Anytime is a good time to finally get those scrapbooking ideas down on paper (or patterned paper!). It can be easy to have incredible experiences but no time to document all of those memories. Luckily, we have a slew of scrapbook ideas for beginners and beyond. Whether you prefer digitaldesignsor scrapbooking with a whole gang of scrapbooksupplies rolling around the table, let these pages be a catalyst for assembling truly creative scrapbook spreads.
And if you need some extra help with those project ideas, sign-up for Tiffany Tillman-Emanuel’sMixed MediaandCompositingclasses.
Text, Lists and Open Spaces
1. Amy Tangerine is a master at making everyday look amazing. Making “lists of likes” (poll the kids, hubby or dog) is an excellent mile-marker for scrapbooking.
2.Sectionoffa page with colorful Washi tape, then fill one of the sections with text about the photo/day you are highlighting. Leaving negative space on the page helps you take it all in and appreciate the beauty of the moment, as well as the details you’ve recorded.
3. This interview-style layout could be used for graduates who are ready to take on the world. Love the wayA Beautiful Messput this page together.
Have Camera, Will Travel
There are SO many ways to make travel memories last a lifetime. Snap pictures during your time on the long airplane or car ride, save maps from your road-trip, or arrange the scraps from some of your favorite haunts to make vacation memory scrapbooking (ok, ok, and shadow-box displays) easy as pie. (Scientific reminder: any pie eaten while on vacation results in weight LOSS, not gain. It’s vacation science.). Read on for the perfect travel scrapbook inspiration.
4. If scrapbooking an entire vacation or child’s young life seems too daunting, take this concept and run with it! Boil it all down to one event per month and presto! We spotted this brilliant idea onBalzer Designs.
5. This page fromStudio Calicodemonstrates how adorable a series of shots from an airplane can look.
6. Maps are put to good use in this page fromMartha Stewart’ssite.
7. Take a cue from thisAthletes Abroadpage and put spare pics to work as city names.
A Snap with Instant Pics
Instant cameras and film are ridiculously fun, creative ways for making and sharing memories. Paste them into books, with as much or as little text as you desire, or pick a wall in your home/office to create a personalized art installation. They can be used to make a baby book or be more travel-centric. Also, whether you have a classicPolaroidor a newInstax, they are so easy to use, that your kids can have their own roll of film to capture memories of their own. Photo strips from photo booths work great, too!
8. Jessica Rose ofVolume Twenty Fiveused a very minimal set-up to assemble this instant photo scrapbook.
Instax photos are another great way to capture life’s special moments andscrappergirl,Adrienne Alvis, and the folks fromUrban Outfitterseach have their own unique take on assembling those Instax-captured memories.
Beginner-Friendly and Photo-Heavy
Or use traditional photos to fill album pages to tell stories without any words at all.
12. Kelly Purkeyrelied on photos of all shapes and sizes to tell the story of her travels to Vietnam in this inspiring scrapbook album.
13.Project Lifesimplifies scrapbooking with stylish pre-fab inserts and pockets for your photos. This spread fromEighteen25includes a creative cut of an 8″x10″.
14. AnotherA Beautiful Mess pagebecause, colors, you guys. And can we go on vacation with the ABM girls please and thankyou.
Journal-Inspired, Imagination-Rich
Doodles, photos, sketches, paintings, oh my! Journals are more free-form and try to capture the essence of the moment without being too precious about it. Perfectionists need not apply here. Let yourself relax (it’s ok to do this while on vacation AND when you return to real life) and let your mind and hand wander across your journal. You can create vintage looks with old magazines or glue, too.
15. Seaweed Kisses combines art with mementos to create beautiful, patterned paper pages.
16. This page fromJennie Pae’straveler notebook puts ordinary planners to shame.
17. Vanessa Perryblends gorgeous hand lettering with images to createa truly romantic page.
One-Image, Adorned
Highlight a single, important moment by using one photo per page. You’ll find lots of scrapbook layouts online, but when you adorn a single image with, cut-out letters, colorful tape, colored pencils, paper clips etc., it really draws the viewers eye to your focal point and gives it power.
18. Tiffany Tillman-Emanuel used digitized mementos to craft this mixed-media scrapbooking page that celebratesher daughter and mother.
19. Cute & Cool Creationsbrought a black and white image to life with a very colorful page.
20. American Crafts Studiouses a single photo and the rest of the scrapbook page to tell the story behind the image.
Bright Colors, Bold Shapes
These pages practically giggle. Something about using repeating shapes and vibrant scrapbook paper really soothe our souls. These examples are almost like visual quilts.
21. Gina Lideros uses paper and paper scraps from an Amy Tangerine collection to create an exciting and interactive page.
22. Lisa Dickinson came up with a layout that minimizes a reality that all of us face: bad photos. Lisa printed old photos from her Blackberry and used a bright page to provide contrast to her dark, pre-iPhone photos.
23. In this design fromChristine NewmanforAmerican Crafts Studio, Christine used whitecardstockand paper punches to create impactful silhouettes for both a photo and her colorful paper collection.
Smash Book Style
The keepsakes that manage to turn up in your coat pocket, float up from the bottom of the suitcase, and hitchhike home within the pages of your favorite books, all have a permanent address in a smash book. Here are a few samples we discovered. Organized chaos? Maybe, but memories made! So we’ll keep ‘em on our scrapbook wishlist!
24. ShopEvalicious makes use of millions of random objects (that you might not consider scrapbooking supplies) that turn up in one’s pockets on vacation including receipts!
25. Kelly Purkey decided to build a smash book dedicated to a single month in her life. To make it happen she collected all of her odds and ends in a giant Ziploc bag. She was ultimately wowed by all of the ups and downs of the month and excited to assemble it into a single mini album.
Need a little more help on your scrapbooking journey? Check out Tiffany Tillman Emanuel’sMixed Media Digital ScrapbookingandCompositing for Scrapbookersclasses. Tiffany helps you discover your way around Photoshop or WordPress and offers tips on creating digital scrapbook pages you’ll be proud to print.
CreativeLive has thousands of high quality free lessons, and also streams classes for free 24/7. Subscribe for access to the full CreativeLive library on your own schedule. Click below to see our catalog of Scrapbooking classes, all currently on sale! Learn more:
As an expert in scrapbooking, I can provide you with information related to the concepts used in this article. Here are some key points:
Scrapbooking Ideas for Beginners and Beyond
- Scrapbooking is a creative way to document memories and experiences.
- There are various techniques and styles that can be used in scrapbooking, such as digital designