Scrapbooking

There’s an amazing variety of scrapbooking supplies available nowadays. You can buy supplies in stores and online… in fact, you can even create your own papers and embellishments with your computer! Beginner or advanced, you’ll find the scrapbooking supplies you need to create beautiful pages. Here’s an overview of what you should have in your kit:

The first thing you’re going to need is an album. Albums come in all shapes and sizes. There are a variety of different cover materials as well. The fasteners inside vary, as well. Pay attention to how your pages go into your album so you can be sure you’ve got a compatible system. Most modern scrapbooks hold plastic sheeting which you slip your finished page down into.

A good way to choose albums is by what you’ll be putting in them. So you can choose a cover in baby blue for a baby boy’s “first year” album. A pink album with glitters may be a perfect choice for a little girl’s birthday memories. You can also choose a set of albums made of the same material and to the same size. They’ll look handsome on display together, and are a good choice for holding family memories.

Refill pages are essential. Get pages that go with your albums, and get plenty of them. You’ll be surprised how many pages you end up with as you record your memories.

Card stock is important,too. You’ll use it in many ways as you create your scrapbooks, so have plenty on hand. You can buy card stock in many sizes, including stacks in regular letter paper size.

Have several kinds of acid-free adhesives on hand. Regular acid-free tape is good for attaching pictures and embellishments. You can also stock up on acid-free photo corners and other mounting supplies.

Scissors are vital. Have a set of sharp scissors (or two, or three) that only get used when you’re working on scrapbooking. You need good, sharp scissors for many of the detail cuts you’ll be doing on your pages. You can also get scissors that have different edges – some wavy, some zig-zags, etc. These can be a lot of fun for “dressing up” your pictures and decorative elements. You should consider investing in a paper trimmer too; this will make it easy for you to get the straight edges you want.

Journaling is a huge part of creating your scrapbook pages. Invest in high-quality acid-free pens. Get permanent ink so you can be sure your memories will be preserved. By getting the highest quality pens you can afford you’ll enjoy a smooth feel that allows your text to look elegant and professional.

Remember you don’t need to stop with these basics. There are tons of options for enhancing your creations – stickers, frames, stencils, die cuts, and more. Be sure to look online for individual accessories and themed kits – you can often find free kits on scrapbooking websites. Explore online and the store sales and stock your kit up – then have fun dressing up your Memories!