The 3 Big Mistakes People Make When Learning To Scrapbook And How You Can Avoid Them!

Big mistake #1 Stocking up like there's no tomorrow!!

When I was learning how to scrapbook, my first album was celebrating the birth of my daughter.

Since I only had a few supplies on hand, I drove to a craft store in search of baby themed items. Wow! I found patterned paper, stickers, a rattle paper punch, three different baby albums, page borders with cute little teddy bears and lots more! Everything looked so appealing and I knew I could put it all to good use.

Even as I was checking out with my treasures, the cashier asked me if I was overdoing it with all of the supplies! I was stunned that she would ask such a silly question 🙂 and I was further driven to put all of what I purchased to use!

I settled on one of the three albums and crammed each page full of baby stuff. I felt so proud of my creation! Yet, when my husband looked at my masterpiece he tried to nicely let me know I way overdid it with the baby-themed items on my scrapbook.

Lesson learned! Less is more

birthday girl scrapbook

Use embellishments that will draw focus and highlight your photos

Less is more!

Thankfully I kept that first album as my "lesson learned" album and made a different one to give to my sister when we celebrated Amanda's first birthday.

Definitely, less is more.

Stores have a ton of items and you need to be selective in what you purchase.

When you put your scrapbooking pages together, include two or three photos per page and embellish with just a few stickers or die-cuts.

Use the same patterned paper for side-by-side pages, rather than using a different pattern for each page.

Also, it's highly doubtful that the store will run out of scrapbook supplies. If you really still think you need that ribbon that says "Baby Girl", there's a good chance it's still on the shelf.

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Big mistake #2 Using the cheap stuff

I'm cheap and LOVE a great bargain.

Sometimes this works in my favor and other times I regret it.

I found a package of patterned paper that was marked down and snatched it right up.

Later when I started a scrapbook, I discovered that the paper was super light.

No matter how careful I was in adhering the paper to the cardstock, it would rip. Ugh! I ended up using the paper to line my parakeet's birdcage!

I also purchased inferior glue sticks. Who knew that there are good brands of glue sticks and worthless ones.

When I began journaling in the album, I kept smudging my writing. Instead of purchasing a decent permanent fine tip marker, I bought three worthless messy markers for the same price!

Check out our article about scrapbook adhesives and find out what glue to use for scrapbooking.

Lesson learned! Invest in good supplies

scrapbook supplies

Good quality supplies can be pricey but they will last longer than their cheaper counterparts.

After experiencing frustration with the paper, glue sticks and markers, I have learned that to create a decent scrapbook, you need to know what to put in a scrapbook and invest in decent supplies.

So as I continue to learn scrapbooking, I have asked my craft mentors for suggestions regarding supplies and brands.

I'm experiencing a lot less frustrations and in the long run, I'm probably saving money. In regards to glue sticks, I rarely use them.

Instead, I use an acid-free double-sided adhesive that is easy to use. It's amazing how much easier it is to scrapbook when your fingers aren't glued together!

Big mistake #3 Trying everything at once

On my! Looking back on when I was first learning to scrapbook, I must of had a touch of insanity! For my first few scrapbooking albums, I was determined to use every tool that I had! Each scrapbooking page contained zigzagged borders, paper punch-outs and all sorts of odd shaped frames! Pages were cluttered with confetti, stickers, buttons and assorted sequins. Just thinking about those pages make me dizzy!

Lesson learned! Enhance rather than distract

simple scrapbook layout

It's easy to go overboard when trying to design your scrapbook layout.

Keep it simple!

Even though you may be eager to try out all your nifty gadgets, remember that you want to enhance each page, rather than distract from the focal point.

If you're going to use a zigzagged border, then use clean lines for the rest of the page. If you love using stickers, then choose a solid background.

Scrapbooking tools are a great investment, but be selective in how you use them.

As you learn scrapbooking for beginners, you'll discover what works well for you and what doesn't.

Remember to keep your sense of humor and learn from your mistakes. Talk with others who have been scrapbooking for awhile and learn from them.

You'll soon be on your way to making creative projects that you'll truly be proud of and will enjoy for many years to come.


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