My ten favorite Things in scrapbooking

Lately, I have been thinking about what makes me scrapbook or card making. I know how to do other crafts, such as candle making, knitting, crocheting, and flower arranging. Once you learn how to do one craft, you can learn other crafts. I accidently walked into scrapbooking. I kept an album when I was in high school. Typical teen stuff: family photos, pictures of friends, activities I have done. I looked at it one day 15 years ago, and I enjoyed looking, and remembering when I was so innocent. That was then, this is now. This is not an article on why I scrapbook, but what I use when I scrapbook. These are my top 10 pics, in no particular order, and in no price range. One thing I do have to say before I start to tell you about them and what these products do, if you are already a scrapbooker or card maker, you know what products give you joy, and products you can go back to time and time again. You may not agree with what I have to say, and that is Ok, as there are millions of scrapbooking products out there and there more where that came from. Everyone has their different style and taste, and that’s ok too. For those who are just getting started or would like to get started, this guide is made for you in terms of what to get first. I will say to you, get what is in your budget, but if you want to splurge a little, that is fine to do it. Start slow, for as I said, there is plenty to go around.

1) Paper. OK, that is a bit obvious. You might be saying to yourself, everyone needs paper in this craft. True, but my favorite line in cardstock is Bazzill. Most of it is textured, some are all blinged up, while other piece of Bazzill cardstock are smooth as silk, and you can easily emboss with your embossing machine. When I cannot find Bazzill, I also like two others, American Craft paper and the line from Archiver’s (The Paper Co). I used to work for the store, and I really just discovered AC paper about a year ago, before I quit. I have both for the same reason, and if I am sleepy, I cannot tell if it is not Bazzill so I do not go into that disappointment factor. For patterned paper, I have three favorites: Bo Bunny, Basic Grey, and K and Company. Bo Bunny for the whimsy side, Basic Grey for the antique look, and K and company for everything else. I use all kinds, but I tend to go back to these three.

2) For my adhesive, I like Tombow for both the tape runner and mono multi liquid glue. There is nothing more to say about it. They hold great, and the mono ready holds the big heavy stuff. I recently had a project that required me to use the Tombow mono muliti liquid glue with a combination of a metal tag and a paper tag. Perfect for metal projects.

3) Cricut. I love, love, love my cricut. It is an electronic cutting machine, and I have two, the original, and the expression. I highly recommend this to anyone who is ready to put the pedal to the metal, and your scrapbooking and card making will soar to new heights with this machine. I do admit to one thing: I did not use the original much when I first got it. I had to make tags for a project I was doing, and I did not have any. I did not know what to do, and then it hit me. Use this machine that your mother got you for Christmas, and that should do the trick. Well, it did. Now I do have to warn you a little. These machines come with friends, and they are called cartridges, and these things do not come cheap. They retail for about $89, but you can get them much cheaper through sales at retail stores and specialty stores like Michaels. You can also purchase the cartridges through Ebay as little as $15. There is also a cake version for those who are into cake decorating and the Imagine, which also prints as well as cuts.

4) Cuttlebug. A cuttlebug is an embossing and smaller die cutting machine that you hand crank. Also made by the same company as the Cricut, this little bitty comes with embossing folders that make an impression (usually a background one) for cards and scrapbook pages. It also comes with plates that can cut small images, and you can use more than the company’s embossing folders.

5) Brads. Brads are often misunderstood. That is my opinion. This product, which started out as an ordinary office accessory, does more than just hold papers together. You can use brads as bullet points on a page, decorate the corners of an image, or to hold a piece of paper in place while making that page interactive (more on that later). They are not only round, but they are square, in the shape of an ice cream cone, but they can also match the paper being used. Lastly they can even hold a piece of string in place.

6) Fiber. Next to paper, I love fiber. This includes ribbon, and it can turn a card or scrapbook page from drab to fab. There is so much you can do with this stuff until another article will have to be written just to cover the fibers many uses. It is not just for a girls hair or wrapping paper anymore. The brand I use is American Craft, but use the brand of ribbon that you are comfortable with.

7) 3-D Stickers. I do not used them much anymore, but they are good if you need to dress up a quick card. I still like them, because they are cost effective. If you look carefully, you can find 3-d stickers in the dollar bin at a dollar or scrapbooking store, but there are some that are around $3-5 as well.

8) Scor-Pal. This is one my go to tools for scoring my cards, and you can also score a cardstock into a gate fold, tri-fold, or make boxes with it. No money for something like a scor-Pal? If you have paper trimmer with score blade attached or a bone folder with a point, you can easily add a scor line to the project.

9) Stamps and inks. This can another inexpensive item you can have as your go to product. Just walk into any dollar store with a craft section or craft store, or you can find them in dollar section. Keep in mind that when you buy a stamp with a name brand behind it (Hero Arts or Stampin! Up to name a few), the price is going to be higher. You can use them for making cards, putting on a scrapbook page, or if they are heat resistant, they can make a good impression of a piece of velvet for a quick pillow. They come in wood based or clear stamps (which are not heat resistant).

10) Markers. Now that I have come to the end of this piece, I could cover more, but I have chosen markers. Why? Because when all else fails, you can always use a marker. There are several brands to choose from. I like Copics, sharpies, and American Crafts’ Slick Writers. Sharpies are the cheapest in my opinion, and they are available in your drug or grocery store. If you want to step up a notch, slick writers have different tips to choose from. But if you want the big Kahuna (that’s pricey in Hawaiian), copic markers are just the ticket for you. Copics come in a kazillion colors, and one of the reasons that makes them expensive, is the type of nibs they have. If you go this route, I suggest you start small, with one or two. If you like them, you can always get more.

11) Computer. Yes, this article on my 10 favorite things, but I cannot leave you without mentioning the big expensive word processor and library in your home. What can I say about computers and scrapbooking? Well, if you cannot stand your own handwriting, then use the word processor to make titles, and journaling (see hub…Journaling Made Easy). With your photo card and printing software, you can print out your pictures or even store them on a flash drive or server.

These are the things that I cannot do without, but if I have to, there are some items that will keep me warm when the lights go out, and I can still scrapbook by flash or candle light, and some I cannot. I hope you enjoyed reading through my favorite scrapbooking things.

As I said in the very beginning. Find the tools and the brands that you enjoy working with. If you choose a different paper brand then me. That's OK, just know that you can do the same thing, and maybe even more. Have fun with your craft.