I've been scrapbooking for years and have tried every fade that has come and gone in the industry. I was like an addict going to the craft store or eBay (of course) to get my fix on a daily basis. What I didn't get was any scrapbooking done. When it came time to sit down and actually scrapbook my pictures I would have too many choices and couldn't get started. So what did I do? I sold most of my scrapbook "stuff" on eBay (and I am still slowly adding when I find things I won't be using). What did I keep?The essentials which is what I'm going to share with you.

• Pictures - These are the most important part of scrapbooking. They should be filed in acid-free storage boxes that you can get at any local craft store. If you have them organized in catagories this makes your scrapbooking easier but at least get them into the acid free boxes!
• An album - I choose to keep only 6x6 because you can focus on 1 picture and only one or two small embellishments. You do have plenty of other size choices though and that is a personal choice.
• Cardstock - I like Stampin' Up! paper so that is mostly what I have but any cardstock will do.
• A paper cutter - Okay I actually kept two of these but one will do for you.
• A pair of scissors - Again, I have a pair from Stampin' Up! but any brand will do. Make sure they are high quality as the money you spend on them will pay off in the long run.
• Adhesive - You have a ton of choices in this catagory. I prefer photo tabs and tend to use those most. You could also use adhesive dots, glue sticks, double-sided tape, adhesive runners........and the list goes on. The important thing to remember is that anything that touches your pictures should be acid free.
• Embossing gun and embossing powders - Though I do still own them I have discovered that I use my heat gun for lots of other crafts more than in scrapbooking. I actually only have four colors of embossing powders left: clear, black, silver, and white.
• Light table - I have a miniature one that I purchased at Wal-mart for $10. I use this mostly for my paper piecings but I used to use it with my embossing stencils.
• Stickers - Though I don't use many of these anymore I find the alphabet stickers great for titles and journaling.
• Eyelets and setters - I had about 50 different colors and styles of eyelets and found that I wasn't using them. I did keep 4 colors and a setter just in case.
• Fibers - These I use a ton of! You can include yarn, fabric, ribbon, dried flowers, really any type of 3-D fiber. I love adding texture and color and this is a cheap and plentiful choice to do it.

Now that is what I have paired my scrapbook obsession down to. There are lots of other materials you could use but I have found that my scrapbooks get done faster and save me a lot of money this way. I print out or paper peice most of my embellishments though from time to time I do purchase a particular embellishment for a particular page. I have learned to live with two scrapbook mottos and I repeat them to myself everytime I see a new trend or items I want to purchase.

1. Buy what you need not what is on sale.
2. Too many embellishments take away from the picture.

I hope that this section helped you scale down your collection and make you focus more on your pictures. After All, scrapbooking is about preserving the memories, not spending a lot of money!