Best way to get started scrapping?

[fifecat]

Help please for a complete beginner who has some ideas for pages but doesn't know what to buy to start with.

Can anyone recommend a beginner's kit or is it best to buy some bits and pieces first? I don't want to spend too much at first so what are the essential basics?

Please cast your minds back to those far-off days and let me have the benefit of your advice ...

Thanks!

[joyaitman]

The least you need is cardstock (size depending on which album you are planning to use), sticky tabs to anchor down your photographs and a decent trimmer for cropping photos and cutting cardstock. After that it depends how much you want to embellish your page.

We recommend that you sort your photos before you go mad buying. It is easy to go mad and buy loads of stash which doesn't match any of your photos.

You can then think about an album. Most people scrap in 12x12. Following on from a thread earlier in the week I would like to recommend Colorbok, excellent value and quality.

Have fun, enjoy your new hobby and enjoy shopping.

[ann4browneyes]

Fifecat - have sent you a PM as I am along the coast from you. If I can help in anyway PM me and we could meet up and see how I started. You could come and try a few bits and pieces before you buy.

THIS HOBBY IS ADDICTIVE BTW

[ann4browneyes]

Sorry forgot to mention by DD (elaineb) is a scrapper too and we have quite a few magazines and books that you could look at to get some inspiration.

Memory Avenue (a sponsor) is a good shop in Grangemouth for scrapping stash, especially as you can see and touch the products.

You will find that scrappers are really helpful, especially on this site - friendly to newbies.

[pmscrap]

Memory Avenue also run a wide range of scrapbooking classes and crops where you can pick up tips and new ideas! Cardstock, acid free glue, a journaling pen and a decent trimmer will get you started.

[4kidsat147]

Also if you have someone wanting to buy you a nice christmas pressie, I have some lovely kits with Album, cardstock, paper, ribbon, tags and adhesive, along with some alphabets in my shop under gifts.

[kathyb]

I've been scrapping seriously for 3 years now, and while I too got/get carried away with all the lovely goodies around I have a tiny toolbox ( bought in a £1 shop) which I carry my essential tools.

I've got an ordinary Hb pencil, rubber, pair of scissors, black archival ( acid free/photosafe) pen for journaling, some photo mounting stickers ( acid free ); some hermafix, a craft knife and steel ruler. Also a cutting mat - it won't fit in the box!

I do have a paper trimmer, but you could cut with scissors or the craft knife/ruler/mat. My set came from a discount shop again and cost £3 approx. I've since bought new knives in d-i-y shops for 99p with the snap off blades.

I do carry a couple of small ink pads too, but this is a new addition for my current style.

I scrap in 12x12 but have many friends who prefer 11x8.5 ( A4) size.

Again some good advice I was given when starting out, was not to spend lots of money on an expensive album initially. You can store your LOs in a pizza box ( again you can usually bag a free/very cheap one at a local pizza outlet - you may get some funny looks though when you ask for an empty clean box! ). If you are worried about things rubbing on the next LO, you can store them in 12x12 plastic bags avaliable cheaply from many sponsors, or if oyu prefer invest inpage protectors, though this will ultimately commit you to the type/make of album you eventually buy.

My style when I started was very different to today. I tended to use plain cardstock in colours which complemented my photos and very minimal embellishments, often things I'd collected to do with the pictures, or made from the supplies I had.

I'm sure you'll be as hooked as the rest of us, but its always worth going cautiously to start with, just in case you do later decide it isn't the hobby for you.

Have fun and enjoy! Look forward to seeing your layouts very soon

[fifecat]

Thanks everybody. There's some really helpful ideas there and it's made me more confident about getting started.

Anne