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Monday, February 7, 2011

Welcome & Tools Necessary for Scrapbooking Beginners

Welcome everyone!

So I have been scrapbooking for the last three years now and cardmaking for the last year. So you may ask, "Why did you start a blog?" Well, I have been wanting to start a blog for some time now to share with everyone my creations, the treasures that I discover for crafting and in life, and just everyday words of wisdom. Most of the bloggers that I have come across so far are American so I wanted to share some Canadian love since we are neighbours :) Well, the actual push for me to get movin' on this blog was through the help of Sarah (Pink Cricut) over at www.pinkcricut.com. She had openings for her design team so I entered in a Valentine's Day card that I had made for my sweetheart. I was then asked to be a guest designer! :) I will have product reviews for you all later about her stamp-sets (the best ones yet!!) as well as others that are available in the market. I hope that through these posts you will be inspired to create and live with a compassion for others.

My blog will be undergoing changes soon so bear with me until then! Sorry about this!


There are many tools available for scrapbookers and card-makers alike. TONS of tools! Haha! So if you are into card-making, you do save money by making cards rather than purchasing them but of course, we'd all rather be buying more paper or the new must have tools. A word of advice, crafting is not cheap! Haha! It has put quite the dent in my wallet (figuratively). Most of that money used to be spent on clothes, shoes, and make-up (of course, girly items!) but I have cut down on that LOTS, since most of my paychecks now go towards paying bills and financing my Cricut cartridges and crafting items! I just wanted to put that out there but if you are money conscientious (which many of us are due to the economic downturn), but there are ways to make this hobby affordable. :)

So let's begin with the basics! For all of you new or potential scrapbookers out there, I will post a few of the must have items that are essential for your scrapbooking needs!

  1. Multi-Coloured Cardstock - cardstock is thick paper, perfect for your crafting needs. In Canada we do not have stores such as Hobby Lobby or Joanns, but we do have Michaels stores. In addition, it costs a fortune to ship anything from Papertrey Ink to Canada! So, the best cardstock that I have found (at a reasonable price might I add, since you can get great deals on it with coupons and sales) is the packs of Recollections paper from Michaels.
  2. Patterned Paper - once you become a scrapper, paper is your best friend! There are many brands of patterned paper but my all time faves are DCWV (Die Cuts With a View), My Mind's Eye, and Martha Stewart Crafts. You can buy pads of patterned paper so for those who are trying to save, you can get your money's worth buy investing in a pad you love and you know will be versatile for a number of different projects - ie. scrapbooks/cards for a number of holidays, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, etc. I would say go for patterns that are subtle: polka dots, stripes, plaid, mini hearts & flowers, etc. 
  3. Paper Trimmer -  find a paper cutter that works well and cuts without leaving frays. I use the Tonic 12" Guillotine paper trimmer. It's pretty heavy duty..it's the type of paper trimmers that school offices usually have! It looks like this http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=683&bih=591&q=tonic+guillotine+trimmer&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=
  4. Adhesive - pick an adhesive that works for you and what you need it for. I love my pink ATG gun. The adhesive is super sticky and adheres to almost anything!! Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue is a great glue as well! I despise glue but I'm really loving this one! It's got two applicator tips and works like magic! How contradictory huh? Zip Dry works well too -- it doesn't cause your paper to crinkle no matter how much glue you apply! However, the smell is a bit intoxicating. There are a few other glues in the market but I have not tested them myself yet.
  5. Scissors - a pair of precision-tip scissors goes a long way! They will be used time and time again so make sure to get yourself a really good pair of scissors! Just a heads up though, save a pair of scissors to just specifically cut ribbon. By using the same pair of scissors to cut both ribbon and paper will dull them. 
  6. Embellishments -  embellishments add glitz and glamour to any project and they really do bring your projects to life. Some embellishments include: brads, eyelets, pearl stickers, etc.
  7. Cricut Expression - the Expression has made my projects come to life and Provo Craft (the company that produces this machine & its accessories) keeps coming up with more and more must have cartridges! Of course they know that they can make a considerable amount of profits with the lock-in of customers like us. The machine itself is not cheap. In Canada, it ranges anywhere between $300 - $500. There are a number of American sites that do sell Cricut Machine bundles but the shipping costs a fortune! The best thing that I love about the Expression is that I can make my own embellishments and to whatever size I need it to be. There are other cutting machines available such as the Sizzix machine.
  8. Cricut Cartridges - of course the Expression and the cartridges are complements to each other. You need cartridges in order to use the machine -- the cartridges are what contain the images that you can cut out. Cartridges are super expensive in Canada so thank goodness for online retailers! 
  9. Gypsy - this is another complement to the Expression. It's a hand-held device that enables you to design your projects anywhere you like! I love my gypsy! It has saved me tons of time and paper! There are a number of ups to the Gypsy which I will have to explain another day. 
So this is just a simple list of must-have scrapbooking items. I will be back soon with a list of the essential tools for card-making. I will try my best to update my blog regularly with videos, pictures, and random brain jerkers but I cannot make any promises!

I'm so sorry for this SUPER long post! I'll try to keep them short & sweet but I thought this was necessary :)

Until next time's treasures!
Tracey

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    Thanks for the love! I read and appreciate all your comments since we all need love from time to love! Much love to you! <3