Big challenge: I need help: starting scrapbooking over

[estherhead]

OK, I've spent the last 2 years being pregnant & having baby #3 who is now 20 months. I also became vice president of my parent's business (they are retiring/retired) and have a successful wedding cake decorating business which I run from my house.

Bottom line, I've been busy.

But prior to this I was a scrapbooker & fairly good at it. I have a whole room with tons of storage, a dedicated computer and printer, and tables which has been totally UNUSED for 2 years and is a disaster.

I just told my mom I want a Cricut for my anniversary (my anniversary is today) and told my dh that I'm going to reorganize it & as soon as we get home from Disney I am going to spend my winter scrapping the last 5 years worth of photos.

This includes 3 trips to Disney, pretty much the entire childhoods of my 2 older kids (preschool-3rd grade), the birth of my current baby, her first 2 years, a trip to Yellowstone, etc.

Obviously, I have a lot of work to do.

Tell me what I've missed in the world the last 5 years, what I need to buy & what to definately NOT buy. Help me organize my room, buy or download essentials for my computer, and learn to use my Cricut (whichever one I end up getting.)

I'm not looking to spend tons of money (though I'm willing to spend some ) and I have TONS of stuff already just sitting there unused. But no super awesome tools.

Also, I am interested in swapping eventually but don't fully understand all the options on these boards.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Cricut is a good start. As well as any/all of the carts you want. Ac Moore and Michaels both have sale going on right now.
The Big Bite is also a handy new toy that is on my Christmas list.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

What exactly are your questions in regards to the swapping?
We have a great group here that are very helpful and supportive!! So, please don't be intimidated....when it's cut and dry it's a very easy process...sometimes reads a lot worse than it really is!!!

Fire away w/ questions we'll be glad to help out! Welcome back to the wonderful addiction of scrapping!!!

 

[estherhead]

Cricut is a good start. As well as any/all of the carts you want. Ac Moore and Michaels both have sale going on right now.
The Big Bite is also a handy new toy that is on my Christmas list.

I went & looked at the big bite. I've never really got into grommetting too much, tho it interests me. Can you show me (or point me to) a site where the scrapper uses a lot of the things this tool would do?

Also, I have NO craft stores within an hour of me. I have a super Wal-Mart, a Big Lots, and the Dollar Tree. That's it. I do get out of my small town once in awhile & immediately head to a craft store, but I can't just swing by because there is a sale. Because of this I benefit a lot more from amazing internet sales (or free shipping.)

What exactly are your questions in regards to the swapping?
We have a great group here that are very helpful and supportive!! So, please don't be intimidated....when it's cut and dry it's a very easy process...sometimes reads a lot worse than it really is!!!

Fire away w/ questions we'll be glad to help out! Welcome back to the wonderful addiction of scrapping!!!

I find it totally intimidating! The stuff you all do is so good. I'm afraid my stuff would be lame. I tried to read all of the stuff on it & see if I basically got it, you pick a swap you want, like school themes. THen pick two things to do you feel fairly confident in, like for me it would be making mattes and maybe a border. You make 5 of each of those & ship them to the host. Then you get ten things back, your original matte & border and the other 4 people's 2 things?

I think I have the concept, I'm just not sure I'm good enough.

I'm gonna hang out & check out, and steal, all ya'll's amazing ideas until I'm good enough.

If I get around to it today I'll take a few photos of my last scrapbooks so you can see me level. Maybe that would help you to see if I would qualify to be in a swap. I just wouldn't want to get 8 amazing creations & have turned in 2 boring ones.

 

[Raenstoirm]

If you need a good cricut sale, heres one....
http://www.customcrops.com/

As for the big bite, I tend to use a lot of vellum (cant stand my handwriting) so I use brads a lot and currently I just have the little one which only reaches a few inches onto the page.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

I find it totally intimidating! The stuff you all do is so good. I'm afraid my stuff would be lame. I tried to read all of the stuff on it & see if I basically got it, you pick a swap you want, like school themes. THen pick two things to do you feel fairly confident in, like for me it would be making mattes and maybe a border. You make 5 of each of those & ship them to the host. Then you get ten things back, your original matte & border and the other 4 people's 2 things?

I think I have the concept, I'm just not sure I'm good enough.

I'm gonna hang out & check out, and steal, all ya'll's amazing ideas until I'm good enough.

If I get around to it today I'll take a few photos of my last scrapbooks so you can see me level. Maybe that would help you to see if I would qualify to be in a swap. I just wouldn't want to get 8 amazing creations & have turned in 2 boring ones.

That is how we all feel at one time or another!!! I've done several swaps over the years and still get intimidated!!! EVERYONE qualifies for a swap.... no worries...and if you are questioning your work....just send a photo to the hostess or post a photo on the thread and ask for input... everyone is very RESPECTFUL with their advice...and helpful with suggestions... There should be some newbie swaps coming up in the new year if you would prefer to get your feet wet with one of those first...but don't hesitate to jump right in... the ladies on here are very good about helping out and being supportive!!! If I'm not in the swap, you will always find me on the threads being a cheerleader!!!! I got 5 kids~ 3 playing basketball starting this week so I have no time to swap right now....but believe me, I'll be in the midst of it all being nosey....but very SUPPORTIVE!!

Keep with it and whenever you are ready to jump in just sign up.. If there is ever anything I can do, let me know...

