Guest Post: Jens Scrap booking Tips

We'd like to introduce you to our wonderful cousin and new mother Jennifer!  She is into scrap booking, and is going to share some quick tips with us!  Enjoy her tips and tricks and pictures!

Last night I was talking to a group of ladies and the conversation turned to scrapbooking. Most of them were apalled by the word... LOL. As we furthered our conversation they told how they just couldn't find the time, couldn't afford the little accessories, or just didn't have the patience to do it. I had to share my little secret with them! I cheat! I do "photo album scrapbooking!" Yep! I use a photo album!

First I find a really cute photo album... I like when I can find a pair for $5, usually at walmart, and occasionally at Michaels.

Then I pull out my boxes and boxes of pictures (ugh!) and organize them however I want them in the album. I like doing the pictures in order of date, but you can do how ever you want.

Then I pull out the little things that I had saved from that event... I save EVERYTHING! Tickets, brochures, wrappers (as long as its still sanitary, of course), etc. It's the cheapest way to decorate your page or picture!! Vellum is also one of my favorite things to use! Another inexpensive decorative thing to use is vellum! You can make so much out of vellum. One of my scrapbooks I cut it into ghosts! I love it!

Then I start putting the pictures into the photo album. The key is to not put a picture into every slot so you can add your little accessories there! I like to lay all the pictures out first and decide where and how I am going to place them. I don't like having to move pictures around after I already have most of them in.

Then you add your decor! Here are a few of mine. I didn't get too fancy smancy with this album (my first one) because it was a gift to my husband (we were only dating at the time, and he went to the peace officer academy for 4 months in Sacramento) and I knew that he didnt want something girlie to show off to his fellow cadets! Sweet and Simple it is! (I dont glue the things into the album, the album sleeves are pretty tight so they really jus stay in themselves. I do tape or use a glue stick to glue little pieces together just so they stay the way that I want them to.)

I love this little sign things! Add a piece of string and you are good to go! If you don't like your handwriting, just print up on another color of paper and glue it to the sign.... perfect!

This was cut from a box that I just couldn't bare to throw away! I added some vellum, with a handwritten quote, to the from and there you go!

Here are also some pictures of my actual scrapbooking. I refer to myself as a messy scrapbooker. I look at other's work and think it's so much more cleaner than mine is... but I like getting more than one or two pictures on the page! Plus I LOVE stickers and like I said before I like to save little things that I can later use on the page. Saving money & time is one of my favorite things to do!

Here is the full version of the Halloween page from the photo album. More vellum ghosts! I love those things and they are so easy to cut out!

(this page is a little old and falling apart... I need to fix the word "knotts")

I LOVE this page! The ornanments and present that are on the right side were part of a Christmas card that I pulled apart!

Here is some of my "beginning" work. This is a normal 8 x 10 peice of paper that I shoved as many pictures on as I could. I love BUSY pages! For the pictures I just used my fancy scissors!

Another little trick that I like to use... black paper and a white gel pen! I love it! It's especially great if you are doing a school page - you could get creative and make a little chalk board!

I just LOVE my cricut! :) My latest creation!

I hope you can get some inspiration from my own creations! (Love you Tiffany & Melissa!)

What great little tips!  Hope you guys put them to great use, and share with us!!