There are a few simple tools that you need to start Scrapbooking apart from your photos and memorabilia.
THE BASICS
 Scissors - invest in a good pair of sharp scissors and use them for Scrapbooking onlyRuler - use a metal ruler with both inches and metric
Cutting Knife - a craft knife with razor-sharp blades which can be replaced when blunt
Adhesives - use to attach photos and other embellishments to your page. There are many types available such as glue sticks, photo tabs, photo corners and double sided tape. Only use adhesives which are acid free and photo safe
Pencil and Eraser - a lead pencil and eraser always come in handy for all craft projects
Pens - used for journaling and creating titles as well as doodling. Only use pens that contain pigment ink and make sure they are labelled as permanent and acid free. There are many styles to choose from such as dual tipped, calligraphy, scroll, brush, fine or medium tips, as well as my favourite an erasable pen (for all those little mistakes). They all come in a variety of colours. Start with a black pen for journaling.
Album - The most important scrapbooking supply is the album itself for storing all your scrapbooking memories. Albums can be permanently bound, or allow for insertion of pages. There are other formats, such as mini albums and accordion-style fold-out albums. Choose preferably one that is archival quality.
OTHER USEFUL ITEMS
As long as you have the basic tools you can start Scrapbooking. However like most crafts you have the option to purchase a few extra tools to save you time and expand your creativity.
Cutting tools are tools designed specifically to cut straight edges or shapes. Paper trimmers allow you to get a much ‘cleaner’ straight edge than with scissors. They are used for cropping photos and paper. Circle and oval cutters allow you to cut perfect circles and ovals in a range of different sizes. These tools are a great time-saving accessory.
Decorative edged scissors are a great way to add shape to borders and edges of paper/cardstock. Use them to trim mats for your photos or for creating fancy borders.
Templates and stencils come in a range of shapes and designs. They can be used to trace shapes to make your own die cuts. There are templates for creating your own borders and corners and templates for journaling. There are also Stitching Templates for hand stitching pictures, borders and titles on your pages.
Craft punches come in range of sizes from tiny to jumbo and include a wide variety of shapes and types. Combine different shapes and sizes to create your own embellishments.
Inks/painting Tools these include different sized paint brushes both foam and bristled.
Bone Folder is a curved tool designed to help fold, crease, score, smooth or compact material.
Eyelet Setter is a special tool used to split an eyelet/grommet to fasten it securely to material.
Hole punch is used to create a hole through paper or cardstock etc, this then enables you to attach brads, position eyelets and thread ribbon or fibers.
Hammer are used with the above tools.
Rub-on Tools are used for applying rub-ons. You can use a basic paddle pop stick or a rub-on roller which has a roller ball tip which glides smoothly for controlled application and a flat nylon paddle for setting the rub-on.
Splat Mat is a non-stick reusable mat for use on your work surface. Nothing sticks, everything wipes clean or peels off. It is also heat resistant up to 500° heat great for resisting heat from heat tools
Heat Embossing Tool is a heating device used in craft to shrink plastic, speed up drying of inks, glues and paints and used with embossing powders to melt powder to give a different finish. (exceeds 200°)
3D Dots are a double-sided adhesive foam square used to give embellishments a 3D look.
Sandpaper and sanding blocks are great for distressing and altering the surface of different surfaces. (Can also use Precision file set for getting into little areas on chipboard etc)
From here are some of the items you may chose to complete your pages.
Patterned paper is used as a backing page or you can add colour a page by matting photos, creating borders, layering or making cut outs. Make sure you choose paper that is acid and lignin free. There are a variety of colours, patterns and weights available
Cardstock used to matt photos, use as backgrounds, use in die cut machines.
Stickers and die cuts are a great way to add colour and dimension to your pages. There are numerous designs and colours available for every type of theme.
Embellishments are various accessories used to decorate scrapbook pages. Embellishments include stickers, rub-ons, stamps, eyelets, brads, chipboard elements in various shapes, alphabet letters and ribbon.
Inks come in a range of colours and are used to ink edges of material, colour card or chipboard and are great for heat embossing.
Paints come in various types including matt, metallic and even crackle paint. They come is assorted colours and are used on chipboard, on paper/cardstock to decorate pages.
The most important thing to consider when selecting materials is to ensure they are acid and lignin free, photo safe and archival quality. |
