Why make a scrapbook? It’s not like we don’t already have photo albums on our phones, which we’re easily able to add to, work on with others, and share. So, why mess with the hassle and the mess? Why spend money and time creating a physical photo album?
These are questions I, myself, wrestled with as I pondered the possibility of creating a scrapbook. (I was also rather skeptical that I would keep up with the project.) However, when my aunt gifted me a beautiful faux leather journal for Christmas a few years ago, I decided that I needed to fill the pages with memories. And I’m very glad that I took the plunge and started working on a scrapbook, despite my doubts.
It’s a process I’ve enjoyed immensely. I’ve loved digging up old photos and pieces from the past and piecing them all together to tell a story, and as I’ve continued my book, I’ve loved watching my journey unfold. It’s also an activity that I’ve loved to partake in with friends; there is something so heartwarming about creating with other people, especially as the act of working on your scrapbook with others becomes a memory in itself.
Plus, photo albums on your phone often go ignored (at least I don’t look through my photos all that often), and when you do send them to others, many oftentimes only quickly glance at your beloved photos, and you’re unable to narrate the story your photos capture. With a scrapbook, you grow to cherish your photos more, and you’re better able to connect with others when you’re able to impart the photos’ meanings as you display them.
So, if you’re wondering whether you should make a scrapbook, I’m here to tell you that it is a worthwhile endeavor. But now that you are faced with the intimidating task of creating a beautiful book of memories, how should you go about actually achieving this objective? What steps should you take, and what materials should you use?
Steps
Decide what kind of scrapbook you want
There are many different kinds of “books” that you can use to create a scrapbook. You can use a binder, which allows you to easily slide pictures and decorations into a clear jacket, securing the content in an easy and mess-free way while permitting you to easily remove items. You could also use a bound journal; this option provides you with the ability to directly write and paste your materials onto a page. Alternatively, you could use a photo album, which gives you the best of both worlds.
Plan your pages
I know that the idea of planning your scrapbook pages may cause frustration. I am definitely someone who prefers to just jump into creative endeavors with a loose idea in my head rather than a specific plan, allowing my production to unfold as I work on it. However, I know from experience that it helps immeasurably to plan out (at least at the beginning) your scrapbook pages.
Determining what I wanted my scrapbook to look like and how many pages I wanted to devote to particular events helped me to create a more cohesive final product that aligned with the vision I had in my head (which doesn’t always happen when I don’t plan things out like this). I find Canva an extremely beneficial tool for completing this exercise — the site has a great variety of images and icons in its “elements” library, which even has graphics that look like specific materials (i.e., newspaper, textured paper, washi tape, and stamps). Even if you don’t want to create a layout for your pages, I would still suggest using Canva to help you decide on your desired scrapbook style.
Of course, planning pages is going to look different for everyone, especially since some may want to create a scrapbook for a past event, trip, or time in their life, and some may want to start a scrapbook that they will work on continuously. In either case, I would still hop on Canva and play around to figure out what color palette and materials you’d like to use for your scrapbook; however, if you fall into the latter category, it is impossible to fully plan out your scrapbook, as you don’t know what you will be including in the future. If this is the strategy you want to follow, I would plan out as many pages as possible and decide if I wanted to allot a specific amount of space for each section of my scrapbook to create balance or simply organically fill out the pages. Truly, there is no wrong way to do this!
Gather materials
Once you’ve determined your scrapbook’s color scheme or theme, find materials that will help produce the effect you’re trying to create. Materials can range from colored cardstock and stickers (which I’d recommend if you’re using a binder) to pressed flowers and bits of newspaper. Additionally, I always love including pieces from fun memories (i.e., concert tickets, postcards, wristbands, and letters).
My favorite scrapbooking materials:
- Colored cardstock
- Pattern scissors
- Paper punchers
- Stickers
- Washi tape
- Stamps + ink
- Dried flowers (if you don’t want to dry them yourself, you can buy some from Amazon)
- Newspaper
- Colored tissue paper
Personal touches you can add:
- Drawings
- Pressed flowers (from a bouquet given to you by a friend/family/significant other)
- Tickets (from a concert, art museum, trip, etc.)
- Letter/card
- Photobooth picture
- Favorite quotes
Specific recommendations:
Tips
Layer
Layering photos and paper adds a fun, playful feeling to a scrapbook.
Try to make each page different
This may sound obvious, but sometimes you can find yourself in a bit of a redundant rut when creating a scrapbook, especially during the later stages. When this happens, it can be helpful to revisit our old friend, Canva, and mess around with different designs.
One of my favorite ways to prevent all of my scrapbook’s pages from becoming the same is to choose a different theme, color scheme, or motif for different stages in my life or for big events.
Use Canva’s graphics
As I mentioned previously, Canva has a wonderful library of graphics. Not only can these graphics help you plan your scrapbook’s pages, but they can also be used in your scrapbook. By simply creating a blank design on Canva, adding graphics, printing out the page, and cutting out the desired graphics, you can basically create your own stickers, which you can then use to make your scrapbook livelier.
Go start your scrapbook
Now that I have (hopefully) equipped you with helpful scrapbooking knowledge and the confidence to embark on this journey, go forth and create a scrapbook full of love, fun, and creativity. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect; have fun with it and let the process take you down unexpected paths.