Supplies Necessary to Begin Scrapbooking

For the beginner, stepping into the scrapbook section at the craft store can be extremely overwhelming. There are at least fifty different papers to choose from and generally about one hundred different stickers, tools, and embellishments. You are probably asking yourself, "Where do I start? What supplies are absolutely necessary to begin scrapbooking"? On top of that, I would imagine you are thinking about how expensive it can be as well! Please remember that everything you scrapbook with must be acid free! Below is a list of the bare necessity items you will need to start scrapbooking.

Supplies:

Paper ~ I really recommend starting out with 12" x 12" paper. Pick up a pre designed paper stack and a stack of color coordinating card stock. Usually you can get these for around $10 each and they generally contain at least fifty sheets of paper.

Stickers ~ After you've decided your theme and chosen your paper, pick just a few packages of stickers that coordinate. I suggest buying stickers that are clear or full bleed. You don't want a white line around your stickers on a dark sheet of paper, it throws the whole color scheme off.

Brads ~ You can usually purchase a package of twenty or so brads that will match your paper and stickers. They also offer a variety of shaped brads in many different styles.

Imagination ~ You absolutely must have some imagination if you are trying to scrapbook without any excess tools or embellishments. Think of creative ways to paper piece designs and make your own embellishments.

Tools:

Scissors ~ If you are trying to save money and don't want to buy a paper cutter, you will need a good set of scissors. I recommend cutting your photo mats into circles or other shapes that are easy to cut or use a ruler when cutting square and rectangles in order to maintain a straight line.

Glue Sticks ~ You must have glue sticks in order to put it all together!

These are the basic and I do mean basic needs to begin scrapbooking. But with just a little imagination and some paper, you will do just fine and your final scrapbook will represent all the handmade effort that went into it!