13 Tips to save Scrapbooking $'s with Anguree

Hello everyone

It's Anguree on the blog today, and I for today, I prepared a something I think we could all use at some time or another. Budget saving tips... Yes, hands up everyone who has to stretch their dollar(s) to go further and get more crafty supplies within a limited budget. Honestly, who hasn't be there?  As much as I absolutely love all the new products on the market and want them ALL, I  simply cannot afford to continuously purchase more and more. I think you would agree that there are times we simply need to make do with what we have or what we can afford. So  I've decided to share my tips on how you still enjoy crafting, without breaking the budget.

13 Tips to save Scrapbooking $'s

1. Up-cycle a gift bag and packaging for matting and journalling purposes. I used a San Churro gift bag and gift box in my layout. ( If you have a look below, you may note I used the paper bag to matt my background and then used the phrases on the side of the paper bag and a gift box for my journalling.)
2. Create a “watercolour background” using coffee or tea.
3. Use an old Souvenir Fan as a stencil on your background.
4. Cut and dry some oranges in your dehydrator or oven to create unique embellishments for your layouts, cards or gifts.  
5. Use the leftover or inside pieces of chipboard frames as embellishments.
6. Save the wrapper from champagne bottles when you have a special occasion and use them to cover your chipboard pieces to add some bling.
7. Buy second hand books at your local op-shop or second hand store and use the book paper for matting or creating embellishments.
8. Save the mesh bags of vegetables, fruit and sweets to use for making flowers or layering items.
9. Collect coasters from restaurants and use them to mat your photos.
10. Collect clothing tags and use the tag to mat your photo and the string and baby pin as embellishments.
11. Use some old chicken wire instead of chipboard for layering.
12. Use some rusted iron to make leaves for your flowers.
13. Add some random stitching onto your photo mat and background with your sewing machine for added texture.

Not sure how to use these tips? Have a look at this layout I created for entering the Scrapbooking Memories' Masters Competition 2015. I'm please to share that this layout also earned me a Honourable Mention in the January Magazine.

Making embelishments from die-cuts and champagne cork wrappers. Stiching

Using book paper and gauze from chocolates I bought. Title was from a paper bag from San Churros.

Detail of journalling from a gift box

I hope you enjoyed this time with me and hope you found a few tips you have not tried before.  Please share any other of your tips on how to save some dollars and share your works with us.

Till next time,  have fun.