When learning the finer points of scrapbooking there are many things you need to avoid doing in order to have the perfect scrapbooking albums. A lot of this is learned through trial and error, but here are some common mistakes to avoid for beginner scrapbooking.

Over-buying supplies is the leading mistake in scrapbooking. Although common sense says that you should buy everything you need all at once, what you may think you need now may still be sitting on a shelf or in a drawer years later. There are so many patterns that you may love, but may not go with your theme now. Try buying only the supplies for one scrapbooking project at a time, so you find out what is really necessary before wasting a good deal of money on items you may never use.

Try not to over use silhouettes when cutting the photos. Yes, they look wonderful in some scrapbooking albums, but you don't want a whole album full of silhouettes. A shape of a rectangle or a circle may work just as well and add a new dimension to your scrapbooking.

On the same line as silhouettes, try to avoid too many crazy shapes in all your sets. Sure, stars and polygons are great looking and add a little fun to your scrapbooking album, but be careful not to overdo it. A nice circle or an oval adds a touch of elegance and beauty to your scrapbooking.

Embellishing and Journaling Mistakes

When a beginner first starts the art of scrapbooking they can become captivated with embellishing. The more the better they say, but that saying is far more than what should actually take place. It is the pictures that should be your main focus, not the page decoration. Embellishments should be used to add to the photos, not take away from them. There are so many accessories on the market right now that it is hard to not get caught up with it, but they are difficult if not impossible to remove once you have glued them to the paper. Keep that in mind before covering all the available empty space with stickers.

Journaling is so important to any scrapbook, and can really make or break a scrapbooking project. Journaling shouldn't be empty, meaning you should put more than just the name and date on the set. It should be full of emotion and meaning, along with a specific memory or thought. Just remember, it is not the fact that you went somewhere, it's the feelings that were evoked from going to that special place. Fill up the page with words, sentiments, and reactions and then long after the memory fades you will still recall each wonderful moment you spent with the people you love. You should try to keep in mind the following three aspects of good journaling - include writing from the heart, use a poem or a quote and use different fonts sparingly, there is nothing worse than seeing every single word written in a different font!