I like to think that I get a bunch of different kinds of people on onesassyscrapper.com, but I’m pretty sure, most of them are women. Some are mothers of beautiful children, wives, daughters, stepmoms, sisters, granddaughters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, employees, bosses, teachers, lawyers, doctors, baristas, slayers (oops, Buffy is on TV right now…), anyway, you get my point. We all have labels and responsibilities and expectations, desires, hopes and dreams. But sometimes we get caught in someone else’s world; or several someone else’s worlds. Sometimes all we are known by is “so-and-so’s” mom, “so-and-so’s” wife, “so-and-so’s” sister. Really? Really? I am me! So, what are you doing when you’re scrapping your family albums? You are preserving the history of all the “so-and so’s” in your life. They aren’t doing it. It’s your job. Another label. Family history keeper…Stepford Scrapper…Scrapbook artist…Scrapper who scraps pictures of loved ones, doing the things they love to do, and of course, in some circumstances, things that you may enjoy as well. So, how do you go about deciding how to scrap those beautiful memories? You get scrapbook paper that has something to do with this thing they love, in the colors that they love and arrange them in layouts that are acceptable to the scrapping community. WHAT???? Be who you are. Be sassy! This is the time when YOU have the power. This is one of those times you get to be who you want to be. Anything you can envision, anything on the paper, any part of the picture, anywhere on the paper, any color, style, texture, embellishments, size, you want. Be who you are; but not just when you’re scrapping, but every day, all the time, forever.

They make theme kits in lots of different styles; such as, vacation, holiday, birthday, baby boy, baby girl, wedding, etc. Places like Michaels, Target, Wal-mart are a great place to get kits. Some scrapbook stores carry them as well. One of the nice things about kits is that they are less expensive. Another thing is that there are just enough things for all of the pages and if you have trouble with decision making, like I do sometimes, it’s nice to have things all put together for you.

The other type of scrapbooking kit is a page kit. Page kits come in every theme possible in the ENTIRE world, practically. Here are some really cool, and some obscure themes I have found out there:

• Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts/Tiger Scouts
• Girl Scouts/Brownies/Daisy Scouts
• Cooking
• Wine
• Autism
• Rodeo
• Christmas
• Hanukkah
• Disney
• Seaworld
• American Girl Dolls
• Ballet/Tap/Jazz/Modern
• Orchestra/Band/Choir
• Drama
• Antique Games
• Family
• Seasons
• Wedding
• Cowgirl
• Cowboy
• Fairy
• Movies
• Comic Books
• Fairy Tales
• Teens/Tweens
• School
• Graduation
• Homecoming
• Prom
• Vintage Cars
• Retro designs
• Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah
• Faith
• Nature
• Animals/Zoo/Circus
• Travel/Most states, some cities and tourist countries
• Camping

Ok, my brain is addled from thinking of these. If you can think of any more, and I’m sure you can, please post them! Especially if you have any really obscure ones. Stay sassy!

• Size: Approximately how many pictures do you want to put in them. How many pages? What size paper?
• Style: Do you want all of your scrapbook styles to match when you’re finished with them? Same color? Same size? Same style? Same manufacturer? Or do you want them to all be different; such as, your daughter’s baby book is pink, your son’s is blue, your holiday book is red.
• Permanent, or flexible: Do you want to be able to add more pages? If you do, you need to choose screw post, if not, maybe you would like to use spiral.
• Storage: If you keep them out out on a coffee table or something, you want them to be vinyl or leather, something that is easy to clean. If you have them on shelves or inside a closet or cupboard, you can probably go with fabric.
• Theme Scrapbook: If you don’t care that all of your scrapbooks look exactly alike on the outside, maybe you want to go with different themes; such as Halloween, Christmas, Birthday, Baby, Wedding, etc. Scrapbooks come in many different themes.
• Categorizing: If you choose not to go with a theme on the outside and opt for plain colors, matching or not, you’ll want to have a way to tell them apart. One option is to buy your scrapbook with a picture cutout on the front. Some people put an actual picture in there, some put a poem, but some people actually write what the book is; for example, Bobby’s First Birthday, January 2nd, 1982. Sometimes you can actually get some decent rub on or sticker letters that look good and put them on the edge of your scrapbook with either the event or the date if you’re doing it by date.

So, those are my scrapbook ideas, for the actual scrapbook you’re filling. Whatever you do, when you choose your style, make sure you’re happy with it. Weigh all your options. But just remember, this is your scrapbook, no one else’s. Stay sassy!

1. The Internet: It’s so much easier in society today to get great ideas. Just type in “scrapbook layout” or “scrapbook template”, “wedding scrapbook”, “baby scrapbook”, anything your heart desires and you’ll come up with something cool.
2. Magazines: If you’re a hands on person, or technically challenged (like me) or if you just like magazines…there are some great scrapbooking magazines out there, such as, Creating Keepsakes and Memory Makers. I went and got magazines at garage sales and stores and took my favorite layouts, kits, ideas etc. and glued them into a spiral scrapbook and had my own book of borrowed ideas! Go to your nearest Barnes and Noble or Borders and they should have the magazines in stock, if not they’ll order them for you. Get a subscription!!!!
3. Books: Same as magazines, but hold up better and smell good…especially if they’re new….
4. Your friends: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery….
5. Scrapbook Convention: Oh my goodness!!!! Forget the circus, it’s greatest place on Earth!!!! Your local scrapbook store can tell you when the convention will be in town. The only thing they don’t have is cotton candy!
6. Scrapbook Store: Lots of times, the people that run the store put their own layouts up for people to see, borrow their ideas, they have all of the papers, embellishments and everything at their fingertips! Plus, that means you’ll need to buy more stuff at their store. They like that!
7. Scrapbook Retreat: For those die-hard scrapaholics, sister dear, you know who you are, scrapbook retreats are an excellent place to go to get great ideas. Sometimes they have them at conventions, then you kill all of your birds with one stone…want to know why? At the retreat, you are also at the convention which means you have your friends, scrapbook stores, books, magazines and, most likely, the internet, at your disposal!

