10 things

On the tenth of every month, Shimelle Laine invites bloggers to share ten things. Doesn't matter the topic, as long as it's ten things. This month, here are my 10 must-haves for scrapbooking.



1. Craft knife: I almost never use a scissors or a paper trimmer. Instead, my go-to for all my cutting is a hand-held craft knife (with a ruler if I need to make a straight edge). I find it's the most precise and never creates those fuzzy edges I'd get from a dull paper trimmer. 

2. Tweezer Bee tweezers: If you don't already have a tweezers in your scrapping toolbox, these would be an awesome addition. I keep mine by my side at all times to position tricky alphabet stickers and other small embellishments. And they're the best tool for lifting misplaced embellishments that you've stuck down in the wrong place and want to move.

3. Kraft cardstock: My favorite layouts, and those that don't require loads of thought, are those that have kraft cardstock as the foundation. Kraft is a great neutral base for mixing and matching patterned papers and embellishments. 

4. Border punches - Circles Large, Embossed Curve Large, Threading Water, Apron Lace: These are the four border punches that I'm hopelessly addicted to. I have quite a few more, but none are as versatile as these.

5. October Afternoon letter stickers: It would be hard to scrap without alphabet stickers. So of course I have tons of alphabets, but none are more loved than the mini market alphas from October Afternoon. They're not too big and not too small and come in the colors I use most. 

6. Journaling cards and tags: My layouts aren't heavy on embellishments, but I do love to layer in little journaling spots. They might hold my journaling or title, or just float off the page as an embellishment. I love that journaling cards are a quick way to give a layered and coordinated look to my pages.

7. Digital photo clusters: Ever since I bought Photoshop Elements 5 many years ago, my style has evolved from 2-page layouts with lots of 4x6 photos to 1-page layouts with clusters of smaller photos. About half the time I rely on digital photo clusters (my favorites are by Katie Pertiet). They help me create the perfect little grouping of pictures so I can easily fit 6+ pictures onto one layout without it looking crazy.

8. Washi tape: I'm not a super trendy scrapbooker, but one trend I do love is washi tape. I have a small collection of tapes from Studio Calico kits and Freckled Fawn. They remind me a bit of the massive ribbon collection I grew, but I find washi to be far more usable than ribbon. 

9. Studio Calico kits: This one may be cheating a bit, since it's not just one item. But month after month, I continue to love the kits that Studio Calico produces. 99% of my new supplies in the last two years are from SC kits and I have almost no need to shop for anything else besides adhesive. 

10. Zutter Bind-It-All: All my mini albums were bound using my zutter bind-it-all. Before having this tool, I never really made minis. And while it's not something I do that often, I love having a tool to bind them together and I know I'd never make minis without it. 

What about you? What are your must-have items for scrapbooking??

You can visit more bloggers sharing their ten things by clicking here. 

hugs, sharyn