What do you wish you'd known when you started?

[NewEnglandDisney]

Well, I've finished about ten pages in the last few days. Well, finished is a relative term...the basics are done, but a few are going to have some additional embellishments that I've ordered, but the pics and mattes and everything have been finished and the pages are glued together. I've been having so much fun! Thanks again to everyone for all their help.

I was wondering if some of the vets and experts would like to share a tip or two they wish they had known when they began. Mine is simple - I used way, way too much adhesive on my first few pages. Some of them looked a little wrinkly (I had to fix it) because I used so much. After page 6 or 7 I learned that just a tiny dab works - this stuff is going to be in protective pages, not put out in a hurricane, LOL. I was slathering the stuff on - so much so that I'm almost through one tube.

Now I've learned...anyone else want to share a tip or three?

NED

 

[MazdaUK]

1. Its addictive - my original one small tote has now expanded to two totes, a sticker file, paper file, photo box and a box of stuff I haven't admitted to yet

2. Lots of stuff I buy I don't have the courage to use - I've got some lovely printed papers and I keep getting them out and putting them back again

3. Your projects multiply! I started off with one album for vacations and one for Christmas, plus one each for my two boys and a small Disney one for DLP. I now also have a whole album for our Canada vacation, one waiting for my WDW vacation and 2 waiting to start for recipe books. PLus numerous mini projects for birthday and Christmas gifts. And sometime I'll have to go back and do wedding albums for me and my sister.

On your glue problem try something like CM photo splits or tape runner - you really only need to tack things down if you're using page protectors (which you should to avoid disasters!)

 

[JESW]

Just because I have a 40% coupon burning a hole in my pocket DOES NOT mean that I have to use it!! I was cleaning my room this weekend and I have waaaaaaay too much stuff!! So much was bought with coupons, and then added more stuff with my purchase.

Also, I found that being on scrapbooking message boards where everyone is talking about scrapbooking, you can get caught up in the I WANT/NEED EVERYTHING!!

Soooooo...I am trying real hard to stay out of the stores and use up a lot of what I have. I have also donated a bunch of stuff to my dd7's art teacher as she teaches after school classes at our school and at others - I feel good if I know someone is actually USING the stuff instead of it just sitting in my house waiting for "some day...".

It is actually much more important to get the page and story complete than having everything PERFECT (perfect doesn't exist).

Taking classes is a lot of fun. Wish I had started earlier but I was too insecure about my abilities - once I started I found that mostly everyone feels that way!

Even tho I take 100 pictures of one event, I don't have to use ALL of them - it is more important to pick the best ones that tell the story.

It is good to start labeling your photos as soon as you take them. (I try to label with the date on the back and then I group them in envelopes of the same month)

Organization of your materials is the key - but easier said than done. Having more stuff isn't actually better as then you have to go through all your stuff just to find what you want!

Scrapbooking is supposed to be fun! When it starts stressing me out then I know it's time to step away from it for a while. (I am currently up to 11/03 in my dd7's book and 11/02 in ds11's book - I remind myself all the time that it is not important to be up-to-date, but the important thing is that I am working on their books! )

Jill

 

[LisaB]

I would buy better organizing stuff and i like you Jill just because i have a coupon doesn't mean i have to buy something with it

 

[MissBubbles]

That I don't have to own every tool out there. If I could start over again, I would buy just a paper trimmer and some good scissors. I think of all the decorative scissors, templates, punches I've bought and really haven't used in a really long time.

Addictive!?! You better believe it! I own so much paper I could open my own store. I think I've gotten over the "I can't use it - it's too cute" phase. I figure, I bought it, I'm using it.

The other thing to remember, is that I'm of the opinion there is no right way/wrong way. The scrapbook police will not visit my house (or yours) and charge you with misusing some product or picture. If you like it, it's a great layout in my book.

 

[momtolandm]

I also wish I hadn't bought everything I saw at first. I wasted a lot of money buying stuff to go with pictures I would get to later. I still haven't gotten to most of those pictures and now that stuff is all out of date.

I also wish I had organized my albums into categories right away. I started out totally chronilogical and have now switched it up a little bit by having categories for Christmas, Holidays, each of my girls, Weddings, and Everyday Life. I like this way better but it was a lot of work to change it around.

 

[JandJ]

After I'd been scrapping for a couple of years I met a super lady at a crop who gave me advice that I still stick to, and wish I'd had from the beginning: Not every page has to be a masterpiece, when you do too much embellishing you lose sight of the pictures, which are the real reason for making a scrapbook in the first place. Just make every 5th page "extra special" and all the others will look better too.

 

[MazdaUK]

Be careful what you use to write on the back of your pics as it can come through/make dents/smudge. I use a SM pencil which is specially for that purpose. Also I have (not all but I'm starting) pics sorted in my CM box with the dividers labelled - birthdays 2006 for example - so when I get to those pics I can also look for embellishments and papers suitable to the topic.

