There are some great ways to reuse your leftover scraps, but there may be only so much you can do with your own before all your books start to look alike. To spice up your scrapbooks and your friendships, have some fellow scrapbookers over to share and trade leftover scraps.
Scrap swapping with your friends is also a great way to keep yourself from overbuying supplies. Maybe you need a touch of pink in a layout but don’t want to buy an entire package of cardstock or ribbon. Trading with your friends is an easy way to get that small touch you’re looking for without a big pricetag.
Every good party needs games, right? Why not turn scrap swapping into a game? You can create challenges to put together layouts from various scraps that everyone brings with them. You can have everyone chip in money and get scrapping supplies for the winner or let them have first choice at what scraps they take home. Even if you don’t want to use the specific layouts you come up with, you or one of your friends might come up with a great idea you can use.
You might worry that if you all share materials, your scrapbooks will all start to look alike. But if you’re creative enough you can use the exact same things for totally different effects. It’s like two different artist sharing the same paint.
Scrap swap meets are a great place to trade extras, but you can also use them as a place to share supplies. The price tag or some reusable items like edgers, stamps. and punches isn’t so bad if you’re all share what you buy.
So what if you really want to have a scrap swap meet, but you don’t have any friends who scrapbook. Here are some great ways to meet people who share your passion and start swapping today.
Online. There are tons of great online forums on in the internet where you can meet people that share your passion. If you look hard enough, you’re sure to find people in your area. If you’re worried about the people you meet online, you can arrange to have your swap meets at a neutral location like a library or local coffee shop.
Scrapbooking stores. If you’re apprehensive about meeting people on the internet, why not try your local scrapbooking store? You can ask employees if they know anyone who would be interested in scrapbooking swap meets or ask to post an add on a bulletin board or at a register. If that’s too much effort, you can just strike up a conversation with a fellow scrapper while browsing the store.
Convert your current friends. If you can’t find anyone who loves scrapbooking, convert people who haven’t discovered this fantastic hobby. If a friend admires your scrapbooks, invite them to help you make some pages or offer to help them start their own. If you loan them supplies and advice, you’re likely to get them hooked too.
Having scrap swapping parties can help you save money, come up with great ideas, and decrease the amount of trash you put into the environment, but these aren’t the best reasons to have them. Scrapping parties are a great way to spend time with your friends, share memories, and just have a great time.