Unusual Tips/Tricks

In order to keep track with the daily events that I want to scrapbook eventually, I type up a journal on a wordprocessor. It only takes a few minutes a couple times per week, but when I need to remember when so-and-so got a promotion or what I did for Christmas last year, it's all stored on my computer! It also helps when I am ready to journal. The work is already done!

I love using different fun fonts for each month.

~Mindy

Along the same lines as Mindy, I created a calendar in Word from the month I got pregnant through the first year of life. In it I have dr. appts. weight gain, her heart beat information, first kick, first hiccup and so on. Now I can just go back and see what happened when.

I had a calendar, too, and started out great and then...Well, I'm hoping to do it right this time. I'm making myself a decorated journal to write all information, whether it be about everyday events, my 17 month old or baby #2 who's due in January. I think it'll be much easier if I put everything in one place rather than have different places for each child, everyday events, etc.

I use old magazines as pads when using my hole punch and setting eyelets. It saves my cutting pad and gives my old magazines some purpose. Also I have found that a regular embroidery needle is my favorite tool for starting brads or plotting my eyelets.

Ooh, that reminds me, I also use old magazines as a blotter and put anything that needs adhesive or paint on a new sheet and just turn the page when it gets messy. It's saved my table!

I never use my original chipboard letters. I take the negative and trace it onto chipboard and then cut it out with an exacto and ruler. I also trace them on cork sheets for cork alphabets.

For a different effect, I run letters or tags, etc. through my xyron machine and sprinkle with glitter to get a "lightbulb marquis effect". Instead of a solid glittered surface, it is a bunch of dots of glitter which looks like a lot of bulbs in a marquis sign. I have also used this technique on slide mounts, which I buy from the office supply store instead of a scrapbook store . I cut them in half and only use one side on my lo. I also search office supply stores for tags and metal rimmed circle tags. They are much cheaper. I use dental floss threaders that have a loop on the end to thread fibers and thin ribbons through eyelet holes. I use the Xyron sticker maker that is shaped like an X to run ribbon through to adhere. Depending on the width, you can run multiple lengths through at the same time. I buy my ribbon from fabric stores and I have gotten some great deals on Ebay. I too use metallic rub ons and chalk to customize the color of the ribbon. You can also use ink. I use slick writer pens to change the color of metal embellishments to suit my layouts. Those are all of the tips I can think of right now.

Thanks everyone for posting your tips. I have learned a lot.

Amy

I love the idea of distressing the cheap foam alphabet letters and will be cutting mine up for a new look.

I use a thumbtack and a cork board for all my paper piercing, poking holes in my LO for buttons, sewing, eyelets, and ribbons....have had the same thumbtack & corkboard for TWO years now and spent less than a dollar for BOTH. Dont see the need to spend $$$$ on tools like a paper peircer when the classes I took thru CKU told us just to use that...cheaper, dont break and just plain smart!

I will definitely use the thumb tack and cork board idea. I just about bought a paper piercer the other day. I am a sucker for gadgets and tools.

I am sure others have figured this out before me, but I have trouble and struggle to get layouts in page protectors if I have staples, brads, flowers, ribbon, etc on them. They always catch and it drives me nuts!! I started using two pieces of thin 12x12 paper on each side of the layout. (or if it there are 2 pages to be stuck in, one on each side) The paper covers the brads, etc and makes your pages slide right in without catching. Then you just hold your layouts and slide the paper back out. I changed an album over and couldn't use the same page protectors . It took me 30 minutes to change 15 protectors until I came up with that idea. It only took me 10 minutes to finish the last 35 protectors using the paper. It makes it so much faster and easier.

Hey Thats a great Idea Ill have to try that... Thanks

That's why I love this thread. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make your life so much easier!

wow what a great tip!

These tips are great, Thanks ladies!

When I started scrapping over 8 years ago my sister and I created a notebook by using decroative scrapbook paper to slide into the outside of the notebook so it wasn't just white. Then we bought baseball card holder sheets and placed out punches in them and used sheet protectors to put alike themed stickers in. And put my templetes in them also, usually they have 3 hole in them if not I punched them to keep everything organized. It worked great and was more practical in price.

I also use a large Cd notebook case that holds 208 cds to store my cds of dig pics instead of have tons of cases in stacks. I bought the walmart brand of course...

thank you for tip on using the kids craft foam to raise things now I can use what I purchased for something I ended up not doing!!!

Instead of purchasing a coluzze I use shapes of containers or anything around the house. Trace it and then cut it out.

My uncle made me a light box out of wood and plexaglass and put a lamp lighting kit in it. It actually using the size bulbs that you can use in aquriums or any other short tube light.

I also purchased a rack you hang over the door to store things in, they have little shelves. Right now it holds my rolls of ribbons.

for wheather stripping as pop dots, do you just cut it to the size you want and add glue to the non stick side?

The only caution I would see, is that it probably isn't acid free. Make sure it doesn't douch your pics...

But pretty ingenious I would say!!

I don't have any really new or unique ideas but I was REALLY hoping you all had some new ones so I wanted to give this thread a bump.

• StephanieB Said:

It's true they are cheaper in the photo dept but the ones in the craft dept. have 500 per box, compared to only 200 in the less expensive box. That's why they're more expensive.

I know this is an old post but had to respond, this had never occurred to me to use mouse pads! Sometimes I run across free ones but don't know what to do with them!

Hi - Thanks! - I have found a lot of these tips to be great and very helpful. There is a few that I have tried, so guess I'm on the right track! As I am fairly new to scrapping I don't have any tried and true tips that I can share - YET!
But, I do know this - while checking prices at LSS, Michaels and even Walmart, I have found that the best deals are on ebay! (Maybe I should not be saying this as I may encourage bidding against me! - haha!) But with just starting out and trying to get a supply of things on hand, eBay has been the best for my pocketbook! (good deals on 'LOTS')
Happy Scrappin!!!!!!

• Heather020802 Said:

Sorry I'm jumping in sort of late. I did try eyelets both on wooden and plastic cutting boards and it did not work well. They embed right into the boards.

If you're stumped on coordinating colors I suggest taking a trip to your local hardware store and picking up the paint cards that give color combos for painting rooms. There are nice pamphlets and best of all... FREE!

You can hole punch the corners and thread them through a loose-leaf ring to make them easy to flip through. When you find something you like, you can pull it off and take it to your store and match up your paper to it.

(This is not the same as the shaded color strips)

I love the tip!
I have been making myself crazy trying to sew buttons on paper! This is going to be much easier!

Thanks!

I've done this it works great!

I use alot of tissue paper in my pages. You can wad it up , mist it with water, tear it, fold it, on and on it makes for great accents! You can buy it in any shade and color plus holiday and special occasions. Not too unusual but I have never seen anyone else do it before.

When in need of a design for a template or stitching efforts I search online for quilt motifs for a plethora of options!

i'm gonna try to bump this so bear with me please

Hello all, new here.

A tip I learned from another site:

At Office Depot (or Office Max) you can find clear sheets of labels (they are basically huge 8 1/2 x 11 labels!). The number is: 8665

What works great is that you can print your own titles, journals, etc. ON the sheets and then cut them out.

I got mine for about $20 for 25 sheets (about 80 cents per sheet). So, for about 80 cents, I get personalized titles, etc.

I don't have to worry about centering...I can choose the font and color of my choice, etc.

A fairly inexpensive and easy tip.

Hope this helps!

I just tried the hot glue tip last night, and it worked really well! I made the paper pebbles and also just filled over titles so that they would dry flat. The only problem is that it tends to get bubbles that you really can't get out. Also, the hot glue can turn opaque. I'm sure there are other craft glues you could use too that dry clear.... i'm going to try some different things.

Also, WildlifeBio has a tutorial on making your own chipboard signs, if you haven't already seen it. it is so awesome! i do it ALL the time! i think she does most of hers with things she has printed off, but it also works well with any scraps you want to make into a sign, like from a piece from a greeting card or even wrapping paper. check it out. http://www.scrapbook.com/scrapbook_layouts/showgallery....

ok this is not a tip, and I'm trying not to sound like a goofus but after seeing the tutorial in the link above me, i want to know....what is chipboard? I read all the posts about it, but I've never used it. Where can I find it???? is it like cardboard?

redheadgirl: Yes. Chipboard is like cardboard. It's similar to the cardboard that is on the back of your notepads, in your new sheets, within the body of men's shirts, etc. You can get it at most scrap stores, but it's pricy. You can also use bookboard if you have a book-making store nearby. It's fabulous stuff and really makes it look neat on a page.

Duplicate post...sorry.

I'm so glad you guys kept this topic going! I haven't been through all of the pages yet and already have several great tips to use! This one definitely goes in my "favorites".

Those great Junkitz clips -- the big metal ones with sentiments on them -- check out banker's clips at your office supply store -- one I made on the altered clipboard in my gallery

Where do you buy chip board at to make your own chip board embellishments?

