Paper Cutter

This is the first tool that I acquired and let me tell you, it is a must!

I use this to cut down paper, pictures, borders, etc. Scissors just won't cut it. This is what you need. This measures what length you need for you so. This model comes with a replacement blade, and an extension so you can measure up to

Top uses:

Making boarders around my photos

Creating journaling spaces

Resizing photos

Making boarders to go behind embellishments

Borders are a big key to making my pages look polished. I love the way the look! It helps you make your images cleaner when you separate them from the busy background with a more simple patterned border. Or it helps you spice up your page when you use a patterned boarder on a plain color background.

Examples:

Blaine's Hospital Scrapbook

Here it is!

This is my very first scrapbook that I actually like!

This is the one my mother in law Kathleen helped me make.

This is a 8X8in album

We used a baby boy paper pack from Hobby Lobby

as well as several other baby boy embellishments.

Getting Hooked

I'm pretty sure every girl has tried to scrapbook. My first attempt was when I was in elementary school. My sisters and I would scrapbook together and I loved things like stickers and cutting the pictures up in shapes or circles. Little did my sixth grade self know, my scrapbook was pretty dang ugly.

No really.

Don't believe me...

Pretty sure no decedent of mine will be interested in my cousins small portraits cut into shapes with strange stickers and scribbling in the background.

I'd since quit scrapbooking and realized that I like portraits in albums much better.

Years flew by and now I'm 24. Last October I waiting for the arrival of my first child, a little boy. My mother in law Kathleen came before my due date and brought some scrapbooking supplies to make a pre made scrapbook for my baby.

She (being the queen of scrapbooking) thought about making one for me and bringing it to me but she decided she would bring it as an activity for me to enjoy as well. She asked me if I was into scrapbooking and I told her that I liked the idea, but no, I didn't have a scrapbook or supplies or anything. She then sat me down and explained all kinds of principles, ideas, guidelines, and tools that would help me. I had no idea there was so much out there for resources etc. After we talked about what my style was and what I wanted the book for, we went to work. We scrapbooked for something like 7 hours straight without eating or taking a break.

We were in the zone.

I was so proud of the final result! I loved looking through our scrapbook over and over again, even though there weren't even any pictures in it yet! I have since filled the scrapbook with pictures from the hospital and the week after we took our little boy home.

After that, I was hooked. My husband got me some more supplies for Christmas and I want to build my supply as well as learn more techniques. I have a bunch of ideas for future scrapbook and can't wait to find more tools and methods and become a master scrapper!

This blog will be my guide to my growth. I hope to show my work, methods, tools, and review things I like and don't like.

Hope you enjoy!