Scrapbook Ideas for Every Occasion
We’re taking more pictures than ever since most of us walk around with cameras in our pockets. It’s amazing to be able to capture spontaneous moments and memories, but most of our images live and die on our phones, computers, and other devices. Scrapbooking is a way to showcase, preserve, and share those memories. If you’re new to scrapbooking, or even if you’re just looking for fresh inspiration, we’ve rounded up some easy scrapbooking ideas to get you started. We will highlight some of the quality scrapbooking supplies that will help your projects last a lifetime.
Getting Started With Scrapbooking
Before you begin your scrapbooking journey, there are a few materials and tools that will help you get started. Truthfully, you don’t need to go overboard or make a large investment in supplies when you begin. If scrapbooking is something you find you enjoy, you can build your collection over time. Here are the basics you will need to begin making your DIY scrapbook:
- Paper: Paper is like the bread of the scrapbooking sandwich. It’s virtually impossible to scrapbook without paper, and the better your paper, the better your memories will look and the longer they will last. When searching for the best scrapbooking paper, look for cardstock, specialty paper that is fun and fits with your project, and patterned paper that is acid-free so it won’t damage your photos.
- Adhesive: You’ll use adhesives on your scrapbooking paper, photos, and embellishments to keep everything in place. There are endless types of adhesive you can use on your scrapbook. You don’t need a lot when you’re just starting out, but you may still want to invest in a couple of different kinds. We recommend having a liquid glue as well as Stampin’ Seal adhesive. Both are effective, but while Stampin’ Seal is ready to use immediately, liquid glue takes longer to dry and tends to need more hands-on time. Liquid glue is more useful for detail work with smaller pieces. If you want to add some depth to your layout, we suggest Stampin’ Dimensionals as an adhesive option.
- Scissors/Paper Trimmer: You most likely have a pair of scissors on hand already, but you’ll want to grab a reliable pair if you don’t. It’s also a good idea to add a paper trimmer to your basic collection. While a paper trimmer can’t do detail work, you will find yourself using it again and again to cut nice straight lines for photos and paper elements of your scrapbook pages.
- Photos: What’s a scrapbook without photos? You can choose to print these at home or at the store. One thing to note is that if you print photos at home, they are not archival. If you want your photos to last, they’ll have to be printed a photo lab and printed without ink to be archival.
- Page Protectors: One of the best ways to preserve scrapbook pages is to slip them into page protectors. This helps keep everything organized and protected while still allowing people to enjoy looking at them.
- Album: Finally, you’ll likely need some sort of a binder or scrapbook album to keep all of your scrapbook pages in.
Creative Scrapbook Ideas for Every Occasion
You’ve got your scrapbook supplies and a fire lit under you to make it happen, but what you don’t have are scrapbook ideas. Never fear! We’re here to help with some easy scrapbooking ideas to get you started.
Celebrating Milestones: Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Graduations
While special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations don’t happen every day, they are common enough that they are a great place to start if you are feeling overwhelmed and excited as you shop for stamps, papers, and embellishments. Supplies with general celebratory messages and themes can be used creatively to capture many memories and events.
If you are making special occasion cards or scrapbook pages tailored to specific individuals, you can select a theme based on the event or the person’s interests. Or you can choose a more generic theme with more subtle nods to the reason for the celebration. Here are a few of our favorite scrapbook ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other milestones.
Seasonal and Holiday Scrapbooks
It seems like we snap way more pictures around holidays than at any other time during the year. We also tend to give more gifts and need more cards. Creating a scrapbook centered around your favorite holidays and seasons is an easy way to get started. It’s easy to find supplies, like designer paper, that coordinate with the holidays, which helps scrapbook ideas come a little easier. You can also use a holiday or seasonal-themed scrapbooking kit to help streamline the process—these include supplies to make three pre-designed two-page layouts.
RELATED: Choosing the Right Paper for Your Projects
Here are a few seasonal cards and projects to inspire your holiday scrapbook layouts.
