Scrapbooking Paper - Pick a Pack of Paper

[Earl Fehr]

The most overwhelming and beautiful isle in your scrapbooking supply
store is probably the paper isle. Scrapbooking paper comes in all
colors of the rainbow and in too many designs to count. If there is an
occasion to scrapbook, there is most certainly a paper to match your
theme, but with all the choices, it is easy to leave the store with
papers you will never use and without the kind you really need the
most.
To prevent having to take out a second mortgage to buy paper, first
decide what size album you will be making. Papers come in two standard
sizes'8 ? x 11 and 12 x 12. You can also make albums in smaller sizes
as well. Larger paper can be cut to size and smaller papers can be
used for embellishments and matting, but you will need the most paper
in the size of your album. Also, check out the different types of
paper available. Scrapbooking safe paper comes in everything from
thick cardstock to light velum and each type of paper has a specific
use. You will probably use most of the medium-thickness paper.
Next, take stock of the solid colors you own. On most pages, you will
use at least one solid color for the background, for mats, for
journaling, or for embellishments, so you will probably run out of
plain colors first. As a rule, you will need more black and white than
other colors, but you can find rainbow packs at an inexpensive price
and then buy single sheets of black and white, as you need them.
You can also buy packs of designer papers. These packs are a good
investment, because they are usually color coordinated. This gives you
a good starting point if you are a beginning layout designer. Another
good place to start if you don't have a lot of experience with layout
design is with papers that suggest a layout already. For example, some
papers come pre-printed with frames or other layout elements, so all
you have to do is crop your photographs and add embellishments. You
can also buy books of papers. These books are usually set around a
theme, such as "vacation" or "Christmas." At the end of the book,
there are guidelines and ideas for creating layouts with these papers.
Buying paper can get expensive, but if you wait for the sales, you can
often get 50% or more off. Another good way to make the most of your
money is to trade papers with other scrapbookers. When you buy a kit
or a book, there will always be a few papers you don't like or can't
use. One of your fellow scrapbookers might have a perfect use for this
paper, and will trade you for a paper that they don't want but that
you could use. By taking advantage of these resources and buying only
the paper that you need, you won't end up with too much unwanted
paper. When in doubt, leave it at the store'you can always go back for
it if you create the perfect layout for that paper.