Scrapbooking mistakes?

Aug '05

Really? I'll have to try that.

Aug '05

The biggest mistake a scrapbooker can make can be to see something that didn't come out the way you planned as a mistake. I have cut ribbon too short, so I used a flower to fill in. For example, one person said they had to "paint the title" I think that little bit really added a lot to their page, imho. Mistakes are an opportunity for our creativity to stretch.

Some things, however, are mistakes - cutting original pictures into unusual shapes and running an entire layout through the printer - that's definitely a mistake.

My biggest mistake? I once used elmer's glue on a layout - it dried with all the pictures curled up. Now, those original pictures are permenantly glued to an ugly layout

Aug '05

Oh this is a great thread!!

Another one here that have bought way to many stickers, also too many deco scissors (my neices love them now!), and too many frames and borders that I hate and will never use.

Also I have completed an entire lo, go to put it in my scrapbook and it would not fit!! So I had to cut the edges off! So now before I glue anything I make sure it will fit!

Aug '05

what a great thread!...
i too am guilty of cropping my pics and not making copies of them so now my originals are ruined...
i too am guilty of using elmers glue and many non-ac/lf unmentionables...

Aug '05

My biggest mistakes are:

1. Not dating standard film photos. I have so many photos of the kids as babies and don't know how many months old they are in them.
2. Elmer's glue layouts. Yup -- got lots of those lol!
3. Using non-acid free paper/wood. They really do mess up LOs really quickly -- I'll still use non-acid free stuff for "fun" los, but not for heirloom photos.
4. Letting someone else use my sewing machine for real sewing lol!!!!! It was a cheap sewing machine $80, but I only used it for scrapbooking - very minimal usage and it ran beautifully. I'm still mourning its collapse from heavy duty sewing use.

Aug '05

spelling in my journalling!!! yikes, sometimes really bad, like spelling one of my own kids names wrong!!!! Too bad there is not a spell checker on my scrapbook, hehehehe~

Tammy

Aug '05

LOL...looking back on some mistakes of the past...how about:
Using 15 pcs. of adhesive squares on a 4"x6" photo! Then, when I went to re-scrap them, I couldn't lift them off if I would have had a crane!
Mistake #2: I wish I would have never started my scrapping in a 11" x 16" SB album. I STILL have many LO's in there that I need to redo.

The most common mistake that I simply cannot break no matter how hard I try is that I always forget to write down the date of the event that is always on the back of the photo. 90% of the time, I have to lift off the photo to find the date...now I write it in like 450 pt. font and tape it to the wall directly in front of my scrap table.

Aug '05

hihi been there done that ,even got confused about there age on pic and had to redo some lo LOL

Aug '05

Glad to see I am not the only one who makes these scrapbooking mishaps...
At first i thought buying too many stickers was a mistake, but over the years I have really dipped into my supply( to combat impulse buying, online or in store, load up with what you think you want then go back over it all to see if you still want them... i usually dont, or i make a list before going to the store, i know easier said than done.
Another mistake i make, rushing thru a lo and then dislike it afterwards, so i sketch out a lo idea before hand or ask family members what they think.
final mistake, not leaving enough time to complete a lo, always planning dinner or a good movie on tv and not having the time to finish!!!
Kari

Aug '05

my biggest mistakes:

1. too many stickers
2. not keeping a cohesive theme - frilly stuff on a guy-type LO
3. spelling erorrs

4. excessive use of glue
5. being careful where I set down my sticky scraps (usually in the wrong place)

Aug '05

My inkpads and inked up stamps always seem to be out of control, so I get ink all over...luckily, it's often easy to make it look "on purpose". The biggest mistake I've made is to buy a ton of stuff right when starting out just because it looked cute. Now I buy with lo's in mind.

Aug '05

my mistakes:

bought the little sewing machine
to many hole punches (never used)
to many patterend scissors
to many stickers
also bought a "slab" from micheals that is a huge mistake I don't like most of the pp

Aug '05

This is really weird and has to do with the mistake I talked about earlier in this thread. One of our fellow scrappers (whose work I admire), went to take a peek and couldn't find the mistake. If you know where to look (like I do!), it's huge -- and when I put the large photo down on the page straight, you could really tell, but when I tilted the photo, it all but disappeared.

Here it is:

Pap-pa (And His Shadow)

The first 3 letters in Pap-pa are pretty straight, but the last 2 go downhill. Somehow or another when I tilted the photo up, it tricked the eye and made it not so noticable. Any graphic arts majors here who can explain this?

Sorry if I confused everyone, I've had a really rough day

Aug '05

I see what you mean, but I think it still looks great! I think that most of our "mistakes" are only visible to ourselves.

