and JoAnne's is a great way to build up your supplies. :thumbsup2

I have not been very disciplined about this new hobby of mine; I've spent a lot of $$ on supplies and just last week I finally got my scrapbook room finished (well, it will never REALLY be "finished", but I can now work in there, LOL). ;)

My kids are grown and my time & money are now a little more 'liquid' than in past years, so it's my turn to do something for ME! :banana: Scrapbooking has become my new passion in life...it's my sanity check, so to speak. ;)

HAPPY SCRAPPING EVERYONE!! :cool1:

rofl chessie, I so know what you mean about albums and where to put them. :) I have a cute little basket on my coffee table in the living room with several mini books. (paper bag books, etc) People pick them up all the time and flip through them. they are not intimidated by them because they are small. :)
maggie

Wow, what a GREAT idea, Maggie, thanks! I keep all my albums (even the little mini ones) in my scrapbook room on the bookshelf but I'm going to get a nice decorative basket for the living room so I can share them with people more freely. YOU ROCK!! :thanks:

Missin'Disney

09-18-2008, 08:10 PM

Thanks bikergranny....love your user name. Happy Scrapping...I think I'm gonna start with paper and see where it leads me...I'll be sure to post my first page ;)

Bikergranny

09-18-2008, 08:25 PM

Thanks bikergranny....love your user name. Happy Scrapping...I think I'm gonna start with paper and see where it leads me...I'll be sure to post my first page ;)

Thanks, I think it suits me. My mother-in-law laughs at me all the time because she says I'm a bit "unusual". I'm a Grandmother who rides a motorcycle, shoots pool and scrapbooks...not things that you usually see all wrapped up in one person! :rotfl:

I can't wait to see your first page...good luck and HAVE FUN!! :cool1:

nicurn

09-19-2008, 06:07 AM

Wow, what a GREAT idea, Maggie, thanks! I keep all my albums (even the little mini ones) in my scrapbook room on the bookshelf but I'm going to get a nice decorative basket for the living room so I can share them with people more freely. YOU ROCK!! :thanks:

you're welcome! :) maggie

Missin'Disney

09-19-2008, 04:34 PM

Thanks, I think it suits me. My mother-in-law laughs at me all the time because she says I'm a bit "unusual". I'm a Grandmother who rides a motorcycle, shoots pool and scrapbooks...not things that you usually see all wrapped up in one person! :rotfl:

I can't wait to see your first page...good luck and HAVE FUN!! :cool1:

Hey Bikergranny...there's another scrapper who has been giving me advice on this forum who you have something in common with. Although she's not a Granny yet, she is a scrapper, and rides a motorcycle too! And I assume you both love Disney or you wouldn't be hanging out around here ;) Her DISname is Disney_rider....

Anyway, I bought a bunch of tools this afternoon guys! It was really exiting but a bit expensive :eek:
Knew that was gonna happen & it ain't gonna get better anytime soon ;) I was quite overwhelmed in the mats & paper aisle. (went to A.C. moore & michaels.) But I got all my basic supplies and decided to save the paper for my next trip. I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks again for all the advice everyone!

Bikergranny

09-19-2008, 08:00 PM

Hey Bikergranny...there's another scrapper who has been giving me advice on this forum who you have something in common with. Although she's not a Granny yet, she is a scrapper, and rides a motorcycle too! And I assume you both love Disney or you wouldn't be hanging out around here ;) Her DISname is Disney_rider....

Anyway, I bought a bunch of tools this afternoon guys! It was really exiting but a bit expensive :eek:
Knew that was gonna happen & it ain't gonna get better anytime soon ;) I was quite overwhelmed in the mats & paper aisle. (went to A.C. moore & michaels.) But I got all my basic supplies and decided to save the paper for my next trip. I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks again for all the advice everyone!

