Having A Hard Time Choosing Which Scrapbooking Supplies To Invest In?

You're Not Alone!

Forget the hottest, trendiest stuff they say you have to have right now. I’ve been scrapbooking for years, and regardless of the latest craze, these are my go-to supplies.

1. Paper and cardstock. Paper is the one thing that a scrapbooker cannot live without. Patterned papers can be used as backgrounds or accents for your pages. Solid colored cardstock is key, and having many colors on hand will allow you to easily color-coordinate your projects with your patterned paper.

2. A Good Printer may very well become your best friend! Besides paper, a printer is indispensable. There is no limit to what you can make from your computer. Print out your digital layouts, embellishments, photos, journaling, titles – well, you get the idea. There are a lot of great entry-level printers on the market these days, or you may even want to explore your options in wide format (so you can print out a 12x12 scrapbook page).

3. Scissors and a Paper Trimmer. You may want to set aside a good, sturdy pair of scissors devoted solely to scrapbooking – after all, you’re going to be using them quite a bit! There are several different types of paper trimmers on the market. I prefer the guillotine style paper cutter, however. They consistently deliver a cleaner cut than other trimmers, and the blades don’t dull as quickly. Maintenance is easier on them because you can sharpen the blades fairly easily (some are even self-sharpening), whereas you have to buy a completely new blade for other types of cutters, which can get costly. So, you may spend more for a guillotine style paper trimmer in the beginning, but you’ll save in the long haul.

   Photo by: Lenore M. Edman

4. Craft knife (like Exacto) and a self-healing cutting mat. I don’t know where I’d be without these! A craft knife is used to cut intricate objects and gets in places where ordinary scissors just can’t reach. The self-healing cutting mat is great because you can cut on it over and over again and it doesn’t get major scars on it. Oh yeah, and it protects your tables, too!

5. Adhesives. If you are a beginner, or on a budget, just start out with glue sticks and your basic craft glue. You’d be amazed at what you can do with a simple glue stick. A can of spray adhesive and a roll of foam tape goes a long way, too. You can create dimensional pieces with the foam tape and cut it to whatever size you need. Spray adhesive can provide either a permanent or temporary hold, won’t wrinkle your paper, and is great for covering large areas. There are a lot of options for adhesives these days, and they can really add up! See what you can do with the basics before you drop a lot of money on the fancy glue dots and special tape dispensers. Besides, wouldn’t you rather spend your money on paper and embellishments instead of glue?

6. Adhesive Remover. Made a mistake and don’t want to ruin your photo or layout? An adhesive remover, like Un-Do, can save your project! You can use it to remove a photo or element from a page to move to a more desirable area, completely intact! How cool is that? After saving a number of my own projects from near-ruin, I’m convinced that this stuff is a necessity!

7. Brads. Eyelets are fun, but brads are so much more versatile, and they don’t require a special tool to set them. They can be used simply as decorative paper fasteners or to add a little ‘pop’ to an embellishment. Some basic, neutral metallic rounds, like gold and silver, will coordinate with most layouts.

8. Photo Editing Software. You can magically fix and transform your pictures with the help of a good editing program. Cropping your photos is effortless and red eye, scratches and other boo-boos are easily remedied. There are many photo editing programs on the market in all sorts of price ranges. The trick is to find one that you feel comfortable using. Some sites offer a free trial of their product, so you may want to check a few out before you invest a lot of money in software.
   
   
   

9. Albums/Page Protectors. Protecting your artwork is essential. Make sure that you choose albums that are acid free. Some of the older albums, such as the magnetic-styles, will actually ruin your pages over the years. The oils on your fingers can cause damage to photos as they age, so use plastic page protectors to keep your pictures and layouts looking nice for years to come.

You don’t have to have the latest and greatest scrapbooking supplies to make impressive pages and layouts. With a little creativity and some basic tools, you can turn ordinary paper into a work of art!

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