Nancy

 

[rlovew]

I find it totally intimidating! The stuff you all do is so good. I'm afraid my stuff would be lame. I tried to read all of the stuff on it & see if I basically got it, you pick a swap you want, like school themes. THen pick two things to do you feel fairly confident in, like for me it would be making mattes and maybe a border. You make 5 of each of those & ship them to the host. Then you get ten things back, your original matte & border and the other 4 people's 2 things?

I think I have the concept, I'm just not sure I'm good enough.

I'm gonna hang out & check out, and steal, all ya'll's amazing ideas until I'm good enough.

Everyone is good enough - we ask that you follow the guidelines- use good materials and do your best. I have been swapping for a couple of years and there are times I am intimidated by what others have done. If you are interested in the school swap join it. We will be more than happy to help you as you go along.

Rebecca

 

[estherhead]

Thanks guys! My dh & I dropped our kids off at my mom & dad's house tonight and there was a big wrapped present for us. I turned & stared at my mom because I just told her this morning! She just gave me a goofy grin. Dh unwrapped it and said, "I know what this is! It's a plotter." So he was happy to have it too and was already thinking of ways to use it.

I guess she just walked into Wal-Mart & saw there were two kinds. She said she pondered which to get the Cricut for $184 or the Expression for $289. But she said the $184 seemed to do a lot less and didn't come with a starter cartridge so it seemed like a stupid idea. So she bought us the Expression which, of course, was exactly what I wanted.

Anyhow, I just got back from dinner & read the manual and cut out a few things. Boy do I see the potential!

I'll be on in the next few days & then I have to take a break from researching as I have a Disney trip to get ready for. But starting December 10th you guys had better believe I'll be spending the winter on here!

I'm off to check out the swaps right now and see how I'm feeling tonight with the confidence of my new toy.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Honestly I would step back a bit. the very first thing you should do is clean and organize your scrap room. go through and purge your supplies and decide what you need, like, and love and decide what you can toss, donate, or sell.
Since you are a seasoned scrapper it shouldn't be to hard to delve back in but tons have changed in the past 5 years.
How did you scrap before, chronological, theme, etc. You now have 3 kids to throw in the mix too. Are you going to start scrapping them right away? Will they get individual books or one family book.

Swapping is fun, addicting, but fun. I make a calendar every year with the upcoming swaps,sign up dates, due dates, and who is hostessing. The hostess posts the rules for their swap. Most are the same but everyone has their own tweaks.

Getting into the swaps will help you get your pages going too. Rebecca did 100+ pages at one of our weekend crops using mostly swap items.

We also have a monthly challenge to keep us motivated, we tally how many pages we get done each month. And we are also tracking for the year.


Congrats on the big Bug! I love mine, I have both machines. Watch for sales on the cartridges, we usually post sales here. There are a few good websites you can order from too.

sorry if this post is all wonky, my mind is running about 1000 miles a minute.
Anyway welcome aboard and we can't wait to see you around after your trip.

 

[estherhead]

Honestly I would step back a bit. the very first thing you should do is clean and organize your scrap room. go through and purge your supplies and decide what you need, like, and love and decide what you can toss, donate, or sell.

I'll do this as soon as I come home from Disney. I'll probably go down tomorrow night and write a list. I doubt I'll have much to purge. I'm not much of a packrat & tried to spend almost no money before. It's mostly just paper/cardstock, paper cutters & scissors, and pens. My stickers & borders are still perfectly organized in big binders. I've kept up with them as I've used them off & on for a job well done on my kid's papers, etc. But the organizing will have to happen for sure.

Since you are a seasoned scrapper it shouldn't be to hard to delve back in but tons have changed in the past 5 years.
How did you scrap before, chronological, theme, etc. You now have 3 kids to throw in the mix too. Are you going to start scrapping them right away? Will they get individual books or one family book.

Honestly, this is probably my biggest issue. I DON'T KNOW! What should I do? I'm going to meditate on this for the next month while I'm organizing & travelling. You are absolutely right. I can do nothing until I have the answer. Well, not nothing. I do like having a book for each big vacation and we went to Yellowstone this year. So I'll probably start with that & learn how to use my Cricut before starting on more important projects like my kid's babyhoods.

Swapping is fun, addicting, but fun. I make a calendar every year with the upcoming swaps,sign up dates, due dates, and who is hostessing. The hostess posts the rules for their swap. Most are the same but everyone has their own tweaks.

I signed up for the school one today & thought I would jump into that just to see if I'd like it or not. I'm not a person who really understands what I'm doing until I'm doing it. So I'll put my whole heart into it & either be addicted or never do another one.

Getting into the swaps will help you get your pages going too. Rebecca did 100+ pages at one of our weekend crops using mostly swap items.

Ooo, what is a weekend crop & how can you do 100+ pages in 2 days????

We also have a monthly challenge to keep us motivated, we tally how many pages we get done each month. And we are also tracking for the year.


Congrats on the big Bug! I love mine, I have both machines. Watch for sales on the cartridges, we usually post sales here. There are a few good websites you can order from too.

sorry if this post is all wonky, my mind is running about 1000 miles a minute.
Anyway welcome aboard and we can't wait to see you around after your trip.

Thank you so much! I can't wait to learn from you guys. I've learned more on the Disboards than you can possibly believe. We took our grocery bill from $150.00 a week last year this time to $80.00 a week for the past year due to all the info on the Budgets boards. So when I wanted to scrap again & KNEW just where to go to get me started! Disboards: It's not just for Disney any more.