Scrapbooking – Capture your memories creatively and individually

It is not uncommon that after a family celebration or a trip, besides countless photos, small things such as entrance tickets, invitation or place cards have also accumulated. In order to keep and present these little memorabilia, there is now a new craft called “Scrapbooking”.

The design of a Scrapbook is a DIY trend from the USA in which photos are brought together with other souvenirs, matching stickers, decorative items as well as writing. This means that Scrapbooks not only display a sequence of photos but also tell the stories of your experiences by including other items such as handwriting and souvenirs.

The basis of a Scrapbook is the book itself. Folder-like ring binders are often used for this as the individual pages can be inserted and removed. The use of photo albums or notebooks with a bonded binding is also possible. However, these offer significantly less design freedom and are rather inflexible in the number of available pages.

Once you have decided on a ring binder, the choosing of Scrapbook paper comes. You can use paper in just one colour or in different colours and patterns to design the book. Most art and craft stores have design blocks that offer paper with different patterns and themes. You can then use these paper sheets as the base of your page as well as for cut-out decorative items.

You will also need:

• personal photos
• souvenirs – such as entrance tickets, invitation cards, city maps, flyers and much more
• thematically fitting stickers
• decorative items, such as letters and motifs made of cardboard or wood, fabric straps, small pennant chains and the like
• Washi tape – to attach and decorate your photos
• acid-free adhesive – especially adhesive rollers or stamps are suitable for achieving a clean result
• felt or colour pencils
• scissors and ruler

Unlike the photo book, it is not the goal of a Scrapbook to display many pictures per page. On the contrary – some pages show only one photo which is framed by further memorabilia and decorative items.

For the Scrapbook you can use digital prints. Stick to the smaller formats, such as format 9, 10 or 11 centimeters, to leave room for further elements on the individual pages of the Scrapbook.

A nice alternative to the digital prints are the square square and retro prints from ifolor. The retro prints, in particular, give the Scrapbook a special charm with its Polaroid look. Another advantage: the wide white area underneath the photo offers space for fitting labeling.

Also, spice up the pages with self-designed photo stickers that you can order both round and rectangular. By using photo stickers you will be able to combine personal photos and decoration.

At the beginning, prepare all photos and craft materials. Pick up the photos for the first page. Limit yourself to a maximum of four photos per page so as not to overload them.

First, arrange all the photos and souvenirs on the page loosely to determine their position. Use a pencil to put gentle markings for where you want to attach photos, invitation cards and the like. Once you are sure of the arrangement of all the elements, you can attach them with your glue roller, washi tape or hot glue gun.

Depending on whether you have decided on a single-colour or a patterned background, there are various possibilities. In the case of an already patterned background, it usually looks nicer to keep the design more subtle. However, if you have decided on a plain, single-colour paper, you can put your photos even more in the foreground by framing it with a matching paper from a design block. Further decorative items for your Scrapbook can easily be made from these patterned papers. Simply cut out different shapes, such as hearts, stars, triangles or the like, from the design paper. Self-made pennant chains are a further possibility to make the design even more three-dimensional.

“Pictures are worth a thousand words” – yet individual words, quotes and sayings can underline the statements of the pictures. Scattered words can be well illustrated with letters made of wood or paper – even the use of Scrabble letters is possible here. If you want to leave a little more text in your Scrapbook, you can do so by handwriting or with a printed text in a beautiful typeface. Especially for handwritten part a small excursion into the field of hand lettering will be helpful.

There are countless occasions that are suitable for a Scrapbook – be it trips from which you bring different small souvenirs, parties and celebrations or the many events in the life of your own child. Thus, the Scrapbook not only keeps the photos of the beautiful moments you experienced, but many small details, such as the first little socks of the child, a napkin from a visit to a restaurant, concert tickets and the like. Through the interplay of photos, tangible memorabilia and sweet words, you can experience beautiful moments again.