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Scissors
Scrapbooking scissors come in small and large, straight-edge and decorative. Large scissors work well for cutting straight edges for large projects, such as cardstock and photos. Small scissors work well for cutting out embellishments.Cuticle scissors (with curved tips) are great for precise cutting, such as cutting out a small flower from a magazine photo. Decorative-edged scissors come in many forms, the most popular being deckle- and ripple-edged. Use decorative scissors for cutting cardstock into background mats for photos.
Craft Knives
Craft knives are another must-have. A simple exacto knife will do, but make sure to buy replacement blades because you always want to have a sharp edge. Use the craft knife in combination with stencils to create your own die-cuts: letters and other embellishments. Or, use the craft knife freehand to create any cut-out you desire. For creating a perfect straight-edge, just use a ruler as your guide. This is much easier than trying to cut a straight line with scissors.
Pens & Pencils
No scrapbooking project is complete without quality pens and pencils. The uses are endless. Of course, you will need quality journaling pens. Choose roll-tip, gel or metallic pens, avoiding ball-point for its "academic" look. Experiment with different journaling pens before you commit; some handwriting looks better with particular pens. Pencils are used for making cropping marks, and colored pencils can be used for filling in stamped images. Use them to shade lettering and add highlights to other embellishments. Felt tip markers are another wonderful tool, for use as an alternative to craft paint and with stencils.
Adhesive The number one rule when choosing adhesives for scrapbooking is that they are acid-free. This prevents your photos from yellowing due to the acid in some glue. Scrapbooking adhesives come in a variety of forms. Glue sticks are a great all-purpose adhesive and a must-have. They are good for paper, but not the best for adhering small embellishments. Glue pens work well for fibers, wood and non-paper embellishments. Adhesive dots are small pieces that you peel from a roll and are best for small things like eyelets, rhinestones and small embellishments. Tape rollers work well for photos, without creating "bubbles" and with no mess to clean up. Mounting tabs also work great for photos.
Page Protectors These are a must if you plan on keeping your scrapbook for more than a few years. They simply are plastic sheets that cover your pages and protect them from wear and tear, heat, spills, sun exposure and curious little hands.
These scrapbookingtools are only the beginning of what a scrapbooker can have in their treasure chest. But with a little creativity, they are all you need to create clean, expressive and beautiful pages.