Finally, I've finished reading all the posts. Thanks for all the great time and money saving ideas!

I didn't see any mentions for my most favorite tool. The craft knife. It's the kind where you snap off the tip when it get dull.

I took the glass out of an old picture frame. The glass messured 16"x20". I backed it foam board, put grid paper between and used aluminum tape around the edge. With this large work surface, I can lay down any paper and with a metal ruler for a guide, I can cut the paper with my craft knife.

I also use it placing small stickers and lifting edges of stickers I want to move.

I immediately slide the blade in when not in use. I use a small pair of plyers to snap off the tip when it get dull.

It's also great to use with a sheet of die cut outs that still have those little strips attaching them to the sheet. I cut thru with the craft knife.

These knives are soo cheap and using the replacement blades makes them even cheaper. Get them in the hardware department. And don't bother buying the very cheapest, you won't be saving that much, probably less than a dollar. Get one that has a little weight to it. It will work better and last longer.

i have a wonderful tip by melissa inman that came from an old issue of scrapbooks, etc. she suggests cutting cs into your typical photo sizes (3 1/2 x 5, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10, 3 x 3, 4 x 4, etc.) and using them to help you design your pages. i went one step further and basically created my own deluxe designs set. besides cutting several pieces of my most commonly used photo sizes, i also cut cs strips ranging from 1/4 inch to 5 inches, increasing in 1/2 inch increments. then, i die cut, punched or used my shape boss to create the different circle sizes i have. i also made a few different sizes and shapes of tags. i placed the whole kit, with a piece of white 12 x 12 cs in a big ziploc and clipped all the similar shapes together (all squares, all circles, etc.) all of these shapes i either cut out of cs scraps or "ugly" colors of cheap cs i bought when i first started scrapbooking, so i didn't waste any "good" paper.

last night i tried it out for the first time, and it worked great! i chose some photos to scrap, figured out my photo sizes and played around with my different shapes until i had a design i liked. i then made a page kit of my supplies to scrap the photos later. i love this and am so excited about it. i've been wanting the deluxe designs set, but haven't wanted to spend that much money, and i made my set for pennies!

i hope this helps someone!

• scrapmami Said:

Great tip! Sounds very time-consuming, but well worth the effort. One of these days.........

it actually didn't take very long--about an hour--and that was because of the circles and tags.

Sometimes doing something like this, gets me in a better mood to scrapbook. So I don't consider the time as lost.

and when you consider how much time you can save in the end, it's even more worth it.

that is such a good idea! I will have to try...

I only have a few tips to share, as I am a beginner!

1.) I write reviews for both insiderpages.com and judysbook.com. A lot of the time, they are hosting promotions which let you get a $5 gift card to a certain place for writing 5 reviews. Currently, Judy's Book is doing a promotion for Barnes and Noble, and Insider Pages is doing a promotion for Target. In the past they have done Amazon also. I have purchased a lot of scrapbooking stuff with these gift cards so far! Read the fine print though, because some establishments may not qualify.

2.) Use photoshop to create your own journaling boxes to print out. I create a square out of a cool pattern that I found online, and then create a box inside that pattern and set the color to white, and the opacity to about 80%, then draw lines and print!

3.) More of a money saving tip that a lot of you probably know already... but some Michael's locations take competitors coupons (can not be printed offline though). So if you get the joann flyer in the mail, but you don't have a joann close, you can often still get 40% off with the coupon. Not all Michael's do this though, so be careful.

Hope this helped!
- SAm

• SAM070707 Said:

I didn't know that about Michaels, I will have to call my local Michaels and find out...

• My 2 Boys Said:

I get chipboard in the framing dept. at any art store -(******** blick, Hobby Lobby, Michael's). It's only a couple bucks a sheet and they're big - approx. 32"X40". I don't think these are acid-free, so I spray them with a sealer or paint with acrylics. (The spray I use is Krylon brand. I think it's called "Preserve-it").

{I just tried the hot glue tip last night, and it worked really well! I made the paper pebbles and also just filled over titles so that they would dry flat. The only problem is that it tends to get bubbles that you really can't get out. Also, the hot glue can turn opaque. I'm sure there are other craft glues you could use too that dry clear.... i'm going to try some different things.} quote.


I use the Aleene's Clear Gel Tacky Glue.comes in 4 fld ounces. Make sure you let it dry and not "play" with it til it has set up overnight or longer. If you missed an area, then add more to fill in AND LET DRY, again.