Beginner Scrapbooking Tools

There are some basic beginner scrapbooking tools which will get you off to a great start with your new hobby. You might also like to check out my hints and tips on scrapbooking organization

• Craft knife, scissors and/or trimmer
• Adhesives

Let us look at these items in a bit more detail.

Scrapbook scissors and trimmers

A craft knife is excellent for cutting windows or apertures in paper or card. To prevent damage to your table or desk you will also need a self-healing cutting mat.

Sharp scissors, preferably with short, pointed blades, are essential. These make it easier to cut out intricate shapes. You can also buy decorative scissors, which will cut zigzag or scalloped edges easily.

There are also a number of different types of paper trimmers for scrapbooking.

A rotary paper trimmer is simple and safe to use, ensuring a nice straight edge to your photos and matts. They often have helpful measurements printed on the base board to aid accurate cutting. Some of the more expensive versions have interchangeable blades so that you can cut wavy or deckle edges.

You may prefer a guillotine paper cutter. These have an arm with a blade, that you raise and then lower to slice the paper. They are often heavier than the paper trimmer and therefore normally used in the studio or craft room rather than being suitable to take with you to a crop.

A paper guillotine will usually have some sort of guard, designed to prevent you accidentally cutting yourself, but you still need to take care when using it.

Scrapbook adhesives

I am not sure if you could really class adhesives as a beginner scrapbooking tool, but they are essential so I have included them here. They have come a long way from the traditional bottle of gum with a rubber spreader on the top! Nowadays you can find adhesives which will stick all sorts of materials to each other.

PVA Tacky glue, or white glue, is useful to keep at hand. It is great for sticking down ribbons for example and creates a firm bond. Brands such as Elmer's Glue are acid-free, they dry clear, and allow for repositioning, if necessary, before they set.

Double sided adhesive tape is used for many tasks when scrapbooking or card making. It is ideal for sticking your photos to matts, and matts to the backing cardstock. You can buy it on the roll or as a handy E-Z Runner dispenser, which comes in both permanent and repositionable versions.

Double sided sticky tape comes in a variety of widths. You will probably find you need a narrow one, and something a bit wider, in your scrapbooking tool kit.

Double sided foam pads have their uses too. They are idea for creating dimensional stamp art, or for attaching embellishments to your scrapbooking layouts. They are available in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.

Glue dots are another useful addition to your range of scrapbook adhesives. Again they come in both removable and permanent versions, in a variety of sizes and shapes - not all glue dots are circular! You can get narrow lines of glue also.

Sticky notes can also be utilized, on a temporary basis, to create a mask in certain rubber stamping techniques.

Most craft shops will carry a wide range of adhesives but if you don't have one close by you can order online, at places like Amazon (see links on right hand side of page) or everythingscrapbooking.com.

I also have some tips for obtaining discount scrapbook supplies if you are scrapbooking on a budget.

Additional tools for scrapbooking

I have only covered the basic beginner scrapbooking tools here. As you get more involved in the hobby your tool kit will almost certainly grow. Before long you will have an accumulation of paper punches, clear and rubber stamps and even a die cutting and embossing machine or two.