Scrappy answers:

You don't have to buy the plastic cover sheets, but it is best if you do. That way, your book will stay nice for years, no matter how many folks look through it -- and no matter how clean their fingers were or weren't.

I have one friend who strongly prefers the strap-hinge scrapbooks and another who loves the post-bound ones, and still others who like both. Really, it is up to you. Ask if there's a demo model you can look at. See which one your crafts supplies store carries more of, and which they are most likely to have refills for. That's the one I'd go with.

Scrappy answers:

When I went to a show, the consultant said depending on how thick your pages are... Two or three packs of pages. So, there are 15 pages/pack. That would mean anywhere from 30-45.

Hope this helps.

Scrappy answers:

If you are a scrapbooker yourself, think about how much time you put in to do your own. If you are getting the supplies from this person, that's great, then all you have to worry about is the time you put into hers. Ask yourself this question, "How much is my time worth?" Then go from there. I hope this helps.

Scrappy answers:

If you already have a program, Costco prints them in an hour.

Creative Memories has an amazing program called Storybook Creator Plus. Www.creativememories.com You can either have your 12x12 (or 8.5x11 or 8x8) pages printed for you in a hard bound book, or save the pages and have them printed individually. You can print them at www.cmphotocenter.com, they have reduced rates per page the more you order, or if you are near a Costco, you can have them printed there in an hour. There are great tutorials on using the software at www.creativememories.com under Shop Products/digital scrapbooking/online training/ then there are 3 amazing free webinars on Storybook Creator Plus called "Getting Started with SB+," "Beyond the Basics with SB+" and "Advanced Techniques with SB+."

Scrappy answers:

If youre aiming for a professional portfolio, leave the scrapbooking decals OUT of it. Itll just cheapen your work,which im sure youve worked hard on.you want it to showcase your work,not your hobbies.