Shopping list for new scrappers

Are you tempted to get into scrapbooking, but are confused with what supplies you need? Are you on a limited budget or do you have limited storage space to add your supplies to your home? Are you a new scrapbooker who needs down-to-earth advice and a shopping list as to what you really need to start scrapping? This post is for you.
To get started, you will need photos. If you can print them, that's easiest: you can edit and crop them before printing, plus you can resize them to fit your needs. If you already have a box of photos handy, that's great, too. I'll do another entry on the what to do with your photos later.
When you're first starting, I recommend you start buying your supplies slowly. Here are the basics:

• adhesive (acid free, wet or dry--your choice)
• trimmer (or scissors)
• embellishments (acid free of your choice--my current favorites are coordinated paper packs, ribbon, Stickles glitter glue and spiral paper clips)
  
• scrapbook (such as a postbound album, mini album, matchbook kit, or chipboard album)
  

Choose coordinating products for the best results--for beginning and advanced scrappers alike, coordinated products take the guess-work out of matching for you. I also recommend that you buy the colors that you like best, even if you think these won't "match" your photos. You can always print your photos out black and white, and most people find it easiest to work with colors and prints that they like, rather than ones that are currently trendy. Shop for paper by color scheme (or theme, depending on your first project), and try to stay within that theme. Staying within the theme will help your projects flow more smoothly--from page to page.
Once you've been scrapbooking for a while, you'll find your style developing. Then, you can add embellishments and paper to match what you have, and you won't accumulate supplies you don't like and won't use.
You might want your first album to be a smaller size, at least 8x8 or 9x9 or even a smaller gift album. This size is much easier to complete. Many crafters find that completing a smaller project (for example a mini mother's day album, a year-in-review, or a Christmas wish-list album) encourages them to go on and tackle larger or open-ended projects (such as a baby book or wedding album). Keep in mind that you can have more than one project going at once--this will often free your creative space and spirit, so if you get tired of one project, you can work on another.