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I have seen to many people doubt themselves when they start scrapbooking, so I would tell them that whatever they make is ok, that sharing the history is important and that they don't have to buy everything right away to make it good.

as a person who has wasted a lot (A LOT!) of time wondering what to do and wanting everything to be perfect, paralyzed by the thought of ruining a photo or some fancy paper, I would say just go for it and get the photo and the words down because time flies and before you know it the memories that you think you will never forget fade away. I so wish I could remember exactly what I was thinking or exactly what my little one was saying or doing when I look at most of our photos. just go for it and focus on preserving beautiful moments not making the perfect page.

best advice is do a kit first.....it takes the guess work and feelings of inadequacy out of it and makes it a positive experience;) Sounds a bit trite but there is a huge intimidation factor out there!

Be inspired by what you see around you. There's no "ONE" way to scrapbook.

My advice: Never use your original photo, always, always use copies. That way, if you mess up, or if you just want to redo a page, you haven't cropped and permanently adhered your only copy of a precious photo beyond redemption. (And if your photos are digital, make absolutely sure they're backed up!!)

The ONE thing I wish I would have known to focus on, especially during the busy "small children" years... was to WRITE my stories down.... even if I wouldn't get a chance to actually scrap it for a while...the pictures won't fade... but BOY does the memory! I spend more time now jotting down thoughts and quotes and stories as they happen and then add my photos. It is your STORY that you want to capture AND that is what your kids will ask about!

My advice would be to start scrapbooking the pictures that you love. Dont be sucked into the thought that you have to catch up and scrapbook chronologically starting at the beginning of time. Enjoy yourself! Make it fun!

I tried to make things perfect and my advice is that there are no mistakes in scrapbooking.

Dont get overwelmed. Just take it slow. Focus on the pictures and journaling and add the rest to your taste.

I would say relax and have fun with it. Don't stress about being behind, just choose the stories you want to remember and capture those.

My advice would be to start off buying paper as you need it (yeah right, lol) But I have given away so much patterned paper that I have bought over the years and just never used. I would love to be able to shop by layout. Get my photos and head to the scrapbook store. I don't like having a stash. It's a lot of wasted money in my opinion. You don't have to spend a lot to keep up with this hobby, but so many of us do.

My best advice would be "Remember to capture the story." My first scrapbooks are just photos, paper, and embellishments. I wish someone had told me to write down the stories as well because I can't remember them anymore. (It also would have helped if someone told me what the basic materials I needed were, a scrapbook store can be so daunting to a beginner.)

You don't have to scrap every picture you take! I have 20,000 pictures from the last five years alone! Just do what you feel ---tell the stories.

Start simply. Pictures and your story make a layout. Start with cardstock, adhesive and pictures. Use you computer or handwrite your title and journalling. I love my first simple layouts. Just start scrapbooking and enjoy.

My advice for a new scrapbooker would be to pick a few favorite photos and write something about them -- the message you want to convey or share -- then put them in a little book or on a page and it can be that simple! You don't need to run out and buy a bunch of "stuff" -- that can come as you "need" it. Start out with the basics and build.

The best advice I could give a new scrapbooker would be to not stress about scrapbooking chronilogically. Go ahead and bounce around. Know right now that YOU WILL NEVER BE CAUGHT UP! and.....that's OK! Just have fun!

I wish I had been given a list of necessities and a simpler approach to scrapbooking. I bought a lot of useless items and my scrapbooks were a little too busy with embellishments.

I tell new scrapbookers to pick the photos that will tell the story, not try to use every picture you take.

I wish someone had clued me in early on to the basic design ideas that I finally found in your books: focal point, message, color, balance and journaling. When I remember these, I love my layouts.
Rinda

Scrap what you love! Love what you make...
Keep your mind open about the possibilities...