Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tools & Supplies

OK. I admit it. I'm a tool freak. OK. I love supplies too! OK. I'm a collector. I sometimes think I would rather shop for scrapbooking supplies and tools than actually scrapbook. That's not completely true...but, I really, I mean I reeeeaaaallllllly love to shop for scrapbooking stuff!!!

15. Office supplies - Basic supplies from a desk drawer solve many scrapbooking challenges. Use a label maker for journaling, create a title with tags, or embellish with tabs, clips, stencils, brads and more.

Post-it notes! Great all around scrapbooking tool.

16. Adhering pocket pages - To make pocket pages that won't fall apart over time, choose high-quality double-sided tape or double-sided foam tape (to allow extra room in the pocket). Or, for a sturdy yet decorative pocket, stitch it in place or hammer decorative eyelets in place around the edges of a pocket.

I have never used a pocket page. I like top loading page protectors and it is always too difficult to get the page out to pull out what is in the pocket. But, if you do use pocket pages...the double-sided tape sounds like a great idea.

17. Fast trimming - A personal paper trimmer is a practical tool for cropping photos and mats. You'll be able to work more quickly than with regular scissors.

Love a good paper trimmer! That's all I have to say about that!

18. A basic pen - A black, fine-tipped pen should be your first pen purchase when starting to journal on scrapbook pages. Other colors can be added later, and certain tip styles such as brush and chisel can be harder to use if you are inexperienced. Black goes with everything and the fine tip is easy to write with.

This is a good suggestion. My suggestion for the next pen you purchase is a pen that writes white. There are nearly as many reasons to need to write on dark colors as there are for a black pen to write on white!

19. Punch repair - If you paper punches start to stick after repeated use, try punching them through wax paper. If the sticky residue remains, squirt Un-du adhesive remover on the punch's metal "blade".

I have never heard of Un-du. It may be readily available in craft stores but Goo-be-gone can be purchased in hardware stores and is great stuff! Another idea - to sharpen your punches punch them through fine grit sand paper. This keeps the edges good and sharp.

20. Cardstock letter stickers - If you love alphabet stickers, try the variety of stick-backed cardstock letters available. They are easier to pull from the sticker sheet and faster to apply to your page.

This is what you need:

Greatest tool around...At least it's my favorite. You can adhere any sticker. Even the thinnest of stickers are easy to manage with this tool. It seems a little backwards at first as it doesn't work like a regular set of tweezers but as soon as you get the hang of it...it's second nature.

21. Photo adhesives - While there are many adhesives on the market, when mounting photographs, a dry adhesive (tape or photo corners) is best.

I think everyone has their preference. Mine is Herma Dotto. Love it! I once read in a scrapbooking magazine a designer who preferred to use a glue stick just because they were cheaper than anything else.

22. Coordinating products - To easily coordinate colors on a layout, purchase a variety of products from the same company. Many companies now sell stickers, paper, titles and more that are meant to go together on the same page.

This has to be one of the top ten best ideas. Stampin' Up is a good source for ink, printed paper, card stock, and embellishments that all coordinate with each other. Individually, you can purchase what you need or purchase it all (that's what I like). Or just run to Wal-Mart and buy a page kit. There are great kits everywhere.

23. Corner rounder - A corner rounder is an inexpensive tool that can give photographs a polished look in seconds.

One of my favorite new tools is the ticket punch from Stampin' Up. It is a great look when you put printed over CS and use for journaling blocks.



24. Repositionable stickers - Sticker that can be repositioned easily before forming a permanent bond to your page often mean less mistakes and less headaches.

I don't think I've ever even seen these stickers. I always try to position stickers before I stick them and sometimes cut them from their page and lay them on the page prior to sticking.

25. Stamping starters - For a beginning stamper, basic items to purchase are a black ink pad, wood or acrylic-backed stamps (foam can be harder to work with), a set of colored markers and bottle of stamp cleaner (or baby wipes). A heat embossing gun and embossing powder are good "next-step" purchases to consider.

This is a good basic list of product.

26. Rulers - A clear grid ruler is handy for a wide variety of situations, from simply keeping your journaling straight to spacing a title across a spread, to helping you chose the width of your borders.

A ruler is another top ten tool to keep in your stash.

1 comment:

Kristin said...

Oh my gosh! I am SO loving your blog! Look at you!! :) Let's see some more pages!