16 Essential Scrapbooking Supplies: What You Need to Get Started

Want to be able to easily look back on the most meaningful events and moments from your past? Scrapbooking allows you to turn your cherished memories into a beautiful work of art. If you want to learn how to start scrapbooking, you will need a few essential scrapbooking supplies. Here’s a list to ensure you’re fully stocked.

1. Scrapbooking Album

One of the most important supplies for scrapbooking for beginners is, of course, an album. Your best bet is to go with a 12”x12” or 8.5”x11” album, as most scrapbooking papers and page protectors are designed specifically for those dimensions.

Keep in mind that the larger of the two sizes will give you more space for creative layouts and embellishments, but each page will take longer to fill.

spiral notebooks — Your scrapbooking album will be the foundation for your entire project.

2. Page Protectors

Page protectors are clear, plastic sleeves that fit over each scrapbook page to shield it from fingerprints, smudges, and discoloration. Plus, if an embellishment or layout element happens to fall off the page, the page protector will catch it, so you can easily glue it back on.

3. Cardstock

Cardstock is easily one of the most important scrapbooking supplies; it’s the foundation for every page you create, as well as the basis for other decorative elements. You can buy cardstock in a wide variety of colors and textures. Make sure to look for acid-free and lignin-free papers to avoid fading and discoloration over the years.

4. Patterned Paper

different pattern papers — Choose patterned paper that coordinates for a dynamic yet cohesive look.

You can use patterned paper for a wide variety of purposes, such as matting photos and cutting out shapes and letters to decorate your pages. You can buy individual sheets of paper or packs of multiple sheets in coordinating patterns.

Create Your Own Patterned Paper!

Make Scrapbook Papers to Sell in Adobe Illustrator

Take the Class

5. Scrapbooking Stickers

Stickers are a fun, easy way to decorate your pages—and they are available in more themes than you could ever imagine, from flowers to sports to life events like graduations and baby showers.

6. Scrapbooking Stamps and Ink

date stamp — Use scrapbooking stamps to add decorative designs or important dates to your pages.

Stamps can add a handcrafted look to your scrapbooking pages. While stamping may seem fairly straightforward, you can actually use a stamp in more ways than you might think. For example, you can repeat the stamp multiple times to create a unique background, or use watercolors or colored pencils to add some color to the stamped image.

When choosing an inkpad for your scrapbooking stamps, avoid water-based inks, which can fade, and instead, opt for a chalk or pigment ink.

7. Adhesives

You simply can’t scrapbook without an adhesive of some sort—it’s what keeps your photos and decorations on the page. There are several types of adhesives to choose from, including glue dots, double-sided tape, glue sticks, and liquid glue. Use whatever you’d like depending on your preference—just make sure it’s long-lasting and acid-free, so your scrapbook stays in mint condition.

8. Pens and Pencils

Scrapbooking supplies tip: use colored pens to add captions, dates, or names to your scrapbook pages. — Use colored pens to add captions, dates, or names to your scrapbook pages.

Pens and pencils are perfect for adding a personal touch to your scrapbook. By adding handwritten captions, names, and important dates to your pages, you can record important details and tell a more cohesive story.

9. Embellishments

Scrapbooking supplies have embellishments that can include flowers, magazine clippings, stickers, and more. — Embellishments can include flowers, magazine clippings, stickers, and more.

Beyond stickers and stamps, there are dozens of fun embellishments you can add to your scrapbook pages. Try incorporating buttons, ribbons, charms, faux flowers, and die-cut shapes. (Bonus: If you like to do any other sort of craft, you may already have some usable materials at home!)

10. Scissors and Trimmers

You will do a lot of cutting when making scrapbook pages, so a good pair of scissors is essential. To keep your scissors in good condition, it’s a good idea to set them aside for only scrapbooking. Also consider investing in a paper trimmer, which slices papers in perfectly straight lines—and can be used to cut multiple pieces of paper at once.

11. Corner Rounder

A corner rounder is a type of paper punch that cuts off the sharp corners of a piece of paper and leaves a neat, rounded corner. It’s a much quicker and more precise alternative to manually rounding each corner with scissors.

12. Hole Punch

A basic hole punch can be helpful if you are organizing your scrapbook pages in a D-ring album. However, you can also use it for more decorative purposes. For example, you might tie a ribbon through two holes or use a few of the cut-out dots to create a confetti pattern on your paper.

13. Paper Punch

Source: instagramPaper punches are available in a wide variety of shapes, like this flower-shaped punch from @wermemorykeepers.

Want something a little more decorative than a hole punch? Paper punches are available in a wide range of shapes and patterns. There are even punches designed to create decorative borders around your paper.

14. Ruler

A ruler is helpful for all kinds of scrapbooking tasks, from drawing and cutting straight lines to centering photos on your page.

15. Printer

A printer is an essential tool for scrapbooking for beginners. You’ll need it to print photos, of course, but it can also be helpful to print out typed captions, rather than write them by hand. For the best results, select a printer that prints at a high resolution, which will produce sharper, more vivid photos.

16. Storage

Of course, once you have all of these scrapbooking supplies, you’ll want a place to keep them! Scrapbook storage solutions can include boxes, stacking trays, plastic drawers, and file folders.

Start Shopping!

Scrapbooking is a fun way to express your creativity and preserve your memories for years to come. You’ll love getting to browse through your scrapbook and relive your most cherished moments. National Scrapbook Day is coming up—it’s May 7!— so now is the perfect time to dive in. Gather these supplies, and you’ll have everything you need to learn how to start scrapbooking.

Design and Create Beautiful Scrapbook Pages

Turning Memories into Artwork: A Beginner’s Guide to Scrapbooking

Take the Class

Written By