Scrapbooking Supplies, Which do you Need?

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Okay. You have tons of family photos.

You have seen the delightful scrapbook that what’s-her-name down the street (the arts and crafts one) has put together.

You even feel like you have some creativity-hiding deep inside that is ready to burst out and begin scrapbooking.

So, you visit your local arts and crafts store and head directly to the scrapbooking supply isle only to find that it is no longer a scrapbooking supply isle.

It is now the scrap-booking department. Somewhere between the embellishments isle and the adhesives section, your head begins to spin. DON’T PANIC!!! There is help!

There is such a vast amount of products available in the scrapbooking industry today that it is very easy to feel overwhelmed or confused.

As many supplies as there are available, it is amazing that you only need a few basic items in order to get started.

If you are new to scrapbooking, it is probably not wise to over-invest in supplies during your first experience.

Rather, make smart, well-educated purchases that are sure to do a great job and will be of great use to you and still won’t break the bank.

Necessities:

-Binding Method (Preferably a simple one if this is your first go-around).

-Page inserts for the Binder (If the binder did not come along with it already,)

-A good, sharp, reliable pair of scissors.

If you can dedicate this particular pair of scissors to scrapbooking only, great. This will aid in keeping your scissors as sharp as possible and will also help you keep up with them if you store them in the same place as your other scrapbooking supplies.

-Some sort of binding material such as an album is the foundation on which you will build your scrapbook.

You can go with other, more creative selections here, but if this is your first time, I definitely suggest that you begin with the pre-made albums like the ones you store pictures in by themselves.

Select the size album you would like to work with and choose a color or pattern that goes along with the theme of your scrapbook.

-Refill Pages for your Album.

Refills, unfortunately, don’t come in standard sizes, so it is wise to pick up a few extra packs when you are purchasing your album so that you are able to purchase a refill that is the same size and is manufactured by the same company.

This way, you will not have to worry about finding compatible refills later.

-Adhesive.

There are all kinds of different kinds of choices of adhesives. To begin with, you want an acid-free adhesive that will work well on all types of media.

My personal favorite is Herma Dotto Removable because it can be used on so many different types of paper and is removable on most surfaces as well.

-Pens.

Acid-free, permanent pens with fine tips for hand writing titles or journal entries.

If you intend to write many titles for your pages you might want to select pens that have a fine tip on one end and a wide tip on the opposite end so that you can use the same pen in order to achieve different effects.

-Cardstock and other Patternized Paper.

Select a paper type that is complimentary with the colors you intend to accent in your photos.

You might want to purchase paper at your local scrapbook store so that you can select individual sheets for each page rather then investing in an entire package of paper that if used in the same scrapbook, can lead to a monotonous effect.

Those are basically the items that you will need to get started, but there are always other items that you might want to add to this list as you begin to scrapbook more and more often.

These items, while not a necessity to scrapbooking, sure can make it a lot easier to do so.

Scrapbooking Wish List:

-Exacto knife. You will understand after your first day of cropping photos why this one is on the list.

-A Decorative Paper Trimmer. Definitely not a necessity, but adds a wonderful decorative touch to any layout.

-Embellishments that coordinate with your theme, such as stickers, ribbons, buttons, and more.

Other items that are useful but not necessary:

-Automatic Paper Cropper that can crop 12x12 sheets of paper.

-Full Set of Colorful Journaling Pens.

-Easy to use Shape Cutter.

-Wallpaper Samples. (If you ask for these at some of your local home furnishing stores, they may even be willing to donate these types of supplies to you. Remember, it never hurts to ask!)

Good supplies make creating your scrapbook easy and fun.

If you are working on a limited budget, then you can likely save money by shopping around for supplies rather then purchasing them all at one place.

Scrapbooking stores are normally more expensive then other stores because they cater specifically to a certain audience and do not sell products on a massive scale.

You should still make purchases from these stores for items that you cannot find anywhere else or custom items that come in greater variety at such places.

However, I would recommend that you purchase your general supplies such as scissors and adhesives from department stores because they offer the same products for much more competitive prices.

This practice alone can potentially save you a considerable amount of money.

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