Basics for the Beginner Scrapbooker

Beginner scrapbookers don't need to feel intimidated by all the products and tools out there. If you are a beginner scrapbooker you can start scrapbooking with some simple tools and supplies.

Adhesive (typically under $7 each):

There are two basic types of adhesive - wet and dry. The dry adhesive is great for adhering photos to cardstock and cardstock to cardstock. My favorite dry adhesive is 3L's EZ Runner Adhesive because it is easy to use, you don't have to worry about refilling and it doesn't get caught up in itself - plus 3L donates money to charities such as Make-A-Wish and Breast Cancer Research. For a little stronger dry adhesive there are Glue Dots that come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses. For wet adhesive, I prefer Mono Aqua. This adhesive is great for when you need to glue items together but need a little "wiggle" room before the glue sets. For example, if you are gluing letters that have a background and you might need to wiggle them into place before the glue sets.

Trimmer and Scissors ($10 - 25 each):

A good pair of scissors and a trimmer are a neccessity. Trimmers come in two basic styles - guillotine and rotary. The guillotine trimmers are ones that have a blade on the handles that chomps down on the paper to cut it and rotary trimmers have the blade tucked away in a cover. Personally, I feel the guillotine trimmers are dangerous because you could chomp your finger off and noboby wants that! So, I would recommend a rotary trimmer such as Tonic's 12" Portable Rotarty Trimmer. It is lightweight, the arm comes out so you can still measure and cut 12 inch pages and it gives a clean cut. For scissors, you need a pair of sharp scissors like EK Success's Color Bee Titanium Craft Scissors. These little guys are sharp - right down to the tip, which helps you get into tight spaces.

Page Kits (typically under $20 each):

I think the hardest part of starting to scrapbook is trying to match up patterned paper, cardstock and embellishments. That is why page kits are great because they typically have patterned paper with matching cardstock and embellishments already together. All you have to do is pick out a kit that you like or that matches your theme or colors of what you are trying to scrap.

Journaling Pens (under $3 each):
Not everyone is a fan of journaling; however, the whole point of scrapbooking is to preserve your memories - journaling definitely helps! I would recommend a journaling pen, such as ZIG's Dual Tip Memory Writer or Tombow's ABT markers.


Album ($12 to $30 each):
Lastly, you need an album to safely store all your beautiful layouts. Albums come in all different sizes, shapes and materials. Please contact me if you are in the market for a scrapbook album. because I have access to thousands of styles and can show you several styles to choose from.

Essentially, for under $100 you can get all the supplies that you need to get you started. If you are new to scrapbooking and have any questions or problems, please feel free to e-mail me at celestial.scrapbooks@verizon.net. I will do my best to answer whatever questions or concerns you might have.