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Scrapbooking Business Tips

How to Get Into the Scrapbooking Business

I would like to know if you could give me the web address for Brandie V.s scrapbooking site.

I am interested in starting a business similar to hers.

So many people have pictures lying around that they want to look at but are not organized and it seems to be a hassle. I love to scrapbook, though am only a beginner.

Any tips on getting started?

Michelle

Oops! Brandie Valenzuela has changed her link. You can find her website at Brandie Valenzuela. Thank you for letting us know. We have corrected the link from her article which appears on our site.

I assume you've read what we have on The Artful Crafter about scrapbooking. If not, use the Search Box to search our site for the topic. You might also search on computer graphics, cameras and photos, since you mention an interest in organizing and making photos more accessible.

Scrapbooking seems to be moving in the direction of enhancing and playing with photos to give them more impact. This is a development I am very happy to see because sometimes cropping is just not enough and yet there is something special in a photo that makes it worth saving and scrapping.

And that's not even mentioning what you can do with vintage photos using photo manipulation software!

As for tips on getting started in scrapbooking as a business, you will likely need to take some intermediate steps to get where Brandie is. She has been scrapping for nine years and now has her own web site, does freelance writing and consults for the scrapbook industry.

If you want to start making money right away, you need to sell your products or services.

Would other people pay you to scrapbook some special event for them or organize, enhance or crop their photos? Not only can this start you earning but it can help you build a portfolio of work. Take photos or (preferably) make scans of all your work.

If you can find any scrapbooking classes in your area, sign up. If you can't find any, start offering them! Join one of the scrappers circles on the Internet. Brandie has some on her site. Since you're new to scrapping, it will be helpful to connect with more experienced scrappers and learn as much as you can from them.

Start submitting your pages to the scrapping magazines.

Journal; journal; journal. This will be a font of ideas for future pages.

Write some articles and submit them to Internet article services like EzineArticles. You don't get paid; you get exposure.

When you are ready to start your own web site, you can build content on your site by exchanging articles and links with other sites.

When you're ready to launch a web site, you can hire a webmaster or "do it yourself" like we have. I recommend Site Build It. It allows beginners to build their own sites, learning as they go and also provides a lot of valuable reporting and monitoring services. You can be up and running quickly.

Recommended Reading

These books are excellent resources for scrapbookers. They contain lots of new and original designs and ideas.

The Artful Crafter - Helping Crafters to Be