 

[jenr812]

Lots of good advice here, and I especially relate to Jill's entire post!! One thing I recently changed as far as organization is this: I bought the 12x12 Sterilite drawers from Target and have organized my supplied by theme. I have all of the same theme related stuff together - baby, Christmas, fall/Halloween, summer/beach/pool, spring/Easter, DISNEY!!, birthday/party, love/Valentine, school, etc. I keep the papers that are SPECIFICALLY for that theme as well as some coordinating papers, stickers, embellishments, stamps, etc in the drawer together. It has really helped me get more done, instead of having to dig through as much stuff that isn't related to my topic. Of course, I still have lots of random supplies, but it's easier to go through now.

 

[phantom728]

Lots of good advice here, and I especially relate to Jill's entire post!! One thing I recently changed as far as organization is this: I bought the 12x12 Sterilite drawers from Target and have organized my supplied by theme. I have all of the same theme related stuff together - baby, Christmas, fall/Halloween, summer/beach/pool, spring/Easter, DISNEY!!, birthday/party, love/Valentine, school, etc. I keep the papers that are SPECIFICALLY for that theme as well as some coordinating papers, stickers, embellishments, stamps, etc in the drawer together. It has really helped me get more done, instead of having to dig through as much stuff that isn't related to my topic. Of course, I still have lots of random supplies, but it's easier to go through now.

I also agree with this. I started buying the single folders (can't think of the name right now) and if working on one specific project, then put all those items in that. It helped me tremendously when I go to a crop and then have all the items relating to the projects I'm working on.

I also agree about the coupon. I've have so much cardstock that I've tried not to purchase any of that and have been trying to use what I have without buying new. So far I've been doing okay with that.

Also, the tools. Luckily, cost is always a factor in my decisions, but I've purchased a few that I don't really use much.

Enjoy - once you start, you can't stop

 

[scrapperjill]

I wish when I "first" started I would have invested in a few real good basic tools...like circle cutters and paper trimmers from CM. As it was I used what ever circular object I could find (cups, bowls, cans) to trace around then hand cut out...talk about a BAD idea.

I've found scrapbooking to be an ever changing process. My scrapbook style is TOTALLY diffrent than what it was when I first started....but I just think of it as evolving. Am also sure that as I continue scrapbooking I'll continue to change my style along with the trends and products that are out there.

I've learnd...that I don't like using glue sticks or liquid glue. I do use some on embellishments...but not on my paper. Because it does tend to warp and ripple the pages. I stick with tape runners or photo splits (again from CM)

I also really like the idea or thought to take classes when your starting....and not wait until you feel more in the know. Classes like styles keep changing and evolving also...so what you learn at a class this week...may not be what there teaching at a class next year.

 

[cobbler]

I agree with everything here.

I also wish I wouldn't have gone gung-ho on buying products in the beginning. As you scrap more, you learn and start to develop a style that you like. A lot of the stuff I bought doesn't fit with the style that I have grown too.

 

[justjulie]

I learned to stay away with anything in "kit" form. I spent a fortune on a kit and ended up giving half of it away. You need to explore and find your style and those kits usually only give you one piece of each patterned paper - what if you want to do a double layout - can't be done!

I started taking more classes to learn from the experts - there are some very talented people out there!

 

[Spinning]

Yep! I agree with everything posted above!
I think the biggest thing I have learned over the years, buy as needed. When you have the pictures, then buy. I have paper, embellishments and tons of other stuff I will never ever use! Stickers come to mind. I went nuts over them and had a binder you couldn't even close!

 

[klmall]

Not having an artistic bone in my body nor a truly original idea in my brain, I wish I had realized earlier that I could look at all the wonderful sites online and combine ideas to come up with my own unique style and be happy. I do that often now and my pages reflect it!

Also, I stick to one background paper for theme albums with perhaps a different opening and closing page. I do a lot of tribute albums for people and I used to try to change the background paper to fit the pictures. Now I buy a great background paper in quantity and use that and the whole album looks better.

For a trip type album I might buy several different papers in the same family but in different shades to complement different pictures. It works well for me!

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

After I'd been scrapping for a couple of years I met a super lady at a crop who gave me advice that I still stick to, and wish I'd had from the beginning: Not every page has to be a masterpiece, when you do too much embellishing you lose sight of the pictures, which are the real reason for making a scrapbook in the first place. Just make every 5th page "extra special" and all the others will look better too.

You know, when this thread came back alive I realized that this piece of advice has really helped me already from reading it the first time around. My scrapping has been very basic - not a lot of paper layering, not a lot of layering period, just layouts I find attractive using my very limited skills (I'm a bad manual cutter - thank God for the paper cutter!). They aren't perfect, but they look nice enough to me, and that's what I'm realizing is important.

So thanks for sharing that tidbit! You definately "payed it forward" by sharing such great advice.

NED