by Sarah Belle

Created on: February 23, 2007   Last Updated: January 30, 2011

Need to scrapbook on a budget? Try these 5 simple steps.

1. Make your own recycled paper.

Save money and do something positive for the environment at the same time, by making recycled paper!

I purchased a Paper Recycling Kit for $30 at a department store and it was a fantastic investment. The paper I make isn't always the best for writing on, but it's a beautiful stock for scrapbooking with a lovely thick texture and unique pattern.

Getting your desired colour is as simple as adding a drop of dye or food colouring to the mix. You can also add leaves or flower petals for a distinctive touch.

Once you get started, you'll discover that paper making is a wonderful creative craft in itself and you'll come up with your own ways to personalise your paper.

2. The "everything has value" theory.

Stop and think before your throw away ANYTHING. Save junk mail, postcards, greeting cards, magazines and those old jars of "bits and bobs". Even an old metal screw or a component of a broken earring could be just the embellishment your page needed.

What about an old tea towel? One side might be torn, but there's nothing wrong with the rest of the cloth, so don't throw it away. Try to see the potential in everything around you.

Be economical about how you use your supplies. Do you need to waste an entire sheet of paper as a background for a photo? Why not use a blade and cut out a border it only takes 5 minutes of your time and you'll save 70% of the paper.

3. Enlist the help of family and friends.

Let your friends and relatives know that you're on a crusade for scrapbook supplies and ask for their help. All they have to do is collect the junk mail, postcards, etc that they don't want and pass them onto to you for "sorting". Obviously the more stuff you have to choose from, the bigger and better your collection of FREE scraps will become!

You can thank them later with a personalised scrapbooking project perhaps even using some of the "supplies" they gave you.

4. Get out to Garage Sales.

They say "one man's trash is another man's treasure". It's so true.

You can find some great items at Garage Sales, such as charms and beads from old faux jewellery, unwanted ribbon and material scraps, kids paint pallets and much more.

Keep an eye out for children's Stencils, Geometry equipment or other drawing tools. I found a great contraption that helps you draw creative patterns in a neat and accurate way. It was a kids' toy and since the kids are now grown up, their parents were selling it for just $2.

5. Make your own embellishments.

Fully embellished products are the most expensive and unnecessary - of all.

For example, why buy a packet of cardboard "tags" when you could make them yourself for free? That's half the fun of scrapbooking anyway!

Search the internet for patterns or draw your own using a luggage or clothing tag as a template. Trace your tag template onto a piece of cardboard an old cereal box will do.

Once you've cut out the cardboard tag, simply cover it with your scrap paper or material.

Here's one final tip: one of the best scrapbooking techniques I ever learned was stitching. Get out your sewing machine and embellish to your heart's content all it will cost you is about 5 cents worth of cotton!

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