Aug '05

Thanks Megan, and besides 100 years from now my ancestors will be able to tell that this album was all handmade by a human who (ONCE in her life) made a mistake.

Aug '05

My biggest mistake (so far- I just started) Is saying "Never" As in "I will never spend an hour on a page." (my very first lo at a local evening crop took me 2 1/2 hours) and "I will never spend money on a scrapbooking caddy/suitcase. (I just bought one for $30 at Joann Fabric

I have bought a few slabs/stacks of pp. However, I will only buy if I really think I'd use over 1/2 of it, AND I can buy it on sale. Granted, I haven't used 1/2 of any of them yet, but at an average of $.10 a page, I can afford to give away most of it.

Another mistake is not being ready for crop nights. (my friends and I have a monthly date for scrapbooking together) I spend too much time rifling through both photos and paper just to get started on a lo. Each of the 3 I've been to so far, I've gotten less and less done because I'm less and less organized.

Hi all!

I know that there are a lot of newbies in the hood (myself included) and I thought it might be helpful for us to talk about the mistakes that we've made while scrapbooking and the things that we've learned. I'll start:

-I bought way too many things in the beginning that I probably will never use (especially stickers)
-Today I made a lo and after the whole thing was together I realized that the place where I wanted to put my title was black, and I didn't want to use my computer or cut out each letter from cs, so I had no way to write the title. I ended up painting for the first time since middle school!
-My first pages were made with the white pages that come between the pp of many albums. They look so boring and one-dimensional!

I know that people do things differently, and I don't want anyone thinking that everything they do is a mistake, but there are probably many time savers and tricks to improve los that newbies don't know about. Some things we do are just plain funny! Has anyone else made mistakes that they want to share?

Nice idea for a thread, Megan!

-Let's see, I just made one recently when I made my "What Makes a House into a Home" page. I had nearly finished the left-hand side--stamped my title, hole-punched the top and bottom, threaded the ribbon through, then I realized that I wanted to print directly onto the cardstock. Let me just say... NEVER put your page-in-progress through the printer! The printer jammed and destroyed my page. Seemed like a good idea at the time...
- When adhering something with glue-dots, make sure you put it down in the right place... the photo/paper will not lift up easily!
- Be careful to use archival safe materials (Acid-free) I've used construction paper and sharpie markers, and they'll eventually fade over time.

To the newbies out there, just don't be afraid to ask! People here are always so friendly and helpful. Have fun!

i just finished a layout that almost had a full page of typed journaling... after i re-read it numerous times and thought i caught all my mistakes, i actualy didnt. theres one small grammer error. but its not that big of a deal to me. everyone that knows me know i type to fast for my own good.

I seem to be full of mistakes today! I was looking at a lo and it looked "off". I realized that it was a color problem, but it took me another minute or two to realize that I'd put my title in the wrong order. The fourth word was right next to the first one!

This is an interesting thread! First of all, I don't know how accepted I am because I don't know how to display my sb pages, avatar....I will work on it as time permits. I will develop more tech skills...you all amaze me.

Back to the thread, I have 3 grown children and have a goal of creating a sb for each. The kids have several things in common as they grew up together so I decided to go with 8 1/2 X 11" scrapbooks so I could make copies of these pages which is much easier than making 12 X 12 copies. Then I added embellishments to give copied pages a 3D effect.
All was going well BUT... I should have left journaling space or even a tag so I could personalize the page per child. On the pet page for example, the journaling was written with one child in focus - this is where I should have made copies and then added personalized journaling per child and their special relationship addressing the topic of the page.
*The pages that I made copies of - at the copy center are beautiful.

Be careful about cutting your pictures into shapes. If you decide to do it, make sure you're using a copy and not the original. I chopped up some one-of-a-kind baby pictures and I now have no way to even copy them since they're shaped like stars and hearts.

Well... it seems like I can't make even ONE sb page w/ out making some sort of mistake.. their mostly small things but I am such a perfectionist! But you know I guess its those mistakes that make them you! It just adds to whole youness (not a word but.. eh, it'll work!) of your book!

I will say this... if u are at all as clutzy as I am.. please be careful around the sharp objects! I have cut myself a few times on the cm blades... and hurt my finger w/ my cm photo trimmer.. good thing I didn't cut my finger off. I'm such a dork! Hehe.. anyhow, if I think of anything else I will let u know! But right now thats a big one! Just beware of sharp objects! LOL.

Welcome Song84! You'll figure out all the tech stuff- don't worry- it took me quite awhile to do anything. I think you'll enjoy this board. Good idea on photocopying the los.

I've heard a lot about cutting pictures into shapes. I'd be so upset if I lost that type of irreplacable picture!

