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

I wish my friends who finally convinced me to pick up the hobby had warned me about how overwhelming the store would be on my first visit. I was over-stimulated and I promise you, I had a headache by the time I left there!

My advice - just start! Don't worry about doing things in chronological order, just start with a great photo and go from there. A photo can give you the colours for your layout and inspire the style of journalling and layout. Just start... and soon you won't be able to stop! :)

I wish someone had told me it was okay not to crap every picture in the order the were taken...Iwasted a lot of time trying to do that for several years, Thankfully I got over it!!

Great giveaway! So many wonderful contributions!
My best advice: use what you have. It isn't necessary to buy tons of things for each page you create, your pictures supported by found items like postcards, tickets, and magazine clippings can be the ingredients to a beautiful page!

When I first started scrapbooking, I wish someone had told me about all the different products out there, and how much fun I would have, and how many people that I would meet! And that there are 100 different ways to do everything!

I'm a new scrapbooker!! Not sure I have any advice but I did go to my first crop recently and it was great - lots of sharing and fun.

My best advice would be to not get sucked into having everythign that there is. When I first started I spent so much $$ and didn't really need to. I think that you can do a GREAT job with just cardstock, paper, ink, adhesive and a good trimmer.

Find some artist's style that you like and get creative juices from that, it is ok!

just record and create, dont be afraid to have a go. i remember my very first page at creative memories 10 years ago-i think i sat and looked at the page for over an hour. when the consultant finally convinced me to cut a photo, I pushed it around on the page for another hour.
Just record and create.

I wish someone had told me when I first started scrapping that you do not need to have it all. Your family will love the photos and your words, not the fancy had to have latest thing that you don't even like 2 years later. Would have saved me a lot of money...

I would tell a new scrapbooker that there is no wrong way to create. When I first started scrapbooking years ago, I looked at all the idea books and magazines and thought my pages had to look just like them. I realized that it is about the moment and the message and creating pages that show who you are...that is what makes them special!!

To not feel pressured to scrap every single photo! Just dive in and scrap what tickles your fancy and go for it!

you don't need to buy every new product, it can be an expensive hobby.
also scrap to make yurself feel good- don't compare your work to that of others, & you will be happier in the long run :)

I wish that someone had told me that you don't need EVERYTHING in order to be a good scrapper. You only need pictures and a desire to get memories down on paper; there are so many opportunities to be creative with a minimum amount of stuff. Now, with that said...I love the Soda Fountain Kit - the colors are vibrant, new and juicy.

It really is about the story! Not just the pictures and who, where, what!

My advice is to enjoy what you create. It doens't really matter what anyone else thinks except for family and they love what I do. My next advice to newbies is to remember to go slow buying supplies and tools. My daughter and I will never use all the stickers I bought in the beginning because they were on sale. I still find stuff that I have forgotten I ever bought. Make time to enjoy your hobby without feeling guilty about what isn't getting done. Scrapbooking is my main stress reliever and I don't do enough of it. Do what makes you happy!

it's ok not to be perfect. it's life, just capture it :o)

My best tip is to not worry about every layout being perfect and just stay caught up!!! I am in catch-up mode right now!

look on-line for pages you like. just copy the page and it will turn out great, and have your own 'twist'!

Seriously do not buy every tool out there (every scissor, punch, stamp...) Get together with friends and share before deciding on the tools you use the most and have to have. It all looks pretty cool and irresistible in the beginning. :)