Scrapper’s Tool Kit…

Tonight, as I was putting things together for the trip to Charlotte this weekend, I put together my ‘tool kit’.  Over the years, friends have asked me what they should have handy as a starter kit for scrapbooking.    There are so many things that you CAN get to work with paper, but only a few things that you really should have handy in order to do the basic things.  These are good to have around in order to get your ‘groove’ going – and then expand from the basics and follow the directions that your art and interest take you.

While I do have a few favorites for specific brands, none of the items below are particularly ‘brand specific’.    I won’t tell you that you should buy the most expensive items out there – because there is quality at each price point -but for these items, I think you should invest in quality – because these items you’ll use as long as you’re scrapping!

*  Paper Trimmer – 12×12 – I have a Carl rotary cutter that I use here at home, and a Fiskars trimmer that I take with my when I travel.  I prefer the Carl, because it makes much cleaner lines.   The 12×12 size is the best option, because it allows you to do both scrapbooking and card creations.

*  Fine Point scissors - I use Cutter Bee scissors – they have a nice little sleeve that slips over the blades for when you travel – the points are pretty fine for fussy cutting and trimming as well.

*  Hole Punch – I quickly found that a ‘regular hole punch’ didn’t do everything that I wanted to do.  I invested in a Crop-o-Dile and use it for everything.  I like using it because it not only punches holes, but it also sets brads and can be used for basic ‘dot’ embossing.

*  Adhesives – Different jobs call for different adhesives, so I keep a few different ones around.  I have glue sticks for when a quick dry adhesive is needed, a zig 2 way glue pen for when the embellishments are a little heavier or I’m using glitter or flock, and my stand by double sided tape.  On my scrap desk, I have a tape dispenser with double sided tape that I use on nearly every project.  Scotch brand is what I use – and I have a travel dispenser for when I’m on the move as well.

*  Journaling Pens – My favorites are the Zig Millenium pens – they are color fast and come in a variety of nib sizes – I use them for everything from journaling on layouts to doing faux stitching and doodle embellishments.  They last a while as well, and hold up to being ‘forgotten’ on the scrap table and being left open for a while.  (Not that I would EVER do that!)

*  Distressing Ink - One of the easiest ways to ‘punch up’ your pages is to distress the edges of the papers that you’re using.  I like to use pigment inks for these, because they stay ‘wet’ a little longer and let you blend them along edges.  The ones I go to most often are ColorBox Cat’s Eyes in Chestnut Roan (brown) and Charcoal (Black)  I also have ColorBox Cat’s Eyes Queues in metallic colors as well one in various shades of brown.  This lets me do pretty much everything that I want, and it all looks fabulous!

*  Odds and Ends – I also have a corner rounder, and a bone folder – this lets me do more with cards as well as making creases with the various folds that I do in scrapbooking.

All of these things, I keep in a large sized pencil box that I picked up at Target.  (That’s a new addition.  Usually things go into a pencil bag, but I’ve outgrown it!)