to explain to me what exactly scrapbooking is?? I keep hearing about it and saw some classes on it in our communite but than I keep reading all those confusing term: stamping, borders, etc etc.

I looked at some of your "pages" and they look amazing and I thinkg I would really enjoy doing this.

So, how do you start? And is it expensive?

I can't think of a better place than here to ask this, and really looking forward to learning about it.

Thanks much
Lena

First of all welcome! Scrapbooking is a lot of fun and sometimes can get pretty time consuming and expensive. But I believe that in the end it is all worth it to have books to remember your children and you and your loved ones.

Here is a list from one of my scrapbooking magazines for the basic tools for beginners:
Paper Trimmer
Ruler
Small Scissors
Pencil
Pencil Sharpener
Black Archival Pen for journaling
Paper Adhesive
Photo Adhesive

Also I would say you should pick up a pack of solid cardstock (paper) and a printed pack.


They also have pre packaged scrapbook kits at the stores. Walmart, Target, Michaels......

Also buy a scrapbook magazine to get you started, It really helped me by looking at other layouts. And of course come here often and check out what great pages and cards everyone here has!

Feel free to ask any questions that you have. If someone doesn't know someone else will!

Here are some websites to check out some examples:
Splitcoaststampers - the stamper's community
Scrapbook.com: Supplies and Scrapbooking Ideas


Good luck!!

__________________
~~Sonja~~

My 3lynns~ Ashlynn-8, Brooklyn-4 and Kaylin-3

Good tips! I say skip the ruler and pencil. lol I think for beginners.. scrapbook kits are the way to go! They come with everything you need and give you layout ideas using the kit. After you get the idea and hang of it you can create your OWN pages!!!

This hobby CAN be expensive. I always say.. its as expensive as you want it to be!!! Just make sure whatever scrapbooking stuff you buy as far as stickers, tape, glue, paper... is all acid and lignen free.. meaning they will be safe against your photos and not turn yellow! If you buy stuff at a sb store.. or michaels, joann etc.. you prolly dont have to worry about checking that stuff.

Let us know if you have any other questions! Oh, you need to decide what size pages you want to do (8x8, 8 1/2 x 11, 12x12 etc) and buy an album to put your pages in. I think 12x12 is the most popular size. Good luck!

__________________
Mommy to Bailey 10/02, Brooke 9/04, & DJ 6/06

Check out my scrapbooking blog!
http://nevillland.blogspot.com/

One thing I would like to add is to try and go to some store crops, where you can try things out. Most scrap book stores have what they call crops ( where people get together and scrap) and usually they will let you try out thier tools. One of the biggest mistakes I think people make is going out and buying everything they see right off and then you end up with stuff you wont like or use. I have all these tools I just had to have and now never touch them. You can try things out and see what you like and what you want. I also like crops because you can get great ideas from others.
One more piece of advice I have is to start with a theme, such as maybe a babys first birthday and buy the things that you want to use for those. This way you get the things you need and will use and wont just go in and buy a bunch of things that dont really go together and you will have complete pages. I hope this made sense to you.

You guys are AWESOME!! I am going to try Michaels and Joannes, I don't think we have any sb stores around. I think I am going with the "starter kit", that's how I did with knitting.
My DH used to be a professional photographer and we take tons of pics, so wish me luck and I'll keep you posted.
Lena

I agree a crop or a class is a GREAT place to start too! Michael's usually has classes you can sign up for...there, you'll be able to create a page or two under instruction, use some tools, etc. I'd do that before doing anything else...to see if it's something you know for sure you'll truly be interested in!
Good luck...be warned, it can be ADDICTIVE!!!!!!!