One Scrappy Starting Point: Part II - Scrapbooking Supplies
Now that you've seen why preserving your memories with archival-quality materials is important...
Let’s take a look at the scrapbooks themselves, and what choices we have. Not only do we have a choice of bindings, but also sizes. This ultimately becomes an entirely personal choice.
Scrapbookers create albums in a variety of sizes, but the most commonly found sizes in stores are:
- 12"x12"
- 8.5"x11"
- 5"x7"
- 6"x6"
The most common sizes scrapbookers use are 12x12 (called "12 by 12's") and the 8.5x11. Which size book you choose depends mostly on the project. You may want to use a 12x12 for a family album so you have plenty of room to journal the stories. You might want an 8-1/2x11 book for just vacations. And a 5x7 book makes a great gift for grandparents. Let your project dictate what size you use; don't limit yourself to using only one size of scrapbook.You'll also see 4 different types of album bindings:
- 3-ring binders
- spiral-bound
- strap-hinge
- post style albums.
The binding also fall under the "personal choice" category. Try different bindings, and see what works for *you* best. Here is a picture of a Pioneer post-bound album, a common choice for first-time scrappers:
Now let’s look at the supplies you'll need to put together your first page.
Adhesives — look for packaging that's labeled "permanent", "photo-safe", and/or "archival". The choices are many, but here are some common ones:
Experiment with each kind of glue. You will probably find you like different types of adhesive for different uses. I use one kind for paper to paper, one kind for photo to paper, and still another for small detail work. I started out with a glue stick, because that works with everything. A safe choice for the budding scrapper, especially kids, as are photo splits - though I have seen some of my earliest pages "popping up" because the glue stick didn't stick.
Personal trimmer – I consider this mandatory now; I use it for cropping my pictures, cutting the mats, and trimming my background paper. However, I did get along for the first month without one.
Photo safe paper – I started with a pack of primary solid color paper for matting my pictures, and accenting the page. Then I moved on to a pack of classic, pastel, and neutral. This is also called "mounting paper," or "cardstock."
Journaling pen -- There are two types of pens or markers: dye based and pigment-based
- The ink of dye-based markers usually will break down over time and is not waterproof – these are your basic Crayola markers.
- Look for pigment ink pens or markers that are labeled: "fade resistant", "lightfast", waterproof, and permanent.
- I like the Zig Millenium pens, .05 size, in Black, or the Zig Writer.
Those are the most basic supplies you'll need to scrap your first layout. Sure, there are lots of fun extras you can add to your layouts, like stickers, die cuts, decorative rulers, punches, fancy pens and markers, decorative scissors, templates, embossing stencils, circle/oval cutters, but the list above will get you started. Once you have a few layouts under your belt, and maybe take a class or two, you'll have a better idea of what kind of tools in which you want to make your next investment.
Next up: Scrapping your first page!
