5 most essential tools to get started in Scrapbooking?

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   Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years ago

   I want to scrapbook, but quite frankly everytime I go to the store to buy stuff I get overwhelmed with products and options. What do you consider to be the 5 most essential tools needed to start scrappin?

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      Diane Insideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh I love Scrapbooking, my favorite past time.
      
      I'd say, Paper, no 1. look at you photos what papers do you want to hightlight you photos. Like if it is the kids in a camping trip, there are great papers that have that theme.
      
      no 2. embellishments like stickers, buttons, letters for page titles or their names. etc.
      
      no 3. Scissors, I generally use straight edge scissors but over time you can accumulate more I have at least a dozen different kinds.
      
      no 4. Glue or my favorite double sided tape. to adhere it all together.
      
      no 5. A scrapbook to put all the pages into.
      
      And if you need inspiration or help to know how or some ideas.  Get a good magazine, I am addicted to them I used to have twenty or so of them I finally got rid of them since I used them so much,  wanted to find something new.
      
      The most important thing is just documenting them, journal what the pictures were about,  many years from now, when someone looks at the scrapbook , they will see what was important to you. Through your scrapbook.

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         Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         LOL - See, that is the problem. I went to the store today and had just one set of pictures in mind. I went to the papers (wow, the papers are amazing!) and couldn't decide. Then I went to the stickers, rub ons, die cuts, metal jazzy things, letters, sayings, ribbons, and more section. OMG, more choices!!! I couldn't get past that. Put everything back and walked out!
         
         It's funny - I hear this kind of thing from my clients all the time about too many choices. When I am designing, I never feel that way. I can make a decision in a few seconds.

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      Deerwhispererposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You don't really need anything extravagant to scrapbook. I like to think of a scrapbook as a journal with pictures, one where you can be creative and add all sorts of stuff. You can even use a photo album as your scrapbook. I have one filled with all the Christmas and birthday cards I receive from the family, and another one filled with memories from my school days. And as far as adding stickers, ribbons and such, why not make them instead of buying them? It's much more fun, you can get the whole family involved, and your scrapbook will be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece to treasure always.

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         Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Hmmm, I actually think I would be more successful with this outlook. Thanks!

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   wavegirl22posted 14 years ago

   I think that when you start to scrapbook like anything and everything else, unless you have a plan it is hard to begin to even gather what you need. If you had the idea of one page at a time it makes it all that much clearer.

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      Deerwhispererposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't plan my scrapbooks (at least not at first). I simply start with a picture, then I just keep adding and changing things till I get it the way I want it. But then, I'm not one to follow a routine, either. But the beauty of making your own  scrap book is that you can go back and change it anytime you want, after all, it's your own unique creation.

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      Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Shari - That is what I tell my clients, lol! You need to have a plan.

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   Diane Insideposted 14 years ago

   LOL yeah, I guess your designing a room or space is your comfort zone. 
   
   I would say keep it simple, take the pics along. If you have say twelve pics of the same event. Pick only two to four to make pages with. Then put the others in a archive friendly box. Unless of course you are making a whole scrapbook of one event.The purpose of scrapbooking is to hightlight the person or event. Not to use every picture.  For example if there is a picture of the christmas tree all by itself. It would not need to be scrapbooked, but the pic of fluffy pulling off an ornament might be worth scrapbooking.
   
   The magazines really do help, with inspiration. You don't have to go exactly by them. Just get ideas from them.
   
   If you know design, then you can do it. It's just overwhelming at first.
   
   A good magazine to try is, Making Memories, they always have great ideas. Of course there are alot more to choose from and they all have pretty good ideas.

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   Diane Insideposted 14 years ago

   I once saw a scrapbook page in a magazine that brought me to tears.
   In the background was a picture of Sauteed mushrooms on a fancy plate.
   On top was a light kind opaque paper, vellum, I think. Whith a story printed on it.
   
   It said and I am paraphrasing... That at one time when her little girl was around four years old. She had no money, after paying all the bills, and payday not till the next day.  The mom didn't have money for food and didn't want to ask her parents because they helped so much already.
   
   So all she had was mushrooms and butter. and Grape Kool-Aid.
   
   So she fixed sauteed mushrooms for dinner and used the good china she had gotten as a gift along with wine glasses. Set the coffee table up real nice and put a candle in the middle.
   
   She and her little girl sat there ate their fancy meal and then watched a disney movie. The mother cried that night after the child went to bed, because she thought she was an awful mother.
   
   A few years later, when times were better, she asked her now 9yr old daughter what she would like to do for supper. She said I want sauteed mushrooms and watch a disney movie. She asked her why, the little girl, just said because that was so fun, she felt like a princess eating on fine china, and wine glasses.
   
   I just cried, what a great thing to scrapbook.

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      Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, now that is someone who is good a keeping memories. Not only to have created the moment for her child, but then to capture the memory in such a beautiful way. Good for her that she took such an awful time in her life and made it something positive for her child. Both at the time and in her memories!

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   BetteMacheteposted 14 years ago

   I would like to say that you should invest in acid free papers and pens.
   
   Other stuff simply will not last forever.

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   Jane@CMposted 14 years ago

   I could write a hub on this!  I love to scrapbook & do more digitally than manually - because all my pictures are on the computer   I also love doing it digitally (have a hub on it) as I can use photo's as my background pages.  Its quite simple with a good program or photoshop, but I prefer a good program where you can download stuff for your pages   My daughter made a 120 page digital scrapbook for her senior year in HS - it looks like a yearbook but its all about her and her friends/activities/sports.  It cost me a small fortune - but it is amazing!
   
   To start:  Do not buy cheap paper, cheap protectors or cheap albums, if you seriously want them around for ever - buy good quality!
   
   Go to your local scrapbook store or a home party to see what is out there. 
   
   Do not be afraid of cutting photos if you have your photos stored on your hard drive - you can always have it reprinted!

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      Pro Design Sourceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That sounds like a very cool scrapbook!
      
      I have used the service from snapfish that lets you create a photobook several times. It is actually pretty easy, but takes up a lot of time.
      
      I have gone to a local scrapbook store, only to walk out with less of an idea of what I wanted than before. Too many ideas & choices.
      
      Also, I DO hate to cut up photos. I know I can reprint them now, but I still hate to do it. I even hate to delete blurry pictures from my camera! I know, I'm weird!!

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