Starting to Scrap Series: What do I need?

I have had several people say they don't scrapbook, but would like to but they don't know where to start. Trust me, I've been there. I knew people that scrapbooked but they didn't live near me to hold my hand through the process. I thought I also wouldn;t have anything to scrapbook. After our first out of state vacation, I wanted to make a book "just for these photos" I told myself. I was worried though, because I thought it would be expensive. Well, I have to be honest here. It CAN be if you're not paying attention. There;s a tool for everything out there if you shell the money out for it. I think the key to staying on a budget is knowing exactly WHAT you need instead of just stepping into a store. The first time I stepped into a craft store for scrapbook supplies, I was overwhelmed. They had an entire aisle.. just of STICKERS. I had no idea where to start or what to buy. My cousin scrapbooks and she took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. I;m hoping to pass some of that onto you, my lovely readers!

This first post in the "starting to scrap" series will discuss what you need to begin. These are the VERY basics.  Literally, the base items you would need to put together a page.

Step 1: Decide what you want to scrap about first. Will your first book be a "general" book. What I mean by that is a book where it shows a whole year.A few pages might be of various family member;s birthdays for the year, thanksgiving, christmas, etc etc. All photos from events in one year in one handy place. You could also do an entire book on a specific topic like a vacation, a wedding or a book just about one person. The possibilities are endless. Just decide what you want before buying your supplies.

Step 2: Find your photos and make COPIES. I highly HIGHLY discourage using original photos in your book.. This way, if you make a mistake or don't like what you did to the photo/page, you can print that photo out again and start over. Most mass retailers have a kiosk you can print photos at from a memory card. Most also have a scanner where you can scan your old photos in and even make a disk with them for the future. This is also helpful for Polaroids because they degrade over time. NEVER CUT A POLAROID PHOTO either, because the chemicals will leak out. Yuck. Getting copies made of polaroids is awesome because you can crop out all the borders on the copy and you preserve the image of the photo. Even if you can't afford to print all photos at once, just pick a dozen or two to print first, just to start. You can also order prints online from places like Shutterfly or Walgreen's (my preferred place to get photos printed because you can pick up in a store or ship to you and they run a lot of specials throughout the year).

Okay, so enough of me babbling, let's get down to the nitty gritty of our list.

What you need

1. a 12x12 paper trimmer. Depending on where you purchase this, it can be pricey. However, just to start out, you don't need to pay 50 bucks for a 12x12 trimmer. Many craft stores will run sales on them. Check their paper or online ads. You can expect to pay between 20-35$ for a 12x12 cutter. (Close to My Heart sells one here ) . It needs to be 12x12 so you can cut the big sheets of paper and 12x12 is one of the common sizes you'll find paper in for scrapbooking
2. Acid-free and archival safe adhesive. Do NOT use school glue or glue sticks! Those are not made for photos and over the years, the acid from those products can leach and ruin your lovely pages you worked so hard on. Most products intended for scrapbooking will say right on the package if it's acid-free or not. Adhesive comes in a few different common forms. Glue sticks, photo mount squares and adhesive runners. Personally, I use the adhesive runners. (Close to My heart sells them here ) I have a good friend who uses the photo mount squares. It;s really a matter of preference. I often use different adhesives for different projects but for now, just pick the one that looks the most comfortable to  YOU.
3. Photos. Grab your photos and make some prints from them
4. Scissors. Get a good pair of sharp scissors. One that's preferrably just for papercrafting.
5. Paper! I love paper. It's so much fun and comes in so many cool patterns. I'd suggest looking through the paper book aisles in a craft store (online or an actual physical store. Both work). Fine one that's a good price and matches the colors and themes of your planned book. I'd recommend a mix of solids and patterns. (Close to My Heart sells paper packs here)  . Don't go crazy. Just get papers you  think you'll use for your first project and not beyond. You can worry about later projects when they happen. Just make sure it's paper intended for scrapbooking and not construction or copy paper. Look for acid-free papers.
6. An album. Again, check online or regular stores. Find a book that is a good price and fits the theme of the book you're making. They can be as simple or elaborate as you like or as your budget allows. (Close to My Heart has albums here )
7. (optional) Embellishments. These are those little touches that add a little "something" to your pages. Stickers, flowers, bling and the like. You can really blow a budget here. To start out, just get a few that match the theme or your first project. You can always add more embellishments at a later time. No worries. You don't have to get them all right now!

That's about it for JUST starting. In later posts of the "starting to scrap" series, I'll show you how to start to make your first pages. Stay tuned and happy crafting!