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Make money scrapbooking
 Put together a scrapbook and earn a bit on the side
Scrapbooking is putting together photos and keepsakes of a special event in a gorgeous album for people to treasure. In the US scrapbooking is huge - it's a £1.2 billion a year industry - and it's becoming more popular here, too. Although some scrapbooks are a bit kitsch and cheesy, there is an increasing demand for chic and classic presentation of photos and memories from special events. People want something elegant to remind them of their wedding, christening or other special event. Those who can't be bothered to make them themselves are willing to fork out a fortune for someone else to do it for them. If you've got a good eye for presentation and some extra time, you could make a tidy profit making these scrapbooks or sharing your skills - here's how to do it. The first thing to do is make one album to use as an example of your work. You've got to make sure that your album is made from 'archival quality' materials. This means that the materials won't harm the photos you are putting in the album and they will stay bright and colourful. You should also look out for albums that already have protective plastic pages which will save you money as you won't have to buy page protectors separately. Materials The absolute essentials to make a scrapbook are: an album, paper, glue, cutting tools and pens. But whatever materials you choose to use just be careful to ensure they are all archival quality (i.e. they will withstand the test of time) or photo-safe.
Selecting a theme and layout
Making your pages Each page is essentially a piece of card wrapped in coloured paper. Card is important because it supports the photos and makes sure that they don’t get bent in the album. A small guillotine is the best way to accurately cut pages, while scissors are best for more detailed cutting. The coloured paper is the background that your photos will be displayed against so opt for plain as patterned paper can look too busy and distract from your photos. Photo-safe double-sided tape is probably the easiest adhesive to use, but some people do use glue sticks. Before you glue any photos practise placing them first and make sure you like the layout. Only start sticking them in when you are completely happy.
Once you've made your first scrapbook, you should have a better idea of the time it takes and how much it costs. You need to calculate a cost price per page, including the cost of your time and all the materials, and then add on a mark-up to ensure a profit. Use this figure as the lowest price per page that you initially offer. Once you've got better at producing pages you can charge more, but when you are just getting started it makes sense not to add too much profit. This will help you offer competitive and attractive prices.
Once you've got your prototype and you've done your costing, you can start trying to sell your skills.
Word of mouth is going to be your best and cheapest advertising, so get the word out there. Offer to do a couple of pages of a scrapbook for your friends for free and tell them that if they like it, you'll finish it for a fee. Show them your prototype and talk to them about the materials you can use to theme each page and make a scrapbook that they can really treasure. If friends are pleased with the results, ask them to show their friends (or just keep the scrapbook on the coffee table) and hopefully, once word spreads, customers will start coming to you. Always make sure you consult with your customers to find out exactly what they want. This way they will be really pleased with the results and will recommend you to a friend.
You can also advertise your skills on any local noticeboards that are free. Use some of your scrapbooking materials to make a mock-up page that actually advertises your skills. This will give people an idea of your product as well as your contact details. Include a special offer to grab people's attention - 'first two pages free' or something similar. Put your poster up in your local newsagent's window or in your local community centre. If you are a PhotoShop whiz, you can construct a scrapbook mock-up page digitally and then post it on scrapbooking forums or on your facebook page or blog.
Because scrapbooking is still fairly new in the UK, throwing a scrapbooking party is a great way to show your friends and family your skills and the kind of thing you could do with their photos and keepsakes. A party can also give you a good idea of the kind of things your potential customers might like and how much they'd be willing to pay. There are two ways of doing it:
Allowing people to make a page or two of a scrapbook is of course going to cost more because you'll need to buy loads of materials so everyone can have a go. It can also give people inspiration to set up their own business and take customers from you. But it could also make you money if you know your friends like to have a go at something but are unlikely to see the project through themselves. If you are unsure, stick to the first option and chat to your friends about how you do it and what you could do for them.
If you have been scrapbooking for a while and think you have some tips to share then you could make money by teaching scrapbooking classes. Visit your local arts and crafts shop and suggest a series of in-store demonstrations. You can theme lessons and talk about wedding scrapbooks, holiday scrapbooks or different techniques that are easy to do but look great. You'll need to negotiate a fee with the shop, but it could be very good for their business, so show them this by doing the first class for free. This will also give you an idea of how much interest there will be and how much you should then charge the shop. If no one shows up, you won't be able to charge much, but if your classes are popular you are worth a lot of money so you don't undersell yourself. In the US, some women are earning as much as £37.50 per hour instructing classes.
Setting up blogs is now easier than ever. With sites like Blogger offering easy to use templates and URL addresses all you have to is register, pick a template and a name and poof… you are up and running. It's free to start a blog, but you will need to invest your time writing interesting and clear blog posts on scrapbooking. Include lots of tips and ways to save money - it's always a popular theme. Allow people to post messages so you can answer questions and interact with your readers. Once you are up and running with good images and content, you can start to advertise your skills on your page as well as trying to get appropriate advertisers to advertise on your page. Google adwords is great for this as all you do is add them on your page and Google place ads that go well with your content. Get an idea of what you're aiming for by looking at The Scrapbook Boutique.
If making scrapbooks or teaching classes is too time consuming for you but you have a creative flair for creating layouts, you can still make a profit by selling them. Loads of people have fun creating books, but need a basic layout which they can add their personal embellishments to; that's where you step in. Sell these by offering them on your blog site or set yourself up with your own Etsy store. Setting it up is free and you are able to personalise and customise your store, too! The best part is that their commission fee is only 3.5% - a lot lower than eBay’s 7.5%.
There are a variety of different ways you can make money as a consultant. You can throw parties where you teach your guests how to make a page and then sell them enough materials to complete their own scrapbooks. This allows you to demonstrate all the products that you sell and make contacts so instead of buying online, people come to you to get the materials they need. You can also run an active workshop where, instead of just having fun and throwing things together, you charge people for an instruction session. The price should include all the materials used during the lesson and a little bit extra for you. Your students should then be able to buy more materials from you at the end of the class to complete their books.
If any of your clients really have the knack for scrapbooking or are particularly keen you can recruit them as a consultant and train them up. Then when they go out to sell as part of your team, you will get a commission on their sales.
All of your earnings as a consultant are commissioned-based, with a consultant earning 30% commission on products sold. On top of that you get 30% off all supplies. Creative Memories also runs a generous bonus scheme, so you've got everything to play for. If you are going to become a consultant you will have to commit to purchasing all your supplies exclusively from Creative Memories for the albums you create at their parties. The company has strict guidelines on the quality of photo-safe materials used in their albums. All album pages are acid-free, lignin-free, bleed-resistant, fade-resistant and buffered with reinforced edges using the best available quality products.
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Raechelle Dias
Moneymagpie Moneypedia
20.05.2008
