If there's one great thing about scrapbooking it's that you can start from a blank page and use nothing more than your creativity and artistic abilities to create a great album.  If there's one bad thing about scrapbooking it's that you might not always be blessed with all that creativity or any artistic abilities!  But scrapbook supply companies know this and thankfully many offer great scrapbook paper kits that have all the basic tools and supplies inside for creating those great albums.  Of course, even with the best scrapbook paper kits you still want your creation to look unique and personal to you, so how can you go about doing this?  While there are usually examples of how to use their product right there on the packaging, scrapbooking is an enjoyable hobby because it allows for personal expression and creativity.  Using those examples on the scrapbook paper kits you get is good for inspiration but copying them exactly means that your scrapbook might look like everyone else's - and that you've missed on the real fun of scrapbooking!

But before you start to tear out your hair because you think you're somewhat artistically challenged, let's go over some quick tips on how you can start with scrapbook paper kits but really make your scrapbook pages come to life, and be personal and unique just to you.

Most scrapbook paper kits come with some embellishments you can use on the pages and these are perfectly fine for your page but you don't want to limit yourself to these items alone.  Think about what items you might want to add and that would coordinate very beautifully with the scrapbook paper kits you purchase.  Usually sewing or craft items work well with most scrapbook pages.  While a strip of paper from your kit might work well for a border, adding a row of complementary buttons or eyelets underneath can help to layer it and add visual interest.  If it's a romantic type of page, try some lace or ribbon.  Most scrapbook paper kits don't contain items like this (although some will) so it's up to you to get creative with other items you might have around the house.  If you're not one to sew or don't have craft items readily available, it's time to visit the craft store or even the dollar store.  Sometimes fabric stores will have scrap bins where you can purchase many different types of fabrics for not a lot of money, or you can even think seriously about old clothes you have that you know you'll never wear anymore.  Taking the back pocket off of an old pair of jeans and gluing it to a page can add a lot of visual interest especially if your photo is "peeking" out of this pocket.  Think of ways to dress up your scrapbook paper kits like this rather than simply relying on the items they provide.  Envelopes from old greeting cards can be glued face down with the photo sliding out of it, doilies can be cut into hearts or left as is, and those popsicle sticks can be painted or decorated for a wide variety of uses.  Treat your scrapbook paper kits the way you would any scrapbook supplies and understand that you shouldn't rely only on the kits for your elements and embellishments, but look around the house at what you have or be prepared to use other items as well.

One of the advantages of scrapbook paper kits is that their paper all coordinates and complements one another, but a mistake that some scrappers make is not manipulating the paper to fit their needs.  In other words, you probably want to use one sheet for your background but be ready to cut or tear other sheets, and sometimes getting creative with these methods is necessary as well.  For instance, you might think that flowers on your page should be actual flower embellishments, but what about cutting out teardrop shapes of complementary papers and arranging these around a circle as if they're flower petals?  You can then draw by hand a long curly stem and some green leaves.  Get creative with how you envision all the different papers in those scrapbook paper kits.  Trace a design with a stencil on the back of a paper and cut out a scallop for your photo border rather than just using a square block.  Cut hearts in different sizes on different papers in the scrapbook paper kits and layer them one on top of the other. 

If you're trying to stick to a budget, you might notice that the more expensive scrapbook paper kits come with many embellishments but you can usually imitate these quite cheaply.  For instance there are stickers of crystals all in particular shape such as a crown or heart.  You can make up your own by hot gluing shiny beads or buttons on your paper; just make sure to trace a very thin outline of your shape with a pencil first rather than try to do it freehand.  You can cut tags out of the other papers in your scrapbook paper kits by using a stencil on the back; many scrappers find that layering tags is a great way to add visual interest to the page.  Tags can also be cut out of many different materials; visit your craft supply store to shop for heavy cardstock in different designs.  You can use these to coordinate with the papers in your scrapbook paper kits.

Dressing up the pages you get in scrapbook paper kits isn't as difficult as you might think it is; you simply need to widen your horizons so to speak and not use only what you're provided.  And of course you don't want to let yourself get overwhelmed either; use the layouts they have on their packaging or examples you see online as inspiration.  But being original is part of the fun of scrapbooking and that fun shouldn't stop when you purchase scrapbook paper kits!