My Top 5 Scrapbooking Tools

Although I have a scrap room packed with various supplies and goodies, I find that I have five essential go-to supplies that I use on almost every layout. They are my paper trimmer, good adhesive, pattern paper, letter stickers and enamel dots.

Paper Trimmer with Extended Arm

I cannot scrapbook without a good, sturdy paper trimmer. I find that is it absolutely essential for cutting straight lines. Although I have tried many brands, my favorite is Fiskars. The reason I like this trimmer is because it is reasonably priced, and replacement blades are easy to find and again a good price. Although I do most of my scrapping at home, when I do go to crops, classes or retreats, it is lightweight and easily portable. Another feature I appreciate is the cutting surface has guides for the cut sizes I frequently make such as 4x6, 6x4 and 5x7. Another plus is that it is easy to see where your blade will cut, so there are no surprises.

Adhesive

My favorite adhesive is E-Z Runner Grand by Scrapbook Adhesives. At the rate I scrapbook, I need a good quality adhesive that would not break my bank. However, I have learned the hard way, I don't skimp on my adhesive. The larger size of this roll means more uninterrupted scrapping – always a plus! And even though the adhesive is permanent there is a short grace period if you need to move something after placing it on your layout. My best adhesive advice - do not buy the cheapest brand out there for your layouts.

Foam adhesive is also a must for me. I love how versatile it is – you can layer, pop things up, and turn stickers into 3D embellishments. I used to buy the precut squares, but when I stopped to think about the cost, I realized that it was more economical for me to purchase it as a roll. That way I can cut it to size, which also reduces waste and stretches my supplies.

QUICK TIP: I have learned that cutting adhesive foam can leave residue on your scissors. So I designated an old pair of scissors just for cutting foam tape.

Doddlebug Design, Inc. Letter Stickers

The easiest way to create a title is to use letter stickers. While I have used a variety of brands in letter stickers, my go to stash of stickers is from Doodlebug Designs, Inc. What I like about this brand is they offer the same font sticker in all of their colors which coordinate with many of the paper lines I use on my layouts. It’s easy to mix and match styles and fonts to easily create an eye catching layout.

Another feature I like about this brand is the fact they offer sheets of tiny type letters which offer three mini sized letters with can be mixed and matched to create visual interest in titles. I’ll often use these little letters to spell out smaller words in my titles – which is awesome when you are trying to create longer titles.

Enamel Dots and Shapes

I love to use enamel dots when I am embellishing my layouts. When I purchase a paper collection, I will often buy the coordinating pack of enamel dots. They are great when creating embellishment clusters and the variety of shapes and sizes are so much fun to play with.

I also find that they are economical. I’ve found that if I have any left over from a certain paper collection, the leftovers will often coordinate with other collections produced by that particular company. I also purchase them in the rainbow of colors from Doodlebug, because they coordinate with titles made with my favorite letter stickers!

Pattern Paper

I use Bazzill cardstock for the base of my layouts, but I always use pattern paper to bring color into my designs. Many times, if you buy a paper collection pack, it will come with a coordinating sticker sheet and sometimes alphabet stickers. Many collections also offer a striped pattern paper, which has always been one of my go to patterns for creating layouts because it allows you to bring in so many colors. Another awesome feature of a pattern paper collection is they oftentimes have a pattern that you can easily “fussy cut” to create unique embellishments. (Check out my post on Fussy Cutting in the Create Your Own Embellishment series.) I’ve been able to create beautiful designs with limited supplies when you have paper that can double as embellishments too! My favorite pattern paper brands are Echo Park, Simple Stories and Bella Blvd. I'm attracted to the bright colors and variety of themes.

Although this is by no means an exhaustive list, these are the products I use almost every time I scrap. My style may have changed over the years, but these are my tried and true essentials.