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

No matter how much you dislike your own handwriting, or whatever the excuse, make sure you tell THE STORY. The words are so important!
You put enough effort into creating a page you love. Chances are you'll never get back to that 'blank' journaling spot later.

I think for me it was thinking that I just had to have everything that was mentioned in a class or magazine, instead of creativily making it my own with some of the stuff I already own.

I wish someone had told me "there are no rules in scrapbooking". Let your creativity flow!

My advice would be... less is more. There's no need to buy every single gadget/supply out there. And when you do buy stuff, make sure to actually use them before buying more! And don't put so much pressure on yourself. It's supposed to be fun! =)

Invest in the "basic supplies, i.e. paper trimmer, acid free paper and pens, adhesive, etc. Take pictures
using a digital camera (in case you feel the need to erase not-so-good pictures).

I wish that someone had told me that I, and my kids, would all be just fine if I didn't try to scrapbook every picture I took ;-)

I wish someone had told me to relax and let the stories and photos dictate. I worried so much about how things looked that I lost the real meaning of scrapping. I enjoyed it much more, and my pages are more valuable, since I just relaxed.

You don't have to scrapbook every photo
You don't have to have every gadget out there
Most times less is more and much better.
Write, write, write! Tell your story, you are the only one that can!

I wish someone had told me earlier that my family won't care if the cardstock matches exactly or if the font is the same as the last lo.
All about embracing "it is ok"
=)

I wish some one would have told me:
~you don't HAVE to scrapbook in order
~you don't have to scrap EVERYTHING that happens in you and your families lives
~scrap what you love
~Just have fun!

Just do it! Paper and photos are relatively cheap. If you mess up or don't like it when you are done, move on to the next one. The only way to get better is to begin and keep moving forward.

Just have fun with it and do not worry about making it perfect, it will be perfect to your family because you made it from your heart! To me this is good advice for a beginner.

Have fun, you deserve it.

I wish someone would have told me how much fun it can really be and how it helps you mentally let things go, laugh at them or love deeper :)

Oh wow - what a great thing to comment on. I would say my advice to new scrappers is to always focus on the story. Scrapbooking is about the stories, not the products. Build layouts around pictures and journalling. Investing in some decent tools, basic punches, alphabet stamps, and maybe a stash of cardstock. Think about the story you want to tell before putting everything together, make notes, sketch etc. Style comes with time, but get a handle on the basics first - ie. just tell the story....wish I could just follow my own advice sometimes :)

Gosh, that you don't need to be chronological. Don't worry about being a perfectionist. Make sure to tell the story. Less (product) is sometimes more. It shouldn't feel like a chore or stress you out. It should be enjoyable. All things I told a friend recently and advice that lives in the back of my head - definitely some of which I can attribute to you, so thanks!

Ali, as always, thank you for doing these. Great stuff! I would tell a beginning scrapbooker to simply get started. Don't worry about it being perfect or looking just this way or that way. Just sit down and get started. There's no right way to scrapbook, and while their are design elements to consider, what matters is finding what works for you. You won't know until you commit something to paper. And don't forget -- it's supposed to be fun. So, enjoy!

You do not have to scrap in order or be caught up on all your photos. Just enjoy the process!!

There is no wrong way to scrap.

I wish someone had told me to just enjoy the fun of scrapbooking at not worry so much about each layout being perfect. The best way to find your style is to just play and have fun! =)