Scrapbooking Ideas
The Five Basic Scrapbook Supplies

When you first begin to scrapbook it is easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many products out that the task of getting started can seem daunting. Fear not! Here is a list of the five basic scrapbooking supplies you need to get started in this fun hobby.

1.) Paper.
Scrapbooking paper comes in all shapes and colors, but they all should have one thing in common: they are acid free. Acid can make your pictures turn yellow, so stick with acid free paper. Cardstock is heavy and makes great background paper and photo mats. Pattern paper is thined and great to work with when trying to theme a page.

2.) Cutting tools.
Straight edged scissors are a good start, but get a paper trimmer as soon as you can. It cuts a straight edge which is needed with almost every page you'll make.

3.) Adhesives.
As long as an adhesive is acid free, it's okay to use in your scrapbooking projects. There are glue pens, glue sticks and liquid glues that dry clear. There are also glue dots and pop dots that you can use to atach buttons and other embellishments. For photos you may want to stick with double sided adhesive tabs. If you choose these, you will be able to pull out your pictures at a later date without ripping them.

4.) Pens and markers.
These should be permanent and photo safe pens. Try out the different tips on scrapbooking pens or gel pens on black and dark paper.

5.) Albums.
The two most popular size scrapbooking albums are the 12" X 12" or the 8.5" X 11". Again, picking between the two of these is a personal preference. The larger one does allow for more pictures. Two other size albums that are popular for gift giving are the 6" X 6" and the 8" X 8".

Scrapbooking albums that are top loading come with page protectors. These are popular and the easiest to use. Some albums have pages that are premanently attached that need side page protectors after you are done scrapbooking them.

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