Travel and Adventure Scrapbooking
Documenting trips, vacations, and special adventures can be a good way to preserve blissful memories. Using pocket pages and drawing inspiration from cards can help you find easy scrapbooking ideas that will make your trip just as fun in hindsight as it was in the moment. Our Memories and More collection can help you easily scrapbook your memories or make cards for the people who were on the adventure with you.
Scrapbooking Tips and Tricks
Have you ever put together a scrapbook page or card and thought something was a bit off, but you couldn’t put your finger on exactly what? It’s happened to all of us. Here are a few scrapbooking tips and tricks to help you elevate your designs and give them all a little something extra they might be missing.
Add Layers:
Layering different patterns of paper, textures, embellishments, and such will help give your design depth and interest.
Mix Media:
Stamps, watercolor pencils, markers, and ink are all different types of media that help to finish the look of a project.
Tell a Story:
The easiest way to lay out your pictures is to tell a story. Whether it’s a life story, the story of a trip, or the recounting of an experience, telling a story with words, visuals, and photos will lead people through a scrapbook and help them share the same thoughts and feelings you had.
Give Texture:
Embellishments, ribbons, embossing, and textured paper are other ways to give depth and create interest in your design.
Coordinate Colors:
You don’t have to stay monochrome with your paper choices, but you should coordinate colors. Using a patterned paper is an easy way to use different papers that are sure to coordinate well.
Frequently Asked Questions about Scrapbooking Ideas
It’s normal to have a lot of questions when you first start scrapbooking. Here are some of the questions we hear most often, along with our answers.
How do I start a scrapbook for beginners?
Starting a scrapbook can be daunting, but if you start with a single page or single event and search out scrapbook ideas specifically for those, it’s easier to dip your toe into the scrapbook waters. Consider a notebook kit like this to get started.
What are some easy scrapbooking ideas for a DIY scrapbook?
Utilizing products made to coordinate is an easy way to get scrapbooking ideas when starting out. Try a scrapbooking kit that includes materials to make three two-page layouts. You’ll need to use your own adhesive and other materials like a paper trimmer, scissors, pen, etc., but they’re a simple way to get started without figuring out the design layout.
You can also find product suites that relate to the holiday or theme you’re looking for, and those should help you develop some ideas.
How can I use designer series paper in my scrapbooking projects?
The beauty of designer series paper is that it’s all made to coordinate. In the beginning, it’s best to primarily use papers from the same series. This will give your pages a cohesive style, without having to stress about what does or doesn’t work well together. You can use the papers as backgrounds, accents, or layers or cut them into shapes. As you get a little more experience, you might find fun in using papers from different designer series papers on your pages and layouts. Get creative! There’s no right or wrong way.
Where can I find inspiration for pocket scrapbooking layouts?
If you really want to ease into your scrapbook, trying your hand at pocket scrapbooking, where you make mini albums or cards, could be a good introduction to the hobby. If you want an even faster approach, our Memories and More product is already designed and ready to go. Pocket scrapbooking and pocket pages are easy ways to document moments. If you’re looking for the best scrapbooking ideas for pocket pages, you can often look at card designs. Many pocket pages have slots that are comparable in size to greeting cards, so you can draw ideas from cardmaking to use for your photos.
How do I choose the best scrapbooking paper for my project?
The best scrapbooking paper is high quality cardstock and acid-free patterned paper. These scrapbooking papers will help you achieve the best-looking scrapbook and will help it stand the test of time.
What scrapbooking supplies do I need to get started?
You don’t need a closet full of scrapbooking supplies to begin making your project. All you really need is some paper, something to cut with, and some adhesive. Once you have all of those, you can add them to your collection with ribbons, embellishments, stamps, and more.
Designs That Inspire
If you’ve ever wanted to start scrapbooking, there’s no time like the present. You don’t need a lot of tools or supplies to make your first card or scrapbook page. Pick out some of your favorites and get going.
When you’re starting out, it’s good to look to others for scrapbook ideas and inspiration and then make it your own. With a little practice, it won’t be long before you’re inspiring others with your original designs. And as always, we’re here to help you. Visit the rest of the Stampin’ Up! website, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube to stay up to date and find the best scrapbooking ideas.