All You Need To Get Started as a Scrapbooker
admin | November 13, 2009
One of the best things about scrapbooking is that it can be very inexpensive to get started. Without breaking the bank, you can get started with a few basic supplies. Unless you do all your scrapbooking digitally (digital scrapbooking on the computer), you are going to need somewhere to store all your memories in. Therefore the very first thing you’ll want to decide on are high quality scrapbook albums.
You will be able to find all sorts of album sizes. This choice is up to you. Two standard sizes are 8 1/2″ x 11″ and 12″ x 12″ (inches) but you could go with 11″ x 14″ as a common large-format choice. Even larger albums are available which could make a really special gift for a cherished friend or relative. You can find a basic 8 1/2″ x 11″ album for not much more than and larger ones for usually less than . Fancier albums, theme albums and pre-made kits can sometimes be more expensive.
Rest assured that even if you choose a larger size, you’ll be able to find paper and other supplies. Paper can be found in sizes ranging from 1 inch Post-It notes to giant pieces of 3 feet or more. If you have a very unique idea in mind and can’t find the right materials in a scrapbooking store, take a look in art stores where there will be a different variety of materials to explore. You might not find as many unique printed patterns and designs, but you’ll find many sizes, textures and styles. Your willingness to improvise is your only limit, not the materials available.
Now you need a way to cut and trim everything. Start with a quality pair of scissors. You will also likely find an Xacto knife to very helpful, especially in tight corners, or when using stencils and other patterns. If you don’t have steady hands, or if you require accuracy for a lot of long, straight cuts, a paper trimmer or cutting board will also help you tremendously. But, to save a bit of money, keep in mind that steady hands will improve with practice.
90 degree square cuts and perfectly straight lines aren’t all you’ll be cutting though. You’ll also want to experiment with unique page shapes. You might want to create round pages, or hexagons or diamonds or any other special shape that fits your unique theme. An interesting background or design pattern can really give a creative touch to your photos. In this case, a stencil or template will be very useful to you.
Writing captions, explanations or reminders is another important part of the scrapbooking design. So some quality (acid-free) pens and pencils are a must. You’ll want a variety of colors. To begin with, go with standard black and experiment with other colors as your needs grow. For Christmas, you’ll want to have green and red, and maybe some other colors for the other major holidays. Do you have a favorite color? Choose that. You may also want to choose colors that match with the cover of your scrapbook album.
In order to get your momentos, photos and other embellishments (like buttons, ribbons, locks of hair, or anything else you might dream of) affixed to your album, you are going to need some high quality adhesive…. In short, anything you might want to put into your scrapbook! Old fashioned bottles of glue with a brush in the top are versatile and work fairly well. Just make sure you always get the acid-free style. But that can be a messy and cumbersome solution. More convenient solutions include glue sticks, glue dots and double-sided tape for all of your adhesive needs.
If you’ll be designing on the computer, you’ll want to experiment with different kinds of paper for printing out your designs. You could invest in some recordable CDs and CD burning software. Baby’s first words, a favorite piece of music, home videos or voice journals can all be captured this way. Try storying the CDs inside the scrapbook, coordinated by date (a much more personal touch than storing in a filing cabinet).
You don’t need a lot of money to get started, and this is especially true if you get a little creative. In the long-run however, remember that if you are planning on making scrapbooking a lifetime hobby, you will eventually find the convenience of having standard, compatible sizes for everything to be extremely helpful.