A plethora of scrapbooking ideas all in one place! What could be better?

Sizes (in inches): These are the most common sizes.

• 12 x 12
• 8 x8
• 8 1/2 x 11
• 5 x 7
• 6 x 6

Textures: Again, these will not be all of the textures that exist in the world…

• Cardstock: Heavy paper, most commonly used for scrapbooking paper. Comes in thousands of colors.
• Natural Fibers
• Linen Weave
• Vellum: Semi-translucent paper that is normally put over the top of another kind of paper
• Fabric Paper: Such as a velveteen type, denim, etc.
• Glossy
• Metallic

Colors: Ha! Really? Ok, I’ll humor you and give you some colors…

• Jewel tones: Muted darker colors such as, Garnet, Navy, Evergreen, etc.
• Primary colors: Bright vivid colors such as, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange
• Neutrals: Tans, Beiges, Whites, Grays
• Pastels: Pale colors such as Baby Pink, Baby Blue, Butter Yellow, Lavender
• Hot palette: Florescents such as, Hot Pink, Neon Green, Royal Blue, Highlighter Yellow

Patterns and Themes: Again, really???

• Any design you can think of
• Florals
• Plaids
• Themes
• Disney
• Holiday
• Birthday
• Nature
• Fabric
• Wood
• Smiley Faces
• Tiny prints
• Baby
• Wedding
• Animals
• Maps
• Paisley
• Retro
• Psychadelic
• Tie Dye
• Polka Dot
• Food
• Words
• Every profession you can think of
• Scouting
• Fairytale
• Princess
• Seasons
• Marbleized
• People

So, anyway, that’s just a few ideas for today. Our Beginning Scrapper Lists include : Where to buy Scrapbooking Paper, Basic Scrapbooking Tools List and Types of Scrapbook Paper. OOOOHHHH what will be next???? Check back soon and see!

• sassy attitude: most important item
• blank scrapbook :now, there are different types of scrapbooks, we’ll get more in depth about them later, but a couple of types are screw-post bound which you can add pages to later and spiral which are like a spiral notebook and have to stay the size they originally come with
• scissors : some people like special edged scissors, fiskars makes a nice, inexpensive set, but you definitely need a couple of good pairs of paper cutting scissors with a comfortable grip, maybe a couple of different sizes
• scrapbooking glue/adhesives : this is a list for another post, just too many to discuss in this one.
• straight edge : ruler, something like that.
• paper: again, list for another post
• set of good quality colored pens : roller ball, something like that for journaling
• photo color printer: optional
• portable paper trimmer cutter: fiskars is a great source for this
• scrapbooking tools storage system: tackle boxes are a really inexpensive way to store your items. You can go as cheaply or expensively as you’d like on this item. Do find a way to make sure your scrapbooking papers don’t bend though.
• your pictures and memorabilia

So, the above items are the basic things you’ll need to start your scrapping. Below, is a list of the things to make your scrapbook design extra sassy:

Scrapbooking embellishments:

• Jolie’s Boutique: Cute little artsy bits in different themes to add to your papers
• Buttons
• Brads
• Stickers
• Gems
• and the list goes on and on, which, of course, means another list, for another post!

Enjoy! Let me know if I’ve left anything out!!! Sassy Scrapping!

My sister and I are sassy scrappers and lately, we’ve been wondering how much we’re actually spending. So we did a little bit of adding and subtracting and, oh yes, multiplying and OMG! Wow! As much as we love it, scrapping can be a really expensive hobby; as, I’m sure, most of you know. So, we’ve been looking around to try to cut costs wherever we can. And I think we’ve come up with some seriously sassy solutions. Scrapbooking has become a huge industry and I’m going to give you some great advice on where to find just the scrapbook paper and supplies you need for the prices you want to pay.

Have you ever been sitting there with your book almost finished and you just need to get paper for your last layout? You’ll be surprised at how many places carry scrapbook paper , embellishments,  stickers, adhesives, tools etc. Make sure you look everywhere in these stores! Sometimes, the best items are hidden in little corners of the store. Also, look in the clearance areas. You know, I love my scrapbooks, it makes me so happy to look back at all of the wonderful memories in the pictures, and the memories of the times when I made the books. But you know what? It makes me even happier not to have the guilty feelings that I used to get when I would remember how much it cost. So, here’s my sassy scrapper list of the less expensive, really convenient, open later than most scrapbook stores places to buy supplies:

• JoAnn Fabric (my fave)
• Michaels
• Fred Meyer
• Target
• Ross Dress for Less
• Marshalls
• Wal-Mart
• K-Mart
• Good-Will (Would you believe?)
• Ben Franklin
• Walgreens
• Bartell
• Ebay
• Craigslist
• Big Lots
• Amazon.com
• Tuesday Mornings
• COSTCO(Go in on the big sets with your sassy friends and split the cost)

After some snooping around on the Internet I found a site that has a bunch of her work archived.  It’s from 2002, but it looks like a good many of her rubber stamping templates are there.  I know I’m going to download them all in case they go away completely!

It’s so pretty!!!!