About 10 years ago I was introduced to scrapbooking by an acquaintance and the bug bit me. I had always known of it, but I started learning about all the tools available and I thought it was a perfect (and cheap) outlet for my creativity.
Granted anyone who knows me knows I mean to take pictures of the events in my life, but I'm usually having such a good time that I forget to take pictures.
The only scrapbook I ever did make was for my wedding and I made a real one out of paper and a second one on the internet (a digital scrapbook that can be printed like a real book). Both I enjoyed making very much, but since then I haven't really had much to scrapbook.
In fact, I don't really like to scrapbook per se. I like to use scrapbooking tools to make things like decorations for the house or confetti, or something I could use for a party.
So, my focus has turned towards using scrapbook related materials for paper crafts and decorations for my upcoming Halloween party in October.
There's a ton of stores online that you can learn about and purchase products.
I'll talk about some of the stuff I use here:
Adhesives - there's a long list of stuff you can use to glue down items (mainly paper is what I'm talking about)- dots, paper glue, rubber cement, and tape:
This is a cross between a pen and tape so you can position the tape without getting your hands sticky.
Plain old regular double stick tape, though, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned yellow over the years, if it starts out clear.
Photo squares - one of my favorites, these are pre-cut tiny little double-sided white squares that you can stick most papers down with. I've used them a lot and I really like the control they provide.
Glue stick - never liked these much. Always felt like I was a kid in school again not trusted with scissors or sharp objects. I don't use it, so I can't recommend it. They are good though, if you're not sure of your measurements or alignments and want time to adjust it before the glue dries. If that's the case, this and rubber cement are good slow glues.
Paper - the most basic foundation can be anything from construction paper (though it tears too easily for important things), cardstock, or scrapbook paper. There are so many choices out there for every season, holiday, and occasion.
The main thing to remember is construction paper is good for laying out ideas and experimenting with. Don't use it for real professional looking projects.
Cardstock comes in all different textures and finishes like glitter or foil, embossed and smooth, so you are not limited by your imagination.
Scrapbook paper and cardstock, to me, are the same thing. Some may be a bit thicker than others, but they both get the job done. Both also come in a ton of colors, patterns, and textures.
Stickers - if you're going to use them for something important like family photos make sure they are safe to use for scrapbooking. You can't just use normal kids stickers for important family album pages. Stuff that's safe for photos or scrapbooks are labeled a couple of ways. Things like acid-free, lignin-free, or safe for scrapbooking. Within stickers there are also a ton of different kinds.
There's chipboard - which are very sturdy papers almost like cardboard that may or may not have adhesive on the backs. There's dimensional - which stand up a little so you have something to pop off the page. Unfortunately though, these tend to be delicate as only a small portion of the sticker is actually stuck onto the paper, so you have to be mindful of that. Puffy stickers - which are as they sound. Puffed up like little clouds or pillows off the page but they are more sturdy then dimensional since the entire backing is usually glue. And of course, there's flat plain old stickers that may have stuff like glitter or foil to make them shiny.
Extras - Die cuts, cut outs, and other embellishments that are not stickers - all sorts of stuff here: brads, cabochons, die cuts, ribbon, and buttons.
Brads are almost always meant to stick through paper and they have two little arms behind the main jewel or stud that bend out so they stick in place.
Cabochons may or may not have the arms and if they don't they might just be flat backed and you can attach them using glues to anything you like.
Die-cuts or cut-outs may or may not be a paper shape with adhesive on the back. Sometimes they are used as a paper shape made by a die-cutting machine you have at home, but we'll talk about that later.
Ribbons and buttons are self explanatory. You stick the glue on the back and use them as you see fit.
Paper punches - this is my favorite category. There are so many things you can do with punches these days. Not only can you punch out shapes like pumpkins, cats, and witches, you can also cut your paper with special trimmers that make interesting edges to your papers. The many kinds of paper punches are in categories like borders, edgers, punch around the page, punch all over the page, corner punches, minis, embossed, and double.
In the case of borders, edgers, and punch around the page, it is what it sounds like; you can take a punch and make a border or edge around the entire page with it to make it look more professional.
Punch all over the page are usually long necked or magnetic and allow you to make a punch right in the middle of a page without cutting it down to get there.
Embossed just carves some lines into a punch like eyes on a teddy bear or details that help the shape look more professional.
Double punches create one punch inside of another punch simultaneously.
Corner punches can only be used on the corners of papers.
And minis are just extra extra small punchers. Trust me, if you're really shopping mini punches they will come out less than an inch around. Some as small as 1/4". Make sure you read descriptions when you're shopping online to get the size you want.
Stampers - Another really fun category. Stamps are not just for kids anymore. They have a ton of different kinds for just about everything. They also have two kinds now: rubber wood mounted, and clear clingy that require a separate acrylic block to attach them to to use properly. I personally prefer the clear ones because they are much easier to store with a low profile, and often times they are cheaper than wood mounted...plus they are much easier to clean.
Commercial Die Cut Machines - These are machines like Cricut, Sizzix, and Cuttlebug brands.
They are in the hundreds of dollars to buy and then they have cartridges you have to buy with shapes on them to cut out, but so far, I really like mine. I can cut out a small 1/4" Halloween cat or a 23" halloween cat anytime I want out of paper, vinyl, or fabric. It's very versatile and fun to work with. If you're in the market for these make sure you shop around before buying one. I got mine at Overstock.com for $170.00 instead of $300.00 like some other stores were selling it for.
Alright! So that's your quick guide to what I do with some of my free time.
Do any of you out there scrapbook or use paper crafts to decorate?
Let me know! I need more friends that I can talk shop about this stuff!
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