7 essential supplies for digital scrapbooking

What do you truly need? I ask myself that question often when I am considering acquiring new crafting supplies. It’s easy to feel like a kid in a candy store, with so many beautiful choices at very affordable prices.

This is especially true in digiscrapping, when freebies are so readily accessible. In fact, we’ve included a freebie in this post! But you have to ask yourself, will you really use this new product you are considering to download or purchase? Do you honestly need this item to feel creatively fulfilled? It’s a hard question, and the answer will be different for everyone.

Focus on what’s essential and get back to basics to find more time for what you love!

Here are Simple Scrapper’s 7 truly essential supplies for digiscrapping

1. Photos that speak to you
Why are we here if it isn’t for our photographs? Choose photos that mean something to you, that remind you of a special time or a special person. Let the photos speak for themselves. If you begin to understand the beauty in a single photo, your needs for extensive adornment will diminish. Start here.

2. A great handwriting font
Free fonts are nearly as abundant as free quickpages and there are as many to choose from. You can’t possibly use 500 fonts productively, so narrow your stash to great fonts that really work. And then make sure you have one that is supremely useful.

Simple Scrapper’s Pick: 2peas scrapbook

3. Neutral textured paper
Neutral papers are the blue jeans of digiscrapping. They one of the most important foundations. Use them as background or clip to them to make your own embellishments. They work great as frames too!

Jeanette Bollinger Designs is giving away the perfect paper pack for essential supply #3 to Simple Scrapper readers! Click the link below to download Not So Basic – Blacks.

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4. A classy alpha
Sometimes a font just won’t do. That’s where alphabet embellishments (alphas, for short) come into play. They are the little black dresses. Make sure your stash has at least one classic neutral alpha for special occasions.

A few options:

• Alpha Spots 102
• Cracked Rub-On
• Hot News 4/5

5. Several fresh but timeless kits
A great collection of supplies has not only the basics, but keeps up to date with the freshest of favorites. To get the most use out of your new purchases, choose four-season kits with bright colors and family themes.

Simple Scrapper’s Pick:
Family Roots by Dani Mogstad

6. Software that meets your needs
There are many software applications with which you can digiscrap. These range from PowerPoint on the low end (by features) and Adobe Photoshop on the high end (by features and price), but both and all in between can be used to make pages. Your choice depends on what suits your needs. Additionally, these needs may evolve over time as your skills improve.

For a moderately full featured program at a reasonable price, Simple Scrapper recommends Adobe Photoshop Elements or Corel Paint Shop Pro. We recommend these two programs, not because they are the easiest to learn, but because tutorials are abundant and they each have huge user communities.

7. A source of inspiration
While I find templates super-helpful for creating pages in lightning mode, I find browsing galleries really gets my creative juices flowing. Study layouts you love. See what products they use and really take note of how the page was designed.

Layout by AjaAbney, using her own kit from ScrapArtist

Great sources of inspiration:

• My Scrapbook Art
• Scrapartist
• Scrapspiration – Simple Scrapper’s most favorite layouts

As a side note, don’t forget to offer credit if your scraplift. Scraplifting is the process of mimicking another scrapper’s art, while offering credit for doing so. You can’t publish this work in a magazine as your own, but its a fantastic way to boost your design skills.

At first glance, you might think you have all of these supplies on hand. But really take stock and evaluate how you use your stash. Do you have go-to items or are you always on the lookout for something new? Are you spending too much time shopping and not enough scrapping. Focusing on what’s essential and getting back to basics can help you find more time for what you love!

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Enjoy these tips? This is a great time to subscribe to Simple Scrapper. All week we’ll feature super tips to make your digi-shopping more fun and effective. Stick around for:

• A guide to buying digiscrap supplies
• 10 great all-purpose kits
• Where to find the best supplies
• How to protect your investment