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

To just do it- get started, instead of just thinking about getting started all the time!

Don't worry about being 'caught up'----it's too overwhelming. Just focus on one project at a time, and ENJOY!

My advice would be follow your heart, don't do what everyone else is doing because it's the new thing. Find your own style and stick with it also you don't need every new tool out there either. I have a few that I have been using for years and if there is something new that you want to try try it out first at a local scrapbook store or as other's their opinion. But most importantly have fun and don't take yourself so seriously.

My best advice for a new scrapper is to pick a smallish project and complete it! My girlfriend just finished her first 8X8 album and is so excited about how it turned out that she is ready for more! One small success really breeds enthusiasm.

I really wish someone had told me that you "don't have to have it all" Scrapbooking is about telling stories - not shopping!

Don't get overwhelmed with being "caught up". Scrapbooking your family is a on going process and you shouldn't get stressed out about it. Scrapbook for fun, not because you "have to get caught up", that takes all the fun out of it.

Keep a calendar with dates and notes on it so you remember all the details when you get around to creating the page

The three things I couldn't live without - paper cutter, corner rounder, and deckle scissors. The basics are the best.

That you don't need to buy every new thing on the market, and that blogs are an invaluable source of inspiration and information!

My advise would be to start slow and gradually build up your supplies......Also, there is no 'right' way. If it works for you then that is all that matters.

My best advice to a new scrabooker is lay off the stickers lol i look back at my first albums and they are crazy with stickers and wonky cut out pictures! i tend to be more artsty and simple with my layouts now!

Best advice: buy the basics/essentials first - a paper trimmer is a must. Don't buy everything you see because you'll end up hoarding it or never using it in the end. Have fun! Btw, this is an amazing giveaway!

I wish that someone had told me early on that there was no wrong way of scrapbooking. And to use what I've got instead of buying more than I'll ever use!

My advice is to scrap with friends so you can share embellishments and maybe even paper until you figure out what you really like and what you will use. It will save you from having a lot a product a year from now that you will be donating because you don't like it after all.

I wish that someone had told me NOT TO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! I was so hard on myself when I should have just been focusing on telling my story!

You make up the rules...
When I started my sister coached me to do everything simple and just get pictures and journaling down on the page. For me though, the reward was designing and creating the accents. For a long time I didn't even want to start working because I thought that to get it done it had to be boring. Now I realize in order to get it done it has to fit your own purpose.

I wish someone would have emphasized the importance of NOT waiting to add the date and/or journaling. I'd say, don't save the journaling and date until last...make sure you get those thoughts, memories, and date onto the page AS you're having fun creating it, before those details slip away! :) (I have too many old layouts that I was "going" to add journaling/date to later, and I never did).

Start now, fill in the past as you can, buy only want you love, and think you will use in a short time, and design pages that are true to you.

I wish someone had told me not to worry about scrapbooking every single picutre, and that it was okay to put photos into photo albums

I wish someone would have told me not to go crazy buying stuff (as in stickers, die cuts, embellishments, etc.) - it seems like the more stuff I get, the harder it is for me to really get anything done. I was a much faster scrapbooker when all I had were some page protectors, sheets of card stock, a pen, scissors and my photos.