Save Money with These Frugal Scrapbooking Ideas

Scrapbooking supplies are not cheap. The cost for colorful paper and card stock, stickers, embellishments, and adhesives can really add up. If you are looking for frugal scrapbooking ideas to help cut back on these expenses, keep reading. By using discarded items you find around the house, you will save money and recycle things that would otherwise end up in the landfills.

1. Cereal Boxes

If you have a die cut machine capable of cutting chipboard, such as the Cricut Expression, don't buy chipboard at the craft store. Instead, use cereal boxes. Once you adhere colorful paper to the cereal box die cuts, no one will ever guess it came from your pantry! You can also use inexpensive cookie cutters as patterns for your cereal box chipboard shapes.

2. Wallpaper Remnants

Many wallpaper remnants are as beautiful as the pricey papers in the scrapbooking stores. Make regular stops at your local paint and wallcovering stores, get to know the staff, and ask them to call you when they have discontinued sample books that they are discarding. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that these samples are not acid-free. Although they may not be suitable for your scrapbook pages, they are the perfect touch for handmade cards and other paper crafting projects.

3. Gift Wrap

Think of all the beautiful gift wrap that ends up in the landfill. Instead of throwing it away, recycle it. At birthday parties and other special occasions, check with the guest of honor to find out if he or she has any plans to use the gift wrap after unwrapping presents. If they plan to throw it away, you should be able to collect a good assortment of gift wrap paper that can be used for your frugal paper crafting projects.

4. Fabric and Ribbon Scraps

If sewing is another one of your hobbies, you already know that fabric and ribbon scraps are the perfect complement to your paper crafting projects. Many of these fabric and ribbon scraps are too small for sewing, yet are the perfect size for accenting handmade cards and more. Ask your friends and family members that sew to keep a ziploc handy to collect their scraps. These bits and pieces of ribbon and fabric are perfect for your scrapbook and paper crafting projects!

5. Office Supplies

Many of the products in the scrapbooking aisle are simply embellished office supplies. Office supplies, however, are much cheaper, and can be jazzed up with very little effort. For example, instead of buying the colorful brads at the scrapbooking store, pick up a box of paper fasteners. Paint them with inexpensive acrylic paints to coordinate with the your layouts.

With a little imagination and creative thinking, you will surely find even more common household goods that you can use for frugal scrapbooking ideas. Keep an inexpensive container handy, and as you come across odds and ends that could find a second life in one of your projects, place it in the container until you find a use for it.

About the Author

This article was written by Dawn Hall. To save money on scrapbooking projects, she recommends investing in a few good tools, including a Cricut machine, to make your own die cuts. You can read about Cricut cartridges and more by visiting her blog.