Scrapbooking is one the favorite hobbies of America. And what is there not to like? It is addicting. It is involving and it helps you tap into those dormant creative energies. What is more, you get to recreate and preserver special memories on paper while doing something that you really really love.

Scrapbooking though can be really costly with all the materials that you have to buy. There is the scrapbook itself or the album, which you can find in craft store. There are also the special papers and decorations like little metallic buttons and ribbons not to mention the tools like scissors and glue. Scrapbooking can really eat away a large chunk off your monthly savings.

But this should not be the case. If you really want to, you can turn your scrapbooking activity into a cost-free adventure. All you need to do is to be resourceful and find items around the house that you can reuse as decors and emblems. Below are some tips that can help you get started.

Recycle paper

There is actually no need to buy an already prepared scrapbook or album because you can easily create your own. In fact, most of what is being sold in craft stores and department stores are scrapbooks that you can do yourself.

If you have the time, you can recycle your own paper from the newspapers and scratch papers that your kids use in school. Recycling your own paper is real easy although there are many steps that you have to follow. It can also be time consuming because in addition to tearing the paper into smaller pieces, you also have to dry them up after the recycling process. But if you are really decided and have a lot of free time in your hands, research on the specific steps in the Internet. Who knows, you might find it real fun.

If however, you find recycling your own paper mighty tedious. You can use plain bond paper or use sheets of newspapers or magazines without really recycling it. Use those pages with ads on them for its color and graphics. The details can add some great touches to your scrapbook pages.

Look into your old stuff

There are a lot in the house that you can use as decorations for your pages. You don't really have to buy decorations just to make your page nice. In fact, sometimes, what you find in your home can add a touch of memory into your page that decorations in craft stores cannot achieve.

One example of things around the home that you can use are old buttons that you get from clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Buttons are great decorations for the pages. Another possible decors are faux gemstones from costume jewelries that got broken. You can also tear some fabrics in your old clothes and use some parts to add texture to your pages. Broken chains and ribbons in dresses can also be reused as borders and linings.

Papered memories

If you are the type who keeps absolutely everything for the memories, you can actually fill up a whole scrapbook without having to buy anything. For instance, bus tickets, movies tickets, concert tickets and even parking tickets that remind you of special occasions can be used as decorations for scrapbooks. The same goes with any kind of receipts. Greeting cards are another great source of graphics and decorations.