Appropriate materials refer to both archival quality of the items in the scrapbook and also, appropriate tools. For example, industry workers try to sell new scrapbookers a paper trimmer to cut photos and paper with. Scissors, which most people already own, would work, but they are not as precise as a paper trimmer for cutting straight lines. In other words, scrapbookers “need” a special tool in order to scrapbook.
Scrapbook stores often sell what they refer to as a “basics kit,” which includes those tools that these industry workers find to be indispensible: a paper trimmer, adhesive, a pen, scissors, and a paper piercer. The basics kit arose because there are so many tools that can be used in scrapbooking that to present all of the options at once is thought to be overwhelming to the customer new to the craft. For example, a simple search on Google for “scrapbook tool” returns 12.7 million results.
Are there appropriate tools for scrapbooking? Does anyone really need to purchase any special tools for scrapbooking?
Stephanie Medley-Rath is a sociologist and scrapbooker who studies scrapbooking and memory keeping. Scrapworthy Lives is a blog focused on her sociological analysis of scrapbooking, with a sprinkling of posts about Stephanie's own scrapbooking projects.
6 Responses to Rule #2: Appropriate Tools