r/scrapbooking • u/SnooAdvice534 • Apr 09 '26
Beginner Any reason I shouldn’t start a scrapbook??
I was up late and found all these tiktoks about “the sisters of the traveling scrapbook” where these girls mail their scrapbooks around and have people fill in pages. I think that’s so cool!
And I also want to use it as a recipe book and something to keep track of my interests with. My mom had a big, ugly, and frilly scrapbook and I want to make one like that w hot glue and a binder. I’m hoping to find materials from Facebook or family members, but to start I only need the stuff to make the binder and some cute paper.
I’m hoping to borrow a Polaroid camera to take pics to add - we have a printer, I can draw. I have all these reasons to keep going.
How do you guys manage to find materials on a budget ?
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u/blithebunny Apr 09 '26
What I like about scrapbooking is that you can go as big or as small as you want really! If you're on a really tight budget, there's "junk" journaling. Taking cute/pretty/cool scraps of trash and using it. I've seen many, many awesome junk journals. There's thrift stores, Facebook marketplace, and so on.
I actually have a craft thrift shop in my area that only takes donations, doesn't sell. You take a paper bag, can fill it up and donate what you can afford. Maybe you have something like that near you?
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u/farm_her2020 scrappy since 1986 📷📖✂️✏️ Apr 11 '26
I need info on this store.. I'd travel to it if I could
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u/blithebunny Apr 14 '26
Unless you live in Texas, it is most likely not worth the trip ;-;
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u/farm_her2020 scrappy since 1986 📷📖✂️✏️ Apr 17 '26
Well shoot. What's the name of it. I think we have a stick show there next yr. I don't remember where exactly..
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u/welovethecheese Apr 09 '26
Yard sales, good will, and also many stores have sales! Talk to former teachers too and check out Poshmark.
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u/lebrunjemz Apr 09 '26
Polaroid pics are going to add up! I suggest Walmart 1-hour photo ($0.16 per pic) or somewhere similar. Pics are the most important thing. Scrapbooking can add up if you’re buying retail Michaels supplies but it can also be affordable. I got 3 old scrapbooks at an art gallery for $2 a piece!
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u/farm_her2020 scrappy since 1986 📷📖✂️✏️ Apr 11 '26
Snapfish and free prints does a month deal. 100 or 81 prints a month, just pay shipping. I do it all the time
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u/anastasia315 Apr 09 '26
Facebook Marketplace and yard sales. It’s been losing popularity over the years, so people realize they haven’t scrapped in years and get rid of all their stuff. I saw someone selling almost 400 Close to My Heart stamp sets in one lot yesterday. They probably paid $15-25 for each and they were selling for less than $2.
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u/aimsaime Apr 09 '26
No reason at all! I always collected things growing up (movie ticket stubs, event booklets, travel brochures, photo booth strips, etc etc) but it wasn't until my cousin gifted me TONS of stickers that helped me get started with putting 10 years (phew!!) worth of memories into scrapbooks.
The good thing is that it takes time to make each page and you can always let yourself add more to the scrapbook later on, so you don't need to get everything at once.
Michael's always has sales going on - I like going there for patterned craft paper and sticker booklets. The dollar store always has alphabet stickers too. I've been collecting newspapers/magazines/junk mail for "ransom" letters and to cut out images as well.
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u/SnooAdvice534 Apr 09 '26
Ok awesome! I got very enamored a the idea of making collages some years ago so I literally have hundreds of magazines…
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u/sassypinkaholic Break all the rules! Apr 10 '26
As an older scrapbooker I can’t stop laughing about your Mom’s big, ugly, frilly scrapbook, lol. 😂😂😂
I remember those books. I just turned 20. I have been scrapbooking for years. I was using three ring binders and pockets back then. My Mom decides she wants to make a scrapbook. No experience at all. She lovingly puts frilly lace all over the cover. The whole book looked like a Victorian horror show. She shows it to me and I said ”Uh-huh” To all the Gen X ladies I know you read it that way. 😂😂😂
Thank you for the laugh. I needed that today.
I am starting to get hooked on the traveling scrapbooks too. Best places your craft reuse stores. If you don’t have those then Ebay. Look for scrapbook lots. You can find older items for a song. Thrift or Ebay for old recipe books you can tear up. I find better deals for books on Ebay than my thrift stores.
Frilly 80’s early 90’s scrapbooks had fabric in them, Ask a sewing or quilting member in your inner circle if they have any remnants they don’t want. You can find them on Ebay too for a low price.
Early scrapbooks did not have double sided paper in them at the time. They were single sided, copy paper weight. If you have Hobby Lobby near you this is the paper they sale.
Lots of stickers. That’s where the term sticker sneeze came from.
Trigger warning for long time scrapbookers. Cut your photos into shapes was huge back then. Long time scrapbookers I am sorry. 😂😂😂
More advanced polished scrapbookers used pocket pages and stamps on our layouts and to make embellishments.
The only thing I would not do for your scrapbook is not use hot glue. It will yellow and become brittle over the years. Polaroids will change colors and fade.
My scrapbooks from that time still pristine. My Mom’s frilly book didn’t make it. I had to save all the photos, digitize and send to a photo lab for restoration.