HOW ABOUT completing a page about S.Padre Island with the waves upside down? How about trimming a page width twice the same way? How about reaching for a black pen and getting red gel? How about the wrong name under a sensitive relative's photo? And nobody told you until after the sr saw it? And she's still angry! And what about those cutting mistakes - measure once and repent at leisure, or something. Keep sb life interesting!

I think my biggest mistakes so far are-
1. buying to many sticker letters when now all I seem to use is the computer for lettering.
2. To many cheep pp that I will prob never use.
3. Grammer mistakes in my typing that I never seem to catch with spell check until I have it glued down!
Good luck everyone! we all make mistakes!

Speaking of mistakes...
I bought one of those "slabs" and a lot of that paper is ugggly!
I also have a lot of stickers, now I'm like What was I thinking??!
I look at some of my first layouts and see that I also cut photos in shapes...ekk
Oh well live and learn....

I almost always redo a page three or four times before I am finished. I tend to use temporary adhesive initially, until I can finally walk away from a lo. Before I started doing that, I ruined many pages, trying to lift and rearrange photos/embellishments.

I've done the paper jamming thing. I always attach tags to paper to send through the printer. Not thinking about the thickness of it, I sent a multi-layered tag through. It couldn't bend and got stuck. Luckily, after I pulled the paper out, all I had to do is turn the printer upside down and the tag fell out.

Well I'm a complete clutz too! The other day I was stamping my title on my LO... got the title done, was hurrying too much and dropped the still 'painty' stamp right down on the layout!! AHHHHHHH Of course it landed paint side down. This is why scrappers have to be 'creative'!! I told my hubby.. I meant to do it. I didn't like the color of the paint anyway.

SOO I just used a computer title, and put it right over top of the mess.
I've had a few printer jams as well. That's scary. Ruining the printer isn't high on my list of things to experience.

let's see my mistakes...

1. WAY to many stickers, not sure what in the world I will do with them, I'll NEVER use them yet I can't seem to get them out of the house!

2. Wedding album (all 4 pages I have done) are so BORING! that right now I can't contine to work on the book, and it's been 5 years

3. My 2 biggest mistakes came with journaling, I was doing a Christmas LO and my DH gave me a "braclette" I wrote "RING" can't change it but nobody knows I made a mistake except ME, even DH doesn't notice it.
I have a few LO's with journaling with song lyrics.. singing and journaling is not good for me

Ohh Megan were in MA are you from? I grew up in MA now I live in NH

One of my biggest mistakes to date was made when I first started scrapping. I was doing Creative Memories and had done a page of our trip to visit my son. The next page I did (at another class later on) was to be of when we arrived at my son's home. No one said anything about making sure this page would follow the other one and so after I finished it I realized that it would have to go in the album BEFORE the trip there!!! I've left it because it is one of my first layouts but still!

Hee Hee...add me to the list of ones who bought way too many stickers.
I still do, but they are more the artistic tags from Making Memories and the woven labels.
I just gave my kiddos about $300.00 worth of stickers I bought and will never use with the recommendation they "STAY OUT OF MINE!"
I think the second mistake I made was buying what was cool, pretty, different...with nothing to go along with them. Now I am buying to coordinate with what I already have.
Third mistake...not realizing that it would take time to get in the sync of sb'ing. I came on this website and felt instantly intimidated because what I made was so simple and boring compared to the work the ladies and gents on this site have made. But I have gotten a ton of good ideas here.
Fourth, I learned to sb when I wanted to and felt like it and not because I felt rushed to get something out for someone's b-day or just to say I got a whole LO out in one day or one hour, what have you.

I scrapbooked one page turned over the page to do the second. After I got both sides down I lifted up the page and my sister-in-law said it was upside down. I said no it isn't. My side wasn't, her side was. I left it that way.

Plus buying way too many stickers I'll never use and too many paper punches, I'll never use

Kathy

I have done the upside down thing more then once. I have also skipped pages and put LO's out of order. I can totally relate to the CM accidents. I was at an all night crop at a nice hotel with my sister and cut my thumb on one of those blades. I had to ask the lady next to me for a band-aid because it wouldnt stop bleeding and I was afraid of ruining my page.

Wow...I thought I was the only one who did these things!! I have also messed up the order on my CM albums. I bought way too many die cuts in the beginning, so I'm slowly trying to integrate them, change them or use them on cards. I'm sad to say there are a few of my pages with Liquid Paper on them hiding some mistakes. I've been guilty of "over stickering" in the beginning. I love those messed up layouts still, though, because they show how my style has evolved since I started. Plus, those little "blips" will tell future generations a lot about me

Since I make multiple copies of all my pics (some for my son's book, DD's book, etc)--and I work on my son's book at the same time as my own, I sometimes get confused as to what pictures I've already scrapped in my own book. I'm also really bad at getting my pages into my book right away. So--I have several times, scrapped the same picture or event twice for the same book!

