My Pictures Came!!

I got my pictures in the mail yesterday from Shutterfly. So I am almost ready to start scrapbooking. Can anyone recommend some basic supplies for me to purchase for my first scrapbook? I have nothing and looking at adhesive, etc I am a little confused at what to buy.
(The theme is going to be my Irish honeymoon).

good think you have theme, so you can base colors and stickers etc on that =) adhesive, depends if you want to it to be able get remove or not. I'm using roll on and glue stick, I don't need my pictures to get removed. Try not to get overwhelmed with what to buy and just look for what would you really use =) that is what I'm doing =)

Welcome to Scrapbooking..

The below link will be usefull to get started..

http://www.scrapbook.com/articles/doc/32645/30 7.html

I would strongly recommend NOT using glue stick. I would recommend almost any other acid-free adhesive before I would recommend glue-stick.

Paper. That is your first thing because not all embellies work with all paper lines. I would also suggest looking at some sketches. Sketches are easy to use and use your paper as embellies!!! (less to buy to start out!!!)
As far as adhesive...I use the ATG gun. Do not use glue sticks in your albums....they will fall apart over time!!!!
Paper, my favorite lines are from Stampin' Up, Graphic 45, Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey. Some paper lines have matching stickers and accessories which makes scrapping a BREEZE!!!! Stampin Up carries matching paper, ribbon, buttons. Basic Grey has packs that have a stickers and alphabets included!
Start small, you don't have to buy everything at once! Also, keep in mind, you pay for what you get. I don't buy cheap paper anymore, it tends to fade. For paper, I keep to the designer lines and stampin' up.
Have fun with it!!! You will change and evolve over time but you will always look back at your first scrapbook with fondness!!!!


Edited to add that right now Stampin' Up has a special going on....with every $40 order you get a free spool of ribbon (four colors to choose from!!!) GREAT way to get some free ribbon!!!!

You have to have paper and/or cardstock but I would take your photos to the store and match what you want. Don't start buying everything because you don't yet know what you are going to really enjoy and use.

Adhesive. No way would I use a glue stick on my pages - I know people that do but not me. I've seen lots of scrapbooks with crinkled pages from gluesticks. And I don't think they hold up over time very well. ATG is my adhesive of choice but I started out using the inexpensive tape runners. Those get expensive however if you do a lot of scrappbooking for the first scrapbook or two they are fine.

Beyond that, buy what you like. If you want to handwrite your journaling, buy journaling pens. If you don't plan to handwrite your journaling (I do mine on computer so don't need pens), or some people don't journal at all. In that case, you don't need pens.

If you want to use stamps on your pages, buy some. If you don't plan to stamp your pages, don't spend your money on them.

Beyond the paper and adhesive - a good trimmer is necessary. Go to a scrapbook store and ask if you can try out several to see which is best for you. I swear by the Fiskar's rotary but others like the guillitine which doesn't work for me. Others love the little wire trimmers. I don't know that any are really "best" - its a matter of which is best for you. You will only know that when you try several.

You may want to buy sticker letters for titles - unless you have a lot of money up front to spend on cutting machines.

Mostly, go through the gallery and see what you like and then buy embellies and products to go with your page.

Don't buy pens unless you know you are going to use them. I bought several 5 years ago - never took the cap off any of them. Don't buy stamps unless you know you are going to use them. Same with buttons and ribbons and brads. If they are on the pages you like and you keep being drawn to pages with those items, then you will probably use them.

Some people love sketches. I have one sketch that Kory designed for me and I am definitely going to use that one, but as a general rule, I don't like using sketches. I'd rather go by something I pulled out of the gallery and can see how it actually looks on paper.

The first thing I did was go through the gallery and copied layouts I like into a file on my computer. It has several hundred layouts in it now and I refer to it all the time for ideas to get me started. I rarely scraplift one completely, mostly I use them just to get going and for inspiration.

A mistake I made was copying layouts with no note of who the artist was and later when I did "life" it I didn't know who to credit. Now when I copy someone's layout into my file I rename it with the artist and the name of the layout from the gallery so I know who to credit. I wish I had done that from the very beginning becuase I feel guilty getting ideas from artists and don't credit them.

Henri,

Wow, Thanks for the advice. I will go to Michael's and look at adhesive more. I like the idea of using glue sticks because of the convenience, but I do want something that will hold up for years.

I did find some Ireland themed stickers and Cliffs of Mohre. I am not planning on buying any expensive cutters or such so I like your idea for titles.

• Henri Jean Said:

Most Michaels have crops once a month for about $5.00. One good thing about their crops is they supply the tools - the Cricut and punches and things. Its a good cheap way to get a day of scrapping in and be able to try out the machines.

Some of the girls go for the crop and get all their titles done on Michael's machines which is fine - that is why they are there!

You may want to look into that.

Archivers will let you make titles on their die cut machines as long as you buy the cardstock or paper you make it from at their store. Completely fair!

You can get all kinds of clipart from the 'net, then print it out in whatever size you want, cut it out with little, sharp scissors (known as "fussy cutting"), then use those for your embellishments. If you do a search for Free Ireland Clipart, you'll find loads of pics (but be sure to have a good anti-virus program running—most sites are fine, but we all know the 'net has a few bad apples. I've never had a problem, but I know to be careful.)

I often print these out on 3x5 or 4x6 index cards. They're cheap and make a nice, clear print. If you print/cut the same picture three times and put pop-dots between them, you have a 3-D embellishment, just like in a store. You can always glitz it up a bit with some glitter or Stickles (glitter glue by Tim Holtz & not as messy as regular glitter). Look at embellies in the stores and see what you can do to add some bling to your home-printed "stickers".

Like others have said, go slow. It's easy to blow a budget and it's deceiving when paper might be 6/$1 and something else is a couple of dollars...and you get up to the register and you get cash-register-shock! Paper/cardstock, adhesive (probably a tape runner till you see what you like and make sure you enjoy this new hobby), paper trimmer...and I'd add little scissors and you'll probably want an album so you can protect your pages as you make them. Have fun!~Judy

Hmm I had not thought of looking for clip art on-line. That is a good idea. I am going to try to decorate my pages with cut outs from tourist brochures, postcards, coasters, etc.

All of the things you mentioned - brochures and things make great layouts! I've used coasters many times and I love using personal things like that on my pages! It makes them more personal.

With borchures, if they are on that thin glossy paper I very often make a photocopy instead so I know it is good ink and paper and will hold up better.

Edit yourself A LOT. Don't buy stuff just because it looks good in the store or website. Paper is cheaper by the stack than per page. My favorite adhesives are glue dots and Aleene's tacky glue. Double sided tape is also great. Martha Stewart punches are awesome quality and will last forever. Get a good paper cutter and sharp scissors. My favorite markers are Tombows because they are also water soluble, which means you can turn them into watercolors so you get a "two for the price of one" deal and they are not nearly as expensive as Copics. I love kits because you get a lot of different stuff and it usually all matches. In the beginning stay away from expensive machines! You need time to figure out if its even worth it for you. Make use of coupons! Michael's, AC Moore, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics all have 40% coupons just about every week. Also, always check out the clearance section. I have gotten a lot of great stuff there. And my final tip, shop after the seasons and holidays are over. The store will be getting rid of a lot of stuff to make room for the new stuff and you will get some great deals.