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

Paint is essential for frugal scrapbooking. You can change the color of chipboard, stickers, embellishments, or even ugly background paper. Add a few alcohol inks for plastic and metal, and you can transform any old product (or pieces from the recycling bin) into something new!

I save my little scraps of paper in a coupon filer by color. Always know where to reach for a little piece.

My most frugal scrapbooking tip is to save all my scraps. Its been said before, but it truly saves alot of money and great for making cards, pic mats and all sorts of things. I must also share my 23 yr old poor college student daughter's frugal tip. USE MOM'S STUFF!!! I just love her :)
Atlanta would be great for me!! Thanks for your great website.

My frugal tip is if you have a brad or something that is a wrong color, just cover it will a little paint, Alcohal ink or embossing powder of your choice, and poof! It matches!

Frugal scrapbooking for me means using the weekly coupons from the newspaper to save money at my local crafts store. Not very original, I know. But its my routine!
Thanks for the great giveaways Ali! I live just outside of Atlanta so i could go to the workshops if I won!

My frugal scrapbooking tip is to swap paper with your friends when you get together to scrap. We have scrap night once a month, and we each bring 10 sheets of paper we do not want. We trade and it is like getting new paper each month.

I try to keep a balance between buying new goodies and appropriating found items or things I already have. When I recently did a major clean-out of my craft cupboard, I realized I have so much already and don't need to buy new scrapbook things for quite awhile. Thanks!

I recycle shabby office supplies like folders and envelopes. I slice them, reface them,punch and stamp until they are a nice addition to a page or project.

Hold onto little pieces from your everyday life! So many things I scrap with are little pieces of "junk" that I collect from all over the place. I like the unique look they give pages.

I have become quite fond of buttons as a way to embellish my scrapbook pages and cards. I always look for buttons at garage/estate sales and at antique shops. Sometimes an older detailed button can make the whole layout work and the cost is minimal. Also buying buttons during the summer is much less expensive than waiting until the holidays.

My favorite tip is to look for items you can use for scrapbooking else where in the store. I think scrapbooking things can tend to be over priced. I look charms, flowers, ribbons, and fun embellishments all over the place~in the jewelry making isle and in the fabric section. I always find great stuff to use!

I have started gifting scrapbooking items to my friends that I don't think that I will use. This has helped clean up my space and made my friends very happy.

I think my best frugal tip is to spend money on quality tools like punches and stamps that you can use again and again.

I don't really have any fabulous tips...I do like sharing stuff with my friends though.

I save all scraps size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 & larger....(card size) or any width that is 12" long. (They make excellent borders) I then recycled 10 large cereal boxes, cut the tops off at an angle, covered them in white contact paper and labeled each one with a different color of the rainbow. Now all my scraps are sorted and when I am working on a layout I go to those boxes first! If there isn't something that works, then I cut up a fresh piece of paper. It has really saved me a lot of money & time and the better part is it's saving the environment too!

Oh, this sounds fun. I love to use the packaging my products came in to add dimension and recycle, aka save money. Thanks for opportunity!

My frugal scrapbooking tip would be to try and make a lot of embellishments yourself. Isn't it fun to make a LO or card or such with handmade embellishments? Makes me even more proud of what I have accomplished :)

A good frugal tip that I like to incorporate into some of my scrapbooking is to use the sticker backsides (i think thats what there called) or the backing of a chipboard shape. Especially with circles, hearts, stars, and other basic shapes.....you can have 2x as many embellishments.

So many good tips. I like re-using packaging and also keep the punched out sheets left over after the kid's game pieces have been removed from a new game. pokemon gave me a cool sheet of 5 or 6 rows of circles. You can use them as stencils, trace them, make your own background paper and embellishments. The cardboard is usually very thick so it lasts for a while.
Maria

When shopping, ask yourself, "Do I really need this?" Go thro your stash and supplies regularly so you know what you have. Too many times I've purchased something only to find that I already have one (or 2!).