Scrapbooking Totes - How to Buy One You Will Love

Whether you're headed for the scrapbook store for an evening class or headed out of town for a week-long vacation and want to bring your scrapbook supplies with you, you'll need a way to carry your goodies from one spot to another. A quick online search will show dozens of different options, from small backpack-size totes to huge rolling monstrosities that almost take a forklift to get into the trunk of your car.

Before you invest in a scrapbook tote, though, here are some questions to ask yourself to make sure you're choosing the best product for your needs:

• How much stuff do you have? Do you own enough product to open your own scrapbooking store, or are you more on the streamlined side, with just a limited amount of supplies? The size of your stash will help to dictate the size of your tote.
• How much stuff do you take with you? Even if you have a store's worth of supplies, if you only take a scaled-down selection with you to crops and classes, your tote doesn't have to be huge. On the other hand, if you like to take all your scrapbook supplies on the road with you, you'll need a way to transport it all.
• Do you have specialized tools or supplies? There are scrapbooking totes that have slots for pens, scissors, paper trimmers, stamp pads, paper, and more. If you are the "a place for everything, and everything in its place" type, look for a tote that lets you assign sports for your various supplies.
• How strong are you? This may sound like a funny question, but it's an important one! Just because you can roll and lift the tote in the store doesn't mean you'll be able to haul it in and out of your car when it's fully loaded with a ream or two of patterned paper, dozens of stamps and stamp pads, and an eyelet-setting hammer.
• How much do you have to spend? Totes come in a variety of price points; typically, smaller totes have lower prices. If you're longing for a larger tote but you're on a budget, save up for what you want! It's better to go without for a while rather than buying something you're not in love with. Look for sales at large craft stores, or use a coupon to get a discount on your favorite.

About this Author

For more advice and suggestions on purchasing scrapbooking supplies and tools, Lain Ehmann can help. Scrapbook designer, teacher and author, Lain shares the scoop on what's happening in the scrapbook industry.

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