Altered Items - Scrapbooks

Of course you can go out and spend tons of money on scrapbook albums, embellishments, and scrapbook supplies. If you cannot afford to buy them, you can create lovely albums using items that you have right there at home. Take a look around you, and let your imagination take over. Here are some ideas for things you can collect and use to make stunning scrapbooks for yourself and others. Creating scrapbook albums out of used items is called 'altered books', calendars, etc:

• Used file folders (cover and embellish, add pockets and tags inside).
• Old calendars.
• Almost empty notepads (embellish the remaining empty pages and covers).
• Toilet roll rings! (flattened and decorated)
• 3 ring binders.
• Portfolio folders.
• Index cards (mini album layout).
• Old business cards (makes a mini-mini album).
• Paper bags.
• Gift bags.
• CDs (decorate, drill a hole for ribbon, brad, binder ring, etc. to hold them together).
• CD and DVD cases and paper sleeves.
• Used and new envelopes (any size will do).
• Greeting cards (can be single or, after you decorate them, bind several together via sewing, brads, staples, tape, etc.)
• Old books.
• Magazines.
• Old picture albums.

Embellishments

Get creative and add thrifty embellishments to your pages. Instead of rushing out to the nearest craft store to buy scrapbook supplies, consider creating your own embellishments using one or more of the following:

• Paint chips.
• Old greeting cards and gift tags.
• Buttons from stained, torn, or outgrown clothes.
• Beads and charms from broken costume jewelry.
• Ribbon from gift baskets or packages you've received.
• Bits of string and twine.
• Clothing tags with interesting graphics or other pretty designs.
• Memorabilia relating to the theme of your page, such as postcards, brochures, or graphics from magazine advertisements.
• Newspaper clippings.
• Artwork done by your children.
• Print graphics, art, related photos, etc. from the Internet.
• Use watercolor paint to make an abstract design on plain cardstock or paper for your backgrounds.
• Piece together several scraps of different patterned papers in coordinating colors to make a completely new background for your scrapbook layout.
• Add texture to paper by crumpling it a few times, smoothing it back out. You can highlight the creased areas with a bit of brown chalk, pencil, marker, or crayon to give even more texture.
• Use old wrapping paper and scraps of wrapping paper.
• Hand write favorite quotes several times across the bottom of the page for an interesting border.
• Turn your 'journaling' into an interesting design element by highlighting key words with chalk, crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
• Trim old photos into large and small squares and circles, and then arrange them into a grid formation to make a cheap title page for your scrapbook album.

That is just the beginning! I find myself eyeing everything to see if it will fit into a scrapbook layout! Keep baskets, bins, boxes, etc. to store your scrapbook embellishments in, so that they don't take over your house!