10 Common Regrets

10 Common Scrapbooking Regrets
by Mimi Russell (Mar 29, 2006)


Have you ever heard someone say, "If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing." Did you believe them? Neither did I. We all have regrets in life, and of course, we have some regrets in our scrapbooks, as well. Here are some common regrets that you may have experienced yourself, and links to helpful articles that will help you avoid them!

Over-buying- Many of these scrapbooking regrets apply to someone new to the hobby, but don't feel ashamed or embarrassed if you can relate all too well. We are all human after all. As a novice scrapbooker, I was so enthralled with my new hobby and the whole row of goodies awaiting me at Michael's that I would buy everything in sight. That was a mistake because now seven years later, I still have a lot of those really loud patterned papers in my stash and I will never use them. I can't even pawn them off on my daughters! Of course, I am still guilty of this one today. Though I understand the logic in bringing your photos to the scrapbook store and just buying what you need, that's a hard lesson to learn and stick to.

Shopping for a Layout by Andrea Steed


Zig-zags, anyone? - Now this might be dating myself, as deco scissors have been "out" for quite a while, but I'll admit it. I bought them, all of them, every shape and design, even different brands of the same design. There was just something about the cute colored handles that made me want them all. Most of these have remained unused, but another big regret I have is actually using those deco scissors to cut my pictures. There's nothing worse than a crooked circle cut with scalloped scissors, except maybe the crooked star cut with the sunflower scissors. Pictures look much better cut with straight (or solid) edges, and if you must use the deco scissors, use them for the mat.

To Crop or Not to Crop by Janna Wilson


Silhouettes - While on the subject of cutting your photos, I am a strong supporter of the good old rectangle. Every now and then though, you might want to cut out the person (or object) in your photo as a silhouette. As a beginning scrapbooker, I really liked to silhouette my pictures, sometimes too much. I regret that now.

Creative Photo Cropping by Allyson Bright


Funky Shapes - In addition to silhouettes, it's easy to get caught up into cutting pictures into different shapes. Whether you are tracing a template or using a cool tool that lets you cut stars and polygons in a matter of seconds, try not to overdo it. An occasional circle or oval is nice to break up the rectangles, but be careful with the funkier shapes. They should be used more sparingly and preferably not together like I did.

Geometrically Speaking by Lindsay Teague


Enamored with Embellies - This is a regret that I think even the most seasoned scrapper might fall victim to every now and then. With so many fantastic embellishments hitting the market all the time, it's easy to pick something up and just go a little nuts. However, when you let your use of embellishments overtake the main purpose of your layout, you may regret it.

Embellishments: To Add or Not to Add? by Fion Lim


Mounds of Memorabilia - Normal people collect memorabilia. Maybe they save ticket stubs from a favorite show or a matchbook from a special restaurant. Scrapbookers, however, may take a normal vacation and come home with more memorabilia than they do photos. If you are saving cocktail napkins with a soda-stained ring on them, the receipts for the postcards that you bought for the scrapbook, and the cute (but somewhat greasy) little bag that the jumbo cookie from Disneyland came in, you might regret that someday.

Maintaining Your Memorabilia by Ramona Greenspan


No photos? No problem. - I think it's easy to overlook scrapbooking a special memory just because you don't have photos. For me, the first time I created a layout without photos was when we went to visit our family in Mississippi for Thanksgiving and all ended up very ill. Nobody was in the mood to take pictures, but it certainly was a visit we will never forget. I decided to write the story and embellish the page with seasonal die-cuts.

Scrapbooking Without Pictures by Tammy Moore


Everyday Moments - If you're like me, you get so busy with living everyday life that sometimes taking pictures is the last thing on your mind. Our albums are full of holidays and special events such as birthdays, piano recitals, sports and other activities. What about those everyday moments? What about when your two-year-old decides to dress herself in a halter top and snow pants? How about pictures of the daily routine, with the kids reading their favorite books, or even doing their homework? These things deserve to be preserved for all eternity as much as their yearly birthday party pictures. I took the time last year to take a picture of our house each season. Not only was it fun to take the pictures and compare the differences, but it gave me an opportunity to journal about our home.

A Slice of Life by Ramona Greenspan


Empty Journaling - This is a tough one, but with some practice you can learn to make sure your journaling isn't "empty." You want to put more than the date and place where the pictures were taken. While sometimes that is enough, don't forget to journal about your feelings, because after all is said and done, it's not the fact that we went to Disney World and got Gina's picture taken with Snow White, it's the fact that our daughter Gina's nickname was Snow White because her pale skin and beautiful dark hair reminded everyone of her favorite princess. Seeing Snow White was such a huge thing for Gina, and that story would be lost if I only wrote that we saw Snow White at Magic Kingdom in January. You don't have to be sappy; just tell your stories and explain why the memories are so special.

Bringing Your Words to Life by Denise Gormish


Handwriting - I know I am not in the majority here, but I really want to stress how important I think it is to have your own handwriting in your scrapbooks. Sure, we have limitless computer fonts at our disposal to make sure others can read our stories, and you can even have you own handwriting made into a font to use on your computer, but it's just not the same. We each have our own style of writing and that is part of who we are, like it or not! I would definitely regret it if my scrapbooks did not have that part of me in them.

Journaling by Hand by Ramona Greenspan
Keep in mind these regrets as you go about your scrapbooking, but in the end, no matter what regrets we may have, we are all going to be proud of what we have created for our children and families. No matter if we have used deco scissors or if we kept every scrap of memorabilia we ever came across, we have at least preserved our memories and left our legacy.