Your Scrapbooking Questions, Part 1 of 2

Hello friends – Be forewarned, this is going to be a long post. I have combined some folks' questions and will do another post to answer the rest of the questions people asked. This hobby has been one of the best things I have ever taken on. It truly has changed how I look at the world – for the better. I hope you are inspired to chronicle your story in some way.

Do you have a scrapbook room?
No, I don't. I used to have 1/2 of our guest room, but now that is Elias's room. I have a corner of our bedroom now. We also converted our small coat closet into a craft closet for about 75% of my supplies. I love it. It forced me to get much more organized. I do hope to have a scrapbook room someday, though! Here's a picture of my craft closet.

How do you keep it all organized? I find that I start on a book and then get side tracked, toss it to the side and take years to bring it back out!
My process is not very neat, but do not like to leave a layout until I have finished it, or almost finished it. I used to spend hours and hours on layouts, but that is just not practical! So, I try to complete projects in a night – sometimes two, depending on when I start and what it is. It usually takes me 1-3 hours to complete a layout. However, I do find that I will sometimes design a mini album for a class and it will not include the pictures. After the class, I often don't go back and add pictures.

What are your absolute favorite scrapbooking tools?/What do you think are the must have scrapbooking items?

• My purple cow trimmer- definitely worth the investment
• Glue dots – I use these on almost every layout – usually for buttons and other embellishments
• U-hu glue stick (purple – dries clear) – this is what I use on my paper and pictures
• Scissors (little pointy ones and larger ones)
• Black and brown staz-on ink – my favorite inks for stamps
• Colorbox inks
• Sandpaper/nail file for distressing
• Black writing utensil for journaling
• My Xyron 250 – this is GREAT for putting adhesive on little embellishments and ribbon. It is by far the BEST and easiest way to put adhesive on ribbon. Seriously, how did I live without it.

Do you have any strategies for how to shop for things? Do you just shop and stock your supply by things that look cute/pretty/whatever, or do you have layouts already in mind when you shop?
I don't have any strategies, per se, but I can tell you it takes a while to build a stash. When you are first starting out, I recommend purchasing some solid cardstock and some tablets or packaged collections of paper. Don't go nuts on all the embellishments – you can easily get overwhelmed. Maybe some letter stickers (I love thickers by American Crafts), chipboard, buttons and a few rub ons that you like and that should totally suffice. Over time you will be amazed by how much you accumulate. I do not go into a store to buy specific items for a layout I have in mind – I just buy what I like, knowing that it will be there when inspiration strikes!

Another thing to consider when you are starting out is joining a kit club. These are great because they come with EVERYTHING to make a bunch of projects. You can then play with a bunch of different products, see what you like and don't like and then buy more of what you like. I currently don't subscribe to any because I have more scrapbooking supplies than I ever will use. However, kit clubs I admire every month include:

• Studio Calico
• Jenni Bowlin
• SIS TV
• Label Tulip

Where do you shop online?
SISTVboutique.com or scrapbook.com

Do you make your own mini albums? or do you buy them online? or at a store? Chipboard to make albums, do they sell that at like JoAnn's?
I typically buy my own mini albums at a craft store or online. I have made chipboard albums before. In that case, I bought my chipboard at a local art store. I know you can buy chipboard from dickblick.com, but I never have.