I have been trying all day to get a chance to post this. Ahh, finally sitting down. :)
OK. So if you have a tight budget for scrapbooking then you need to make really plain pages right? Wrong. (you knew I was going too say that right?)
So today the topic is - Make scraps. Use scraps.
Huh? Well, let me show you. (you also knew I was going to say that too didn't you?)
First let me start by telling you when I first started scrapbooking I had an almost zero budget. And when you have almost no budget for supplies are you are just starting then you have no stash to fall back on. One time when I was in my local scrapbook store there was a staff member helping a customer and she was explaining how she saved paper. I, of course, being a newbie and broke eavesdropped. (she didn't mind I promise) And what I am going to show you (the cutting part) is what she was showing the other customer. I scrapped like this for a very long time and still do on occasion when I need to stretch a piece of paper.
So lets get started. Oh. And let me mention that this is a really, really long post with a million images so go grab a cool drink and put your feet up. You will thank me. ;)
OK now lets get start. Again.
I challenged myself to make 5 single page scrapbook pages from 6 pieces of paper. So I gathered some papers. Here they are.
(paper info list at the end)
I gathers the slew of photos I printed the other night - most of which have a summer theme that will mix nicely with these papers. Five of the papers are double sided which by the way is a great way to spend your money if you are on a budget and use them wisely. One of the papers (darker blue) I only plan to use one side since the back of it is a brown pattern that doesn't coordinate.
First step I choose the striped paper plus the photos I am going to use.
Next, I cut it into a shaped paper making sure to keep the outer scrap in one piece. Don't know how to make your own shaped paper? Read this.
Set aside the scrap. See, we made out first scrap - we will be using it later.
Next decide your photo placement. (When I scrap I always decide this first since they are the biggest item to be added to the page. I even stick them down and then work everything else around them.)
So this is my photo placement for the page. (all measurements of photo listed at the end)
Lightly trace around the photo placement with pencil.
Now this is where things get a bit weird but this will seriously stretch your paper. Cut out the paper inside of the lines (where the photos will cover). Leave about 1/2" inside the lines (so you can adhere you photos after). You can use a craft knife or do what I do - use my paper cutter.
I line up the pencil line on the outside of my guide on the cutter (where the arrow is). I then start and stop my blade where I need to cut. It is kind of hard to explain but you don't slide your blade all the way from top to bottom - only drop the blade down where you need to cut. I do this all the way around - inside the shape. You will get something like this.
Strange looking I know. And it is probably easier to start with a rectangle then this crazy shape. :) You do get really fast at it once you have done it a few time. Basically you want to save any paper that gets hidden by the photos. It is totally getting wasted behind there!
Now add back in your photos covering up the "holes". I tack everything down but the choice is up to you.
The back will look like something like this.
Now there is a weak spot in this particular page - the cross section where all the photos meet. It causes the photos to "flap" since they are not attached to anything. To solve this I grab a small of scrap paper and reinforce it - adhere it over this cross section.
I held the page up to the light so you could see how everything overlapped.
Now I will set this page aside.
On to the next page.
I decide on this photo placement.
So I cut this.
Once you get used to cutting out the "wasted" paper behind photos your will probably only need marks like this.
You can tack the photo down now if you want.
Next page. :)
Remember that scrap from the shaped paper I set aside? I used it on this page.
I am going to use if for a frame on this page. I mark my photo placement and cut out the inside.
I now have something like this.
This is why I love double sided paper - look at all that new gorgeous color to add the scrap pile!
I adhered the frame to the page with foam squares.
I think foam squares are a budget scrappers dream. Actually a non-budget scrapper dream too. They are inexpensive but they immediately add interest to everything. In this case I used them to lift the striped paper which really adds to the framed look. (I buy them in both the small and regular size so they go further.)
Now you are probably thinking that it will need a lot of foam squares for this look so how is this budget scrapping? Well look at it this way - you would need to add adhesive to quite a few spots on this page anyway so for a few pennies more you can have lift and instant pop to the page. If you weigh the cost of adhesive verses the cost of adhesive foam squares then I bet it doesn't add much too the cost. I am not doing the math though. ;) Can you just take my word for it?
Moving on...
I cut the branding strip off this paper - the pattern is on the back of this strip. Yay! More scraps. I add this to my growing scrap pile. :)
Next, of course, is photo placement.
Mark and cut.
Now I have two papers left.
I plan to use the one that is on top for the main part of this page but I want to mat the photo with the back side of the butterfly paper. I added this butterfly paper into the paper selection because I knew it would make for great, cheap embellishments for the pages. Look for patterned papers that will lend themselves to this - for 65-80cents you can get quite a few embellishments with the right paper.
To cut the mat out of the patterned paper I move the photo around so I can maximize the amount of full butterflies that will be left over.
I cut and I get this.
Then I decide photo placement on the remaining paper and cut. I get this.
So now I get busy with all those little scraps and start decorating the pages. :)
Note: I also add into the mix these Heidi Swapp chipboard letters. As you can see I had already used them but there were still tons to work with. When buying letter look to buy from companies who understand you need 15 e's! Heidi Swapp, Basic Grey & American Crafts are three of my faves because they always add in lots of vowels and understand that I only need one or two x's - max!. :) Also when buying letters lon a budget look for small letters. Large letters mean that they will be less individual letters per package. Small letters make more titles. :)
So these are the final pages that I came up with.
Addtional supplies - circle punch + pen + letters (to get the long blue strip I patched together two pieces and hid the seam under one of the circles)
Photos - 4x6, 3x5, 4x4
Addtional supplies - 3 brads + pen + letters
Photos - 2x3, 2x3, 2x3
Need matching brads? Try this.
Additional supplies - pen + letters + foam squares (blue strip is the cut off branding strip)
Photos - 4x6, 4x6 (made collage in photoshop and then printed)
Addtional supplies - 4 brads + pen + letters + corner rounder (or use a small paint bottle and trace)
Photos - 4x6, 4x6, 5x7
Additional supplies - pen + letters + foam squares + heart punch
Photo size - 5x7
You will see for this last page I subbed in a different alpha (American Crafts). The shape of the others just didn't work for the look I wanted.
To make the silhouette flower/branches you see in the upper left corner of this page I cut them out from the scrap paper like this.
And then just flipped them. They made the perfect embellishment that mimicked the design and I didn't have to spend time drawing them. :)
So that is it. See, inexpensive pages yet they don't look plain and boring. Well, I don't think they do. If they do, don't tell me...shhh. ;)
Pretty good for only 6 papers, some chipboard letters, foam squares and a couple brads. Now that is working within a budget!
Here are the papers I used.
