Scrapbook Supplies

If you loved arts and crafts time back in elementary school then you'll love scrapbooking. Making scrapbooks can be a very relaxing and creative hobby.

The types of scrapbook supplies available today is almost unlimited. Just a few of the neat gadgets and accessories available will be discussed here. There are kits that have a little bit of everything to get you started. There are many supplies that you can buy in variety packs that allow you to experiment with different colors and textures.

Scrapbook materials can be used for other things besides making scrapbooks. They can be used to make photo mats, holiday greeting cards, notecards, placecards, and gift tags to name a few.

There are so many beautiful themed scrapbook papers on the market. There are solids, prints, patterns, etc. in just about every color combination. Just a few of the themes available are:

• Holidays-There are printed papers for every holiday. These are great for cutting out and making your holiday greeting cards.
• Summer vacations-You'll find scenery depicting picnics, beach activities, luggage, amusement rides, etc.
• School-related-You'll find pages with apples, chalkboards, cork message boards, etc.
• Sports-related-Every sport imaginable can be found. Entire scrapbook pages are printed to resemble a baseball, basketball, etc.
• Hobbies-Hobbies such as stamp-collecting, antique-collecting, jewelry-making, doll-making, etc. are featured on scrapbook papers.
• Baby-Beautiful pastels with baby rattles, bibs, baby bottles and diaper pins adorn baby scrapbook papers.
• Cars-You'll find checkered flags, race cars, sports cars and family SUVs, etc.
• Underwater-They have all sorts of scrapbook papers that have water, water scenery, underwater wildlife, dolphins, etc.
• Locations and Scenery-They have all sorts of scenery, skylines, and backdrops. These papers are great to keep on hand for school special projects. They work great for diorama's and any other 3d project.

Card stock comes in many colors and textures. I have a particular fondness for the self-adhesive card stock. It makes projects so much easier to just peel and stick.

If you plan to do scrapbooking, card-making, or any crafts using scrapbook papers or card stock, a paper cutter or paper trimmer is a must have. Paper-cutters enable you to quickly measure and cut with precision. They make cutters that run the blade along the area to be cut versus a sharp arm that comes down like most imagine them to be. They are made much safer these days.

When you think of a punch you probably imagine a small hand-held hole punch that simply punches out holes so that you can insert something into a binder or notebook. What you may not have realized is that you can now buy paper punches in almost every shape imaginable. These can be used to create cute cut-outs, confetti, and shapes to be used other craft projects. They also make paper punches that allow you to make rounded corners and other designs.

Scissors are another accessory that now comes in so many different designs. You can create intricate designs using various types of scissors. I find these especially handy for making Valentines or Mother's Day cards.

If you haven't been down the sticker aisle in a large crafts store lately, then you have no idea just how many different kinds of stickers and embellishments there are.

Stickers can be your normal stickers or some of the cute raised stickers and three dimensional stickers.   They make stickers for all ocassions such as holidays, weddings, sports, baby's arrival, vacations, travel, hobbies and so much more.

You can find lace, buttons, jewels, and ribbon with adhesive backs enabling you to easily incorporate them into your projects.

Adding stickers and embellishments to your craft projects can add so much interest and pizazz. I have always kept plenty of stickers and lettering on hand for those last minute school projects. It adds such a level of professionalism to your projects.

I use a fine-tip Sharpie permanent marker on all of my crafts and scrapbooking. Sharpie provides lots of assorted colors to choose from. Black is a must have, but don't limit yourself to black lettering. You can create some dazzling effects if you'll just experiment with colors.

The bottom line is, be creative. Let your inner child play. See what masterpieces you can create with your own two hands if you just let your imagination run wild.

I bet you'll surprise yourself.