My Favorite Items Needed to Scrapbook My Family!

So many people are taking up scrap booking as a hobby now. Photographing the people and things you love and displaying them with beautiful paper, stickers and words leaves a lasting legacy of love. There are a few key tools that can make or break your scrap booking experience. Naturally, you need paper, pictures and an album, but there are so many other tools to help you create exciting pages. While I am young to scrap booking, I have found the following tools to be completely necessary even in my simplicity of scrap booking!

The first essential purchase any future scrap booker needs is a digital camera. If you are still using a standard 35mm film camera, you will want to upgrade to digital. The transition may seem a bit overwhelming with all the new buttons and computer use, but cameras and software are so simple now that within a few days you will have it all figured out! By using a digital camera you can snap away and take so many more pictures which will assure more pictures that are worthy of scrap booking. You can print the pictures you want to put in the scrap book and feel as if you can cut them up knowing they are safe on your computer and you can print them over and over again. Now naturally, you will want to be sure to back up your pictures on a CD or another back-up system in case your computer collapses and you loose everything that was stored on the hard drive. Digital cameras are the only way to go if you are planning on becoming an avid scrap booker!

The next essential tool is a paper trimmer. I use the Fiskars personal trimmer and love it! You can easily crop your photos to cut out any background that you don't want to place in the scrapbook. The blade stays sharp and the cut is straight. This is definitely an item you need in your scrapbook kit!

Another fabulous tool is a corner rounder. They come in many different brands, and they all do the same thing. Some corner rounders have a case that holds the clippings which is ideal, otherwise you will be finding corner clippings all over your desk and floor! By rounding the corners of your photos, you can create a different look and soften the page by eliminating the sharp photo corners.

Adhesive is a scrap booker's best friend! With all those pictures, you will be using lots of adhesive. The best form is an adhesive runner. With a runner you can simply roll the dispenser along the back of the photo or paper and then stick it where you want it. Be sure to choose adhesive that is photo safe and acid and lignin free. They also make adhesive spray, but it is expensive and may not be as easy to use as the runners.

The last tool I feel is necessary for your scrap booking kit is a sticker maker. I use the Xyron 150 sticker maker. It is perfect for taking those small letters or die cuts and turning them into a sticker. If you are placing items that are too small to use an adhesive runner, this tool is the perfect solution. It is so simple to use. All you do is place the item into the slot and pull the tape out the other end. Pull the paper off and you have a perfectly sticky sticker to place in your album.

This is only a small list of the vast scrap booking tools they sell today. There are so many other items that you may choose to use, but these 5 items are essential to any scrap booking success. If you are trying to compile a tool kit to begin your scrap booking journey, this list is a great place to start!