Wednesday Sponsor Giveaways: Elise Blaha, ReVa, Studio Calico, & SheyB

I would tell new scrapbooker to just simply scrap with photos and wordings. No need for fancy embellishment. Photos and journaling are the most important parts of the whole process. I used to spend too much time "dressing" up a page and go through great lenght to get a particular embellishment. And in the mist of all the frustration lost the whole reason while I scrapbook in the first place.

The best advice would be to shop wisely! and use them before buying new ones. Someone should have told me that this is addicting LOL!

Don't scrap EVERY photo you take & JOURNAL, JOURNAL, JOURNAL! :-)

Sometimes trying to design a page and worrying about how to use all the supplies can be overwhelming. Start off using sketches and just focus on how to use the supplies. Build slowly, adding techniques and learning design principles as you go.

I wish someone had told me that I didn't have to scrapbook every since photo I took but rather to select the highlights. I have so many pages in albums from years past where there are so many pictures, all of which are extremely similar, that it overwhelms the thoughts behind the page and the journaling that goes with it!

A piece of advice I wish I had at the beginning is: There is no one "right" way of scrapbooking....the important thing is the documenting of stories, events, and the everyday stuff that makes up my life to preserve for my family and future generations to come.

My advice would be to not be afraid to use color. Color you never though would or could go together. Some of the best layout are a result of using color combinations you would have never thought of.

If you don't have a lot of time to scrapbook, you can get a lot done in 15 minutes. It may take all week to put a layout together but it's better than nothing.

That journeling is the most important piece of your scrapbook & that eventually I was going to like 12x12 albulms 10x more then 8x10. Wish I didn't have to convert pages now;o)

I would tell them not to buy everything they see. Buy only what you need for a certain project until they develop their own style. Then you aren't stuck with a bunch of product you'll never use.

Simple is good. Start your collection of supplies with adhesive, cutting tools, paper, photos, a good story, and if you want some punches or stamps get something that is MULTI PURPOSE. Circle or square punch...

Start the organization process early !!

You do not have to scrapbook every picture. It's really about the story and the memories, not the products. It's the little daily things in life that matter not just the big milestones & celebrations. There is no perfect starting point. Create from the heart. It does not have to be perfect. It's OK ~let go and enjoy the process.

Begin with something easy or a small event/story you want to tell. Don't start with the pictures that are your greatest treasures or an event that you feel needs the best scrapbook pages ever. Give yourself some time to "warm up" before delving into the big events so that you won't have so much pressure to create something marvelous the first time you create a page.
I also second what many others have posted - just do it and don't worry about chronology.

There are tons of great comments on here! my advice is the same as some others...just start scrapping! It doesn't have to be perfect...whatever happens on the page is meant to be. Also...have fun! I tend to stress about stupid stuff so this is a good reminder to me that my hobby is supposed to be FUN and not a stress maker!
Thanks for the opportunity, Ali!

Don't be afraid of color!!!! Some of the best pages are a result of color combination you would have never though of.

Try out the (free) digital stuff available before spending all the money on hardware. Also be sure to scrap with a like-minded individual. It is so much more fun

Don't worry about trying to scrap every single photo. And for crying out loud, don't feel like you've got to start back at the beginning of time. Scrap what inspires you and the rest will fall into place.

I'm sure this one has been said lots already, but my best advice would be to not crop old photos that you don't have copies of. Hoo boy do I have some big cropping regrets from those early days!

I would encourage a new scrapper to just get started. It's important to get your pictures off your camera and/or computer and into some sort of format. And, not to worry about getting behind. You'll never "catch-up" and that's not really the point anyway. Scrap the pictures - good or bad - and tell the stories you love because they mean something to you and you will have a beautiful memory book.