Scrapbooking Essentials for Beginners

If you are new to the world of scrapbooking, you might find it very exciting to purchase several scrapbook supplies and equipment even before you create your very first page. It is highly tempting especially when you see so much wonderful scrapbooking inspiration online or through your fellow scrappers. However, this might also become overwhelming and let's be honest, not that budget-friendly for beginners.

There are endless scrapbooking supplies out in the market. But it is important to remember that each scrapper has his or her own scrapbooking style. Therefore, it is key to find your style and know what works for you first before you plunge right into building your scrapbooking stash.

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It is imperative that this is number one on your supplies shopping list! Cardstock is what scrappers use as the base for scrapbook layouts. It is the main building block for your page.

There are several designs available in bookstores or craft stores. I suggest you stock up a lot on plain ones and also on some patterned papers. As I have mentioned, this is the main building block of your page. Therefore, it will make up most of it too. Because of this, it is important to make sure that the colors or the patterns you buy are to your liking.

Ephemeras are little trinkets of memorabilia like bus stubs, movie tickets, postcards, travel maps, packaging, flyers, newspapers, the list goes on. They usually represent a memory that is associated with it and hence, people like to put them in scrapbooks.

In our modern world, however, ephemeras have become more than just a memorabilia, it has evolved into a decorating element or embellishments in our scrapbooks. Because of this, manufactured ephemeras became really popular.

There are a lot of them readily available in craft stores, mostly coming in big bags. They are no longer limited to bus stubs, train tickets, or brochures. They come in all designs and colors you can choose from!

Stamps are a really great way to decorate your scrapbook pages. From wooden rubber stamps to the clear stamps, they give your page a unique and interesting look.

As you are beginner and only starting out, I suggest you choose designs that are both aesthetic and functional. My favorite stamp set that I bought when I was starting out was an alphabet wooden rubber stamp set. You can use it in creating the titles of your pages!

Clear stamps are also wonderful. They are a little bit more expensive and require a bit more effort to care for but the stamped image you get is much more vivid and detailed.

To use clear stamps, you will be needing an acrylic block. So make sure to also buy one of those when you purchase your clear stamps. They are sold in several shapes and sizes but I suggest you check for the biggest clear stamp you have and buy the acrylic block that fits it. This way, you would not have to buy many sizes of acrylic blocks at first. You can buy the smaller sizes as you expand your scrapbook stash.

In scrapbooking, you will definitely need to do some cutting like trimming your paper or cutting out photos or pictures, and embellishments - making scissors one of the basic tools you need in scrapbooking.

For a beginner, I suggest using a pair of scissors that is not only sharp but also durable. Craft scissors are a great option to start with. There are also other kinds that you might like and find interesting and useful in making your scrapbook. You can read more about them on our blog post about scrapbooking scissors here.

Putting together the various elements that make a great scrapbook page requires adhesive! Many kinds are also available in the market such as glue sticks, glue dots, double-sided tape, liquid craft glue, and roller tapes.

The type you use will depend on your personal preference as well as the item you are adhering. For example, for adhering photos, it is advisable to use glue dots as they are less messy and will not stain your photos. To learn more about different scrapbooking adhesives and their uses, read all about it here.

While scrapbooking mostly tells stories through photographs, it is also nice, and sometimes important, to do a little bit of journaling on your pages. You might want to write the date and time of the memory you are scrapbooking about or you may want to include a brief narrative to go with the photos. For this, you will need pens - more specifically, colorful pens!

I suggest you get ones with a good spectrum of colors that are bright and vivid so you never run out of colors to choose from while doing your scrapbook pages.

In addition, choose ones that dries fast so that it will be less messy when you use them. Lastly, you want to also make sure that the pens you buy are archival.

I hope this blog helps you start scrapbooking and I wish you luck on your scrapbooking journey! Happy shopping!