Wednesday Sponsor Giveaways : Paper Relics, Shabby Chic Crafts, & Scrap Etc. Events

I agree, at least in theory!! At least 99% of my scrapbooking is digital, which can be cheaper if you can figure out how to resist all of the wonderful new stuff coming out all the time. My HUGE weak spot is pretty much everything at www.designerdigitals.com!! But I definitely have a handful of items I've used over and over and over, so they've been well worth their initial purchase...

I take the black (or white) cardstock out of my page protector refills and reuse it as plain cardstock. Its not textured like Bazzill is, but I don't mind.

My tip is to use everything you have on hand, even if it has nothing to do with scrapbooking ! A chocolate box, a ribbon or a button from an old cloth... It's original and you save money !

My DH is out of work right now so I have challenged myself to not spend any money on srapbooking products because I have a large stash. LOL So, I am reorganzing and find lots of great stuff, especially papers. I made Easter projects last weekend and had a ball!

I save lots of the scrap pieces and also started saving card board boxes to make them into album covers. I simply cut them to the size I want then cover them with my paper of choice and poof an album cover. Thanks for all the giveaways!

Tip of the day...I like to stencil around chipboard letters and either use paint or watercolor pencils to fill in with color to match your layout. You can also stencil around chipboard frames to make endless whimsical pieces to add to your layout (and they are great for journaling). Chipboard can be expensive, but stenciling is a great way to stretch your dollar.

I recycle/reuse whatever I can find--whether it's cutting buttons off of old clothes, using the corners from junk mail envelopes and even punching shapes out from clothing catalogs--such fun patterns to choose from.

I try to use all my scraps for punches..parts of cards and what is left my toddler gets to use for pasting and creating..he loves to get mommy's stuff!!

Look for free stash everywhere - recycle packaging; use old clothes (if they're not in good enough condition to give to charity shops), cut off ribbon hanging loops, clothes tags, etc; look at everything through 'craft' glasses and it's amazing how much useful stash you can accumulate! And (well washed!) takeaway tubs are great for organising and storing all the bits and pieces you collect.
I wouldn't be able to get to Atlanta :-( I would so love any of the other prizes though!

My frugality tip is to share with friends. I recently bought a few of Heidi Swapps pkgs of embellies, my friend bought 2, and so did I. Then we went through and halved all four of them. There is often plenty in pkgs to share. It was like buying a Twix and splitting it while you sit on the swings.

Gosh this is a tough one because I want everything I see when it comes to scrapbooking, but I just created a page about Back To School shopping and all of my embellishments were the tags ,labels and receipts from what we bought turned out really cool.

I live out in the country so when I go into town for my weekly errands, groceries, etc. I walk through places like Big Lots and Tuesday Mornings. They have brand name scrapbook supplies at great discounts. I save on gas and get some fun craft things I would otherwise not be able to afford.

This isn't so much my tip, but one of my coworker's; she cuts out a big square out of the back of the bottom piece of paper she is using if she knows most of the bottom page is going to be covered up. Such a simple but helpful trick!

My frugal tip is to use digital products. You can find freebies online, and if you do purchase a kit, you can use it again and again and alter it to fit your needs. Even if you don't do digital scrapping you can print items out to use. I've started digiscrapping, and I hardly spend anything on supplies anymore. The artscow.com website is the most economical way I've found to print my digital books.
Ali - thanks for offering all these cool things. I think I actually could attend the conference in ATL, and would love some alone time!

I could totally be in Atlanta for the scrap etc event!
frugal tip...I am refusing to buy new things until I go through what I have first. The other tip is to use digital items in various ways (change the color, size, etc).

Queen of frugal here... I shop thrift stores for old games and use the pieces for scrapbooking and crafts. Another fun frugal tip is to use the corrugated paper inside the light bulb box and then paint or stamp it. For cleaning my stamps I use my costco baby wipes. They work awesome! One last tip... save the ribbon and goodies from your presents! You can use them on your layouts or even reuse on another present. :o)

after i'm done shooting, i always upload my photos to costco.com, shutterfly.com, or scrapbookpictures.com. i always use shutterfly to produce their amazing quality photo books and i have always loved the quality of costco prints and so very convenient for me to pick up since i work there and i love the quality and the print size selections of scrapbookpictures.com. and i love my portable hard drive too. you never when that fateful day might take away all those cherished photos. (ps. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SCRAP ETC. EVENT)

Two things I'm doing right now. Maybe not considered frugal, but here they are:
1. Using what I have, instead of buying new items. Rediscovering what I own by digging through the storage bins is kind of fun. Kind of like shopping, but not spending another dime.
2. Scanning in old pics (pre-digital camera) to save them digitally. Then scrapping thos pics. Fun to document some of the old stories that go with the photos and I'm not spending a dime on photo finishing or printing.
Loving reading others' frugal tips. Lots of great ideas. Kind of where my mind is right now with trying to spend less.
Michelle

I love to use inks on my paper. It's amazing what some ink on textured cardstock can do, without forking out for patterened papers all the time.
Also, pass on your unused/old products to friends and family. It helps them out and clears up your space!

I use packaging in my scrapbooks. The cute little cardboard backing from embellishments are always great. I've even used the thick star tag from my daughter's new converse shoes! (I'm cheap & happy!)