Top 10 Tools for Scrapbooking

#1. Paper Cutter

A paper cutter is the most basic tool used in scrapbooking because it quickly and effortlessly crops your photos and paper in straight lines, and without it, we would all be stuck tracing lines and trying to follow them with scissors. Hope you have a steady hand! Cutter blades wear out after a few years (or sooner, depending on the frequency of use) and will need to be replaced. They are available at most craft stores, and are fairly inexpensive. Blades can also be switched out for scorers, which only crease your paper instead of cutting it.

#2. Grommet tools

This set of tools, usually including an eyelet punch, a hammer, and a eyelet splitter, is useful since you can choose which shape (circles, flowers, stars, etc) and color of eyelet you set and therefore can match any of your pages. They are a great way to attach vellum quotes to a page, as well, since glue is usually visible through the front.

#3. Adhesive

There is no denying that adhesive is important to every page. It holds the entire book together! However, you may not be aware that there are so many options available: glue sticks, glue dots, 3-dimensional dots, Xyron Create-A-Sticker Machines, adhesive squares, and paper cement. In my experience, I have found that glue sticks are a great way to begin, but the different adhesives each have a purpose. Adhesive squares allow you to reposition pictures easily; 3-dimensional dots help pictures or embellishments stand out; glue dots and Xyron machines add convenience, and paper cement will strongly bond paper (and photos) to paper without warping. Paper cement residue can also be erased, leaving no trace of an adhesive mistake. This is also a helpful hint for card making, as well.

#4. Scrapbooking Pens

Scrapbooks just wouldn't be the same without a little personal writing. A set of scrapbook pens or markers allows you to give your page a human touch in whichever color you'd like! I love double-sided markers that have varying thicknesses on each end because they cut down on the number of pens you have to keep up with.

#5. Stamps & Ink

Not all scrapbookers are fond of stamps, but there is such a wide variety of stamps and their uses, it isn't hard to find one that is perfect for your project! If you aren't sure about getting one that you think you'll only use once, go for an alphabet set in a font you like, and you will never run out of reasons to use it!

#6. Chalk & Sponge

Chalk helps age a page, giving it a distressed look, or just helps avoid sharp lines everywhere. Scrapbook chalk does not look like chalkboard chalk-- they are usually sold in cases or palettes, and applied by taking a small piece of sponge and rubbing the chalk on the outer edges of the paper. A fun step to take chalking further, is to tear a straight line on one edge of your page (or card) and rub the chalk on it. The exposed fibers will pick up varying amounts of the chalk, and add to the distressed look.

#7. Decorative Punch

Die-cut punches are an easy way to create embellishments, and they are great because you can use them with nearly all scrapbooking paper (excpet mulberry paper). I think most of them can be replicated now on a Cricut machine, if you are willing to pay for the convenience.

#8. Embossing Gun & Powder

Embossing is a way to take ordinary stamping one step further. Instead of using traditional ink, you would use embossing ink, sprinkle on embossing powder of your choice (they come in all colors and sometimes glittery), and then heat the underside of the page with the embossing gun until the powder melts and solidifies onto the page. This is definitely a technique you want to practice on scrap paper before you implement! It is very easy to burn a hole into your paper if you overheat the page.

#9. Embellishments

Beads, buttons, ribbon, lace, flowers, rub-on transfers, and the list goes on! I think this is one of the most fun stages of scrapbooking, and I am always looking through my friends' scrapbooks to get new embellishing ideas. Don't be content with the embellishments your scrapbooking or craft store displays in the scrapping aisle! Venture out into the rest of the store and scavenge for small pieces that are semi-flat and can be adhered easily in your scrapbook. Journey over to the fabric section of the store to rummage around for buttons, ribbons, and yarn to add to your pages.

#10. Organizer

This isn't exactly a tool, per say, but staying organizedquickly becomes a chore when you start buying small pieces! It can be very frustrating to know you bought some embellishments for scrapbooking a Halloween page last year (during the After-Halloween Sale, of course!) but now you have no idea where they've disappeared to. Routinely putting things back where they go will increase your enjoyment of the craft, and will keep the other members of your household happy, as well! Looking for ways to get your craft room into tip-top shape? Read "Creating the Craft Room of Your Dreams" for some design tips!