I am also very impatient and usually don't allow enough drying time for inks and glues before handling again...resulting in smudges, and dirty glue marks.

I have also been so engrossed in getting my printed journaling glued onto the page straight, that I don't realize I've put it on upside down.

I figure there's going to be at least one mistake per page, at least a typo. My dh is great at finding something wrong--the worst was probably when I had a picture from South America on a Hawaii lo. He has a memory for details, while I remember impressions.

Let's see, I am also guily of "cropping" my pictures early on in my scrapping days...I thought they would be so cute to be nice little shapes... boy was I ever wrong about that!!! I was addicted to letter stickers at one time and had to have almost every font that I saw...now I mostly use the computer, stamps, and my own handwriting...I rarely ever get my sticker envie out! I also bought about every type of deco scissor that there was and went a bit crazy with those in the beginning. Know where they are now? In my kids' art supply box!!!

I'm REALLY impatient about letting my inks dry and I end up with a lot of smears b/c of it...I just think of it as a new distressing style...

I also cut my pictures into little heart,stars,ovals, etc shapes...ugh! Looking back on my work, I can totally see how I have changed and matured in my style, so I guess thats the only thing thats good about that. I really have a problem stamping in a straight line...I need to work on that. I think I just need more practice..like they say 'practice makes perfect'!

Oh Man! This is great! I am one of those newbies...and it makes me feel so much better to know that everyone makes mistakes! PHEW! I have been reading way too many mags with all the perfect lo's...that are totally cool but can make you feel a little intimidated! Thank to all for sharing!

Welcome to all the newbies!!!

A few people have touched on it, but let me emphasize, allow vellum to DRY after printing on it... it takes a while! And also be aware of which adhesive you use... there is a special kind because most things will show through! Have fun!

Heck, I just uploaded a 2-page lo with a mistake on it. Why is it when you want to stamp uneven, it turns out straight, so when you try to make the rest of the word straight to match -- it's all uneven????? It's the most important lo I've done so far (the memory) and I really wanted it to be perfect, but I left it and it will be ok--

Quote:

Erin_Jo said:
Be careful about cutting your pictures into shapes. If you decide to do it, make sure you're using a copy and not the original. I chopped up some one-of-a-kind baby pictures and I now have no way to even copy them since they're shaped like stars and hearts.

Exactly what I was going to say. Besides the a/f thing, this is the most important mistake to avoid! I have so many photos that are ruined because I silhouetted them or cut them into goofy shapes.

Here's one I JUST did:

Standing over my table, where my background paper was laying, and using the Xyron little X, I peeled off the clear top layer (the part that's sticky) of a xyron strip, and it promptly adhered itself to my paper!! sheeeeeeesh. Boy, its sticks well, too! I peeled it off, taking the top layer of my paper with it. Thankfully, it was in a spot that a picture is going to cover up.

Moral of story: Be careful where your sticky stuff lands!

Quote:

DolyDimple said:

-I bought way too many things in the beginning that I probably will never use (especially stickers)

I made the same mistake too! Alot of the stuff I had gotten was way to Cheesy looking, but I took alot of it back to Michael's. They'll give you store credit even if you don't have your receipt.

You may not get full price, but hey atleast you get something considering they are going to waste.

Ditto! Also..."measure twice, cut once" would work on this theme and then also...PLEASE never crop "one-of-a-kind" photos. Please make duplicates whenever possible! I wish I would have never cropped my baby pics. Now, there's a note on my Kodak Photomaker that you can copy any photo over 40 yrs. without having to accept the "copyright release". Figures I started cropping them one year too soon! :-(

Quote:

Posie said:
This is really weird and has to do with the mistake I talked about earlier in this thread. One of our fellow scrappers (whose work I admire), went to take a peek and couldn't find the mistake. If you know where to look (like I do!), it's huge -- and when I put the large photo down on the page straight, you could really tell, but when I tilted the photo, it all but disappeared.

Here it is:

Pap-pa (And His Shadow)

The first 3 letters in Pap-pa are pretty straight, but the last 2 go downhill. Somehow or another when I tilted the photo up, it tricked the eye and made it not so noticable. Any graphic arts majors here who can explain this?

Sorry if I confused everyone, I've had a really rough day

Actually, the letters do still tilt down, but it looks purposeful. It balances out with the photo. It doesn't look like a mistake. Now, if that picture were straight...

Too many stickers, too many fancy scissors, but my worst one was putting the finishing touch to a page by stamping on the word LOVE and I stamped the E backwards! I had to take everything off the page, turn it over and start again and of course, wouldn't you know, the back of the card wasn't textured like the front. I've now got a set of rubber stamps that I'm afraid to use!