Let's talk about scrapbooking!

[bcblondie]

Does anyone here scrapbook? I love it! It took me a while to get into because I had to grow a bit of a stash of embellishments/glues/paper, etc. And then once I had that stuff I had a hard time thinking of layouts. I refused to use templates as I felt I was cheating and wouldn't learn. In hindsight maybe I should have cut myself some slack lol.
But now I've gotten the hang of it and can create a page within an hour (My first page took days. lol.)

What's everyones favorite scrapbooking item? I love stamps! You can use them over and over and even just use parts of them. They are endlessly versatile!

I just spent $200 at a Close to my Heart party. haha. Oops.

[out#edbyJs]

Hi, I've very new here, but I wanted you to know that I scrapbook.
I'm a fine artist at heart, but as a busy mama of 2, scrapbooking is a way to use up my creative energy and include my kids.

I love photography, paper scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, hybrid scrapbooking, painting, drawing, sculpture, really anything artistic I've tried it.

Can't say I have a favorite supply but I do like to collect paper.

And I don't think using templates is cheating, just think of it as a starting point. Most times if I do start with one, by the time I'm finished you couldn't tell because I own creativity took over.

[bcblondie]

Hi and welcome! I'm reletively new myself.

Yea... I've seen pages made from the same template and they can look 100% different. I think if I were to go back I'd cut myself a little slack. Probably would have saved myself some frustration and creative block.

[sunnysandiegan]

I scrapbook and love it! I've been wondering if there were any scrappers here on MDC.... I never see any topics on producing pages. I never thought to look in "fine arts", though.

Anyway, I have been scrappin' longer than "scrapbooking" was a term! I still vividly recall the first project I made. It was way back, long before I knew my DH. I made a mixed tape for a guy I had a major crush on and I printed out the words to each song on the tape and turned those lyrics into a fun "book" with fancy art paper and other artsy-crafty supplies. (This was before scrapbook paper existed.) The guy was impressed and we enjoyed a long-distance romance for awhile. Ah, memories...

I, too, love stamps!!!! I especially love clear stamps. They are versatile and fun and I enjoy creating new looks with the same stamp.

I have voluntarily put myself on a "craft diet" for a little over two years. I have only purchased supplies in that timeframe if I absolutely needed those supplies in order to finish a project I was literally in the midst of completing. (For the most part, I'm not perfect... ) In addition to severely curtailing my craft purchases, I have made it a point to work on projects. One of my favorite albums completed in that timeframe is a 6x6 album that is nearly five inches thick! I had taken meticulous notes on a cross-country road trip and had collected postcards and had oodles of pictures. All that stuff was bulky. Now it is fun and easy to view and I had a great time creating the album!

I am currently working on My Life Journey, which is a series of three albums covering the 13 years between high school graduation (age 17) and meeting my darling husband (age 30). I finished the first four years recently, which is a major milestone. I started the project with multiple binders, folders, and collections of memorabilia and over 1100 pictures. Merging everything into one cohesive album (series) has been uniquely challenging, yet creatively fulfilling.

[bcblondie]

Wow that's great! All I've done lately is make cards when there were birthdays, etc. I need to do some layouts very soon!

[sunnysandiegan]

Oh, you reminded me!!! DD & I need to make cards tomorrow for her twin cousins' birthdays and get them in the mail with their iTunes gift cards ASAP.

[bcblondie]

I take pics of all my cards, otherwise you have no record of what you've created

[sunnysandiegan]

I try to photograph or scan them all. I like scanning better, but a photo is much faster.

My DD is 8 and she tends to make our cards. I find the materials in the craft supplies and give her a few ideas and cut things, as needed, with the paper trimmer, but she does the rest. It is starting to be less work now for her to do them, but it used to be more work for me when she made them. All that "training" is starting to pay off!!!

[bcblondie]

I'm too lazy to scan. lol. That's so cute about your dd

[faerywings]

I am a digital scrapper. I use ACdsee Photo Editor 2008 for most of my scrapping. It is very easier to use, and the layers (they are called objects in PE) are clickable- meaning that you just click on the object to edit/move/resize. Layers are much easier to deal with in Photo Editor than in PhotoShop.
I also use CS2- which os sometimes just to massive a program to use, especially when you are a beginner.

I keep my scrap stuff organized with Photo Manager-- love being able to view and tag my digital kits and photos with it.

I have used shutterfly and artscow for printing and gifts and have been happy with both, Mostly I just resize my lo's down to 8x8 and print them on my photo printer at home.

[sunnysandiegan]

DD finished her first scrapbook last night!

She started it at a friend's birthday party where all 12 of the girls made scrapbooks during the party. DD requested pictures of her and the kitten we rescued last March, who is a full-fledged member of the family now. DD ended up doing a 20-page 6x6 album on Josie's First Year since the last page of DD's album is the kitten's first "birthday party".

I am still scrappin' away on My Life Journey album. Just finishing the final details on my best friend's wedding tonight.

[bcblondie]

Oh man I really need to get scrappin again.

[sunnysandiegan]

By pure luck, I am getting to spend the whole night scrappin' solo! I even got my quick dinner already. I wonder how many pages I can complete with ZERO distractions....................

[bcblondie]

Probably a lot.l lol. Have fun!

[CalaRei]

I always thought there were no scrapbookers on MDC, too.

I really prefer knitting, but since having the kids, knitting takes sooo long to even get a row done. Plus the scrapbooking forces me to get prints made so other people can see them without me opening up a laptop or something. It's a *little* more instant gratification.

I don't like really thick embellishments, or all the flowers that seem to be popular right now. I especially like to use mementos from trips - maps, tickets, etc. if I can.

[bcblondie]

Yea the thick embellishments make your book thick. That sucks.

[sunnysandiegan]

I prefer thinner embellishments, too. My reason is because I want the page protector to stay closed in order to protect the page from dust better. Thick embellies pop that puppy open for all the dust to slide on in....

Ironically, I only worked on one two-page layout that night. AND, it took me a WEEK to finish that one layout. It was complicated, but really?

[bcblondie]

It took me a really long time at first. Because I really hated using pre made layouts. I wanted to learn more creativity. I'm artistic but not creative. If that makes sense.
But I'm getting much faster at it now and can usually finish a page in like 2 hours.