Papercrafting Basics

I'm often asked what essential supplies a person would need to get started in cardmaking or scrapbooking. When you decide to take up this hobby, it gets very overwhelming very quickly if you don't have any idea what you really need. To help simplify it for everyone who wants to get started, I have created this guide for all of the basic things you'll need, and also a guide for the extra items that can (and will) really make your cards and layouts pop. 

I've used Close To My Heart products as examples because they are what I use most often. If you want to use other brands, that's just fine. In fact, I encourage you to play around with different brands of products to see which ones fit into your style the best. But if you're like me and don't get much time to craft, I do suggest sticking to CTMH brand. All of the items color coordinate making it a breeze to create an entire set of professional looking cards or some fantastic two page layouts in very little time.

Ok, so, here we go!

Basic Supplies:

How-To Pattern Book - This is my favorite of the two card How-To books. It has simple directions with extra tips on nearly every page to help you along your way. This book even has "workshops" to help you create multiple matching cards at once (think holiday cards or invitations). I almost declared this item an "Extra" but I literally use it every time that I make cards, so I think that makes it an essential. There are also several scrapbooking books to choose from - my favorite of them is Magic.

Roxie Paper Pack

Patterned Paper & Cardstock - CTMH has lots to choose from! Each paper pack comes with six sheets of double sided patterned paper and six sheets of coordinating solid colored cardstock for under $10. If you're using another brand, you can usually buy individual sheets from the same line that coordinate. Expect these to cost between 50 cents and $1.75 per sheet of paper.

Card Chatter - Sympathy set

  My Acrylix Stamps - If you only buy one CTMH product, it has to be the stamps. Ask anyone who has used them, the quality is superior to any other brand on the market. You get a crisp, clean image every time and they last practically forever. You will also need a block or two. You can re-use the blocks over & over, because the stamps just cling onto it then peel right off when you're finished. My most used size block is the 4x5 inch, it's a good place to get started.

Cocoa ink pad - this is my most used color

Ink pads - The secret to perfect ink coverage is all in the dance. No, really. There's a little "dance" that you make your stamp do called Twist Twist Tap Tap. You simply twist the stamp twice then tap it twice on the ink pad. Voila!

Cards & Envelopes - I personally like the Colonial White color because it's more of an ivory color which blends in better than a stark, pure white. CTMH offers basic, rectangular cards and also a lot of fun, shaped ones.

Paper Trimmer - It makes cutting paper so fast, easy and precise. If you go with the Fiskar's paper trimmer that CTMH sells, it has a lifetime warranty.

Glue & Adhesives - Adhesive is my best friend. I like all different kinds, and use all different kinds. My favorite two adhesives are the 3D Foam Tape (great for making something pop-up on your page) and Bonding Memories (the best wet glue that I've ever used). My most used adhesive is an AdTech froggie shaped glue runner that I got at my local scrapbooking store.

Extra Supplies:

Honey Mini Medley pack

Embellishments - ribbon, buttons, bling, brads, glitter...it's all amazing and so much fun to work with!

Corner Rounder - for when you want to soften up the edges (I actually use this a lot, it was almost categorized as a basic supply, but I don't use it every single time that I make cards)

Micro-Tip Scissors - if you plan on cutting out images (called "fussy cutting") from patterned paper or around images that you stamped, these are fantastic to have. 

VersaMat - I never thought I would need the VersaMat but that changed after I used it the first few times. It's self-healing so you can cut on it, it makes a great stamping surface, and the grid perfectly lines up anything you're gluing down.

Rub & Remover Eraser - Let's face it, sometimes glue leaks out from behind the paper or embellishment. With this eraser, you never have to worry about ugly dried glue ruining all of the hard work you put into your card.

Double Scrubber - If you're using stamps, nothing cleans your acrylic blocks and stamps better than the Double Scrubber and a cleaning solution. I buy Ranger Ink's bubble gum scented cleaning solution from my local scrapbooking store.