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

Keep a journal. Take lots of photos. Then, relax and enjoy the process. The pictures and memories have been captured, and they will be there waiting when you're ready to scrap them.

I wish that someone had told me to join my local scrapbooking crop a lot earlier. Not only are the people fabulously friendly, but I was able to try equipment (like cropodiles, trimmers and die-cutters) without having to spend all my hard earned cash on items I may only have used once or twice. This way, you know the things that you borrow the most often are the things you really need to buy.

pssst. Ali. I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed that strap and bag! :)
My advice to new scrappers is to always remember to tell the story - what do you want/hope to remember 30 years from now?

My biggest piece of advice for newbies is to not get caught up in buying more than you need. It's easy to get carried away buying random paper and embellishments, but you can be green and save green by shopping with your pictures, creating your own page kits, and shopping within product & paper lines. I do all three. I take my pictures in 12 x 12 envelopes & choose paper, solids and embellishments to go with those pictures specifically. As a bonus, because I'm bringing my own envelopes, I don't need a bag from the store to get my new goodies home!

advice for a new scrapper.. buy the basics.. borrow or share the rest...
I have a ton of stuff I rarely use!

I wish someone would have made me put notes in with every pack of pictures because twelve years down the road I don't remember everything that I want to remember. And it's the small details that are the important ones. So my advice is to write every little thing down. The littlecare important.

Don't buy everything that you love now it will brake your pocketbook and you may not love it later. Keep moving forward to your creative process and when you look back on those first pages later and you think you could make them better leave them just as they are. Look at the past as stepping stones.

My advice....there's no right way to scrap! It comes from your heart, so dive right in and ENJOY. Scrapping is your history, think of what you'll be leaving on paper, sort of like a time capsule, papers full of your creations and of course your messages to your loved ones. Have fun!!!

Don't force yourslef to scrap a photo because you 'should', scrap a photo that inspires you.

It's not about the latest "toy" or trendy embellishments - focus on the photos + the story! Use the shopping time, IRL or online, to SCRAP!

Don´t buy postbound albums. D-ring albums are the best!

I wish someone had told me to stop stocking up and just scrap already!

there is no right or wrong. just do what you want and what you like

I wish they had told me not to try to be like everyone else. Also, if just starting it's helpful to buy some paper, stickers, chipboard, stencils, etc from the same line so it all works together easily (until you get the hang of mis-and-match).

The one thing I wish I knew was - make a plan - organize your life into scrapbooks - decide who, what, where, etc. is going into what kind of scrapbook BEFORE you start. I made lots and lots of pages before I decided how I was going to scrapbook - wish I'd planned a bit better is all.

Take photos of the little everyday things. It was only big events when I started. Everyday life and small details are so much fun to go back and look at.

All that stuff is so incredibly cute!
I used to get mad at myself because I wasn't creating to the level that I wish I would (amount and creativity-wise). Now that I look back on my older albums, I sincerely appreciate being able to see my evolution as a scrapbooker. Who cares if my first pages were simple? I had to learn and get comfortable with the tools, techniques and supplies. I was always so nervous about making sure it was the *best* not realizing that my friends and family just love having the album made, showcasing the special events and people.

Two things really: one, take as many photos as possible-they are so easy to store digitally and time really does fly-it's incredible how quickly our lives change! And two, a little bit of patterned paper goes a long way!

My advice for a begnning scrapper would be to follow your creative instincts and remember always its not about being perfect, it's art! Have fun:)
Hollie

You do not have to go in chronological order. Scrap what you want, when you want. Oh and Just do it!