Scrapbooking has become a very popular hobby in the U.S. and is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Although it is a craft and hobby, the materials and tools scrappers use can become quite expensive. I would like to give you a few tips on how you can save money.

Trade supplies you already have with other scrappers you know. You never know what youll find and what you might be able to use.

Make use of your cardstock and paper scraps by keeping them for smaller projects or use them for punching out tags or other shapes. Use them for matting, journaling, as photo corners or for color blocking, etc. You would be surprised how you can use the smallest scraps on your layouts.

You know those 3D pop dots? Dont just use the actual dots and throw the rest away. Cut up the frame and use that as well. If you use punch out letters, numbers or shapes, use the remaining punched out paper as a stencil.

Instead of tools like a bone folder, you can also use the back of a kitchen knife or a ruler. For quilling you can also use a toothpick instead of a quilling tool.

Check out your house, in the drawers to see if you cant find items to use, such as pop caps, bottle caps, paper clips, scraps of material you dont need anymore, thread, yarn, etc. There are just so many possibilities.

Use computer printouts for tags, quotes, shapes to embellish your layout.

Inventory your supplies on a regular basis to see what you still have. You might be surprised at how much you find that you didnt know you had a stash of.

For chipboard embellishments, use the back of notepads or parts of cartons / boxes, cover in patterned paper, cut out and there you have your chipboard embellishment. You can also print large letters backwards on patterned paper and then cover the chipboard, then cut it out with a craft knife.

Instead of a special scrapbooking caddy, use a kitchen caddy. Believe me, it does the trick. You also might want to use transparent organizing bins that you can find in a hardware or office supply store, rather then purchasing expensive special scrapbooking organizers.

Check for discounts (obviously) on scrapbook items. Check out Michaels or Joanns. They usually have great deals on a regular basis. Also check out your local office supply store. They might just have something you can use and its usually less expensive than at your local scrapbooking store.

Hope this helps you in your endeavor to save money while scrapping fabulous layouts!

Jacqueline M. Schimmel

Jacqueline M. Schimmel is a Professional Scrapbook Designer who designs custom and premade scrapbooks, cards, frames and teaches scrapbooking courses in Germany. The name of her business is Memories Artwork?.