Good for you...you've gotta start somewhere! :thumbsup2 At least you're being realistic about it and understand that this hobby does come with some initial expenses, but you must have the tools in order to create the layouts you want. Paper can be bought in bulk when Michael's, JoAnne's and A.C. Moore are having a sale. If you have Costco and Sam's Clubs where you live, they sometimes have paper packs that might give you a good "jump start" on a basic paper collection. ;)

I'll have to chat with Disney_rider next time I see her online. I'm definitely a Disney fan, we own a timeshare a few miles off Disney's property and went to Disney every other year for about 10 years, before we started trading our vacation weeks to other destinations. Now that the kids are all grown up, DH and I have been talking about going back to Disney next year (might even try to steal away some time this year around Christmas, if we can pull it off), so we can check out the "adult" part of Disney. :laughing:

Missin'Disney

09-24-2008, 08:16 PM

Hey gals....checking in to update you all on my progress!
Took advantage of last week's sales and got:
Fiskar trimmer, Isis plastic tote, some individual 12x12 plastic protector thingees, an expandable paper holder with a zipper & handles, zig glue pens, e-z runner, glue dots & squares, a cutterbee scissor, lots of paper and cardstock and a bunch of Jolee Disney stickers & titles & die cuts ( most that I found for 50% off retail on ebay from a great seller and some harder-to-find stuff from mouse memories) and some ribbons. I also had my album which I picked up at MouseGear in Epcot on our trip last month. So, I am now just waiting on my Photopass CD which is "in the mail" and I've still got to order a bunch of pix that were on my camera & are now in my iPhoto where I've been editing them this week. I was hoping to score a snapfish or shutterfly coupon in my inbox this week, so I was holding off on the order, but I'll probably just cave tomorrow and place the order. But I'm getting close to doing my first layout! :woohoo:
thanks again to all of you who gave me your advice and input! I sure did need it! Can't wait to share my first "masterpiece" with you all :rolleyes:

BernardandMissBianca

09-24-2008, 08:36 PM

sign up for Walgreens e-mails notices too. Sometimes they have good deals.

If anyone gets good deals via e-mail we usually post them here too.

Missin'Disney

09-25-2008, 10:31 AM

Thanks BAMB I didn't even realize that Walgreen's would be a good place to get scrapping stuff. I tried to sign up to get ac moore coupons via e-mail, but the coupons didn't come. Maybe it takes a few weeks :confused3
I'm off to go hunt for some snapfish codes now. Thanks again!

Missin'Disney

10-13-2008, 06:50 AM

Hey all....thanks for checking back...I just wanted to update you guys that were so nice and helpful to me :love:

My first page is ALMOST DONE....I'm just embellishing and I ran out of a particular color of cardstock on my last mat....but I'm hoping to have a pic of the completed layout posted here within a few days! :woohoo:

It was hard finally getting started, but I LOVED working with the paper and taking some time out of my hectic day to be creative. I'm so glad I went "paper" for my first page. I feel like I've really "made" something. Anyway, please check out the page when I post it and tell me what you think! :thumbsup2

Bye for now...

bigbabyblues

10-13-2008, 05:42 PM

I haven't been around much, but congrats on your first page! It sounds like you're doing great!

The whole thing is a learning process, at least to me. I've been scrapping about 10 years, but my pages aren't very fancy, most of the time. I do enjoy it most of the time, though, so I keep on.

Can't wait to see your page when you get it finished!

BernardandMissBianca

10-14-2008, 07:09 PM

Missin'Disney

10-16-2008, 06:46 AM

Ok...here it is guys....I haven't done the journaling on the white piece of cardstock cause I'm still trying to decide if I should go sticker or pen for that...but this is basically it. I'm hoping to get into the eyelet-setting on my next layout but my crop-o-dile (big bite) is quite scary and not user-friendly at all. Anyone have it that I can PM for advice?

Well, let me know what you guys think! Don't be too harsh ;)

http://gallery.me.com/kcurnuck#100040/IMG_1807&bgcolor=black