Shopping for Scrapbooking Supplies 101

Good Morning, Happy Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by for Let's Talk Tuesday!

When shopping for scrapbooking supplies sometimes (most times) it can be a little overwhelming and expensive. There are so many choices. There are so many manufacturers and within each of those manufacturers there are a ton of different products within each of their collections. While shopping it's helpful to know your style and what supplies you will and won't use. It's important to know your own personal style.

If you don't know your own style it's easy to buy lots of the latest and greatest supplies that may sit in your stash unused. If defining your style and what supplies you use is difficult for you you may want to look through your stash as well as evaluating the pile of supplies that you've discarded. Another great way to see what you do/don't use is to flip through your completed albums and paying special attention to items that you use over and over again.

I've got a list of supplies that I know I will use and therefore I buy often. I also have a list of supplies that I don't buy and a list of supplies that I will sometimes buy.


My must list of supplies that I always buy:

• neutral cardstock (white, black, kraft, and sometimes grey)
• patterned paper (it's also helpful to know whether you prefer the A side of patterned papers or the B side. I'm almost always more drawn to the B side.)
• letter stickers (lots and LOTS of Thickers find their way into my stash. You can learn more about that HERE)
• wood veneer
• paper doilies
• small stickers
• ephemera packs 
• enamel dots 
• chipboard stickers 
• washi tape

 My list of things that I don't buy:

• colored cardstock
• huge (bulky) embellishments (like the Crate Paper Pinwheels, I LOVE them but I've never used them because they're huge. I'm determined to find a use for them though.)
• flower embellishments
• large stickers
• stickers with a lot of words
• stick pins 

My list of things that I occasionally buy:

• 6x6 paper pads
• journaling cards
• stamps
• frames 
• die cuts 

Although this isn't a comprehensive list of supplies I hope that it gives you an idea of how you can make your list of supplies when you making your next scrapbooking purchases. 

If you're wondering where my favorite place to shop for scrapbooking supplies, it's Paper Issues. They're shipping is the fastest and their customer service is unmatched...true story!
If you do head over there to do some shopping you can use the code becki20 to get 20% off your entire order.

 Good Luck on your next shopping trip!