The sheer volume and price of scrapbooking supplies these days are overwhelming. But do you really need it all? Whether you pride yourself on being the family historian or like to cut and paste as a creative outlet, creating a scrapbook doesn’t have to be an expensive or difficult task. In the end, all you need is a book that captures the memories you want for your family and future generations. We collected some fresh ideas to help.
Invest in the basics. You only need to purchase a few essential items to showcase and preserve your memories. Many craft stores offer valuable coupons (as much as 40% off) in weekly circulars that can minimize the up-front cost.
- Choose a book. Pick a photo album (8 1/2" × 11" and 12" × 12" are the most popular sizes) that contains acid-free pages to protect photographs and added treasures from fading or deterioration.
- Make it stick. Start with a basic glue stick. The goal is to keep it simple. If your pages aren’t cluttered, then you won’t need an array of adhesives.
- Cut it up. Crop and create shapes with a straight-edge or a decorative-edge scissors.
- Write it down. Use acid-free permanent markers and pens to report on people and events.
Use things already in your home. The best decorations are the ones that come from an actual event rather than a store. If you received a birthday present tied with raffia, reuse it as a photo border—it will trigger a memory each time you look at the page. Report cards, holiday recipes, buttons, and even a lock of hair from a child’s first haircut can do the same. Keep mementos from trips, such as airplane tickets, or clip news articles that ran in a local newspaper on a special day to add to your pages.
Collect mementos from nature. Preserve the memory of your Hawaiian vacation by collecting the black beach sand in a clear acid-free bag and adhering it to your layout. A flat piece of sea glass that has been shaped by the very waters where your family spent time together is far more special than pricey glass tiles purchased in a store.
Write it down. Your thoughts are at the heart of your legacy. On a small sheet of paper, describe the weather, how you felt that day, or what you did at the event that made it special and attach it to your page. Your memories are free and the most precious part of the book. Journaling is too often overlooked and is more personal for future generations when it’s done by hand.
Less is more. The photos should be the focal point, but it isn’t necessary to show 10 shots of your son carrying his backpack on his first day of kindergarten. The same rule applies for decorative fonts (there are thousands available), stickers, and other high-priced add-ons that can actually become a distraction on the page. If you’d like to add some flair, keep it inexpensive and simple—create a circle as a space for journaling by tracing a soup can instead of buying a high-priced die cutter. It’s the heart you put into the pages that matters the most.
Room for Savings
A 2007 study found that 61% of scrapbooking enthusiasts spent more than $50 on scrapbooking products in the 30 days prior to the survey.
! Missy
! Missy
I love scrapbooking, it's a way of showing our history in fun ways!! I like to scrap all our special moments together, and even those moments when we weren't expecting the camera to shoot!
Decadent (yet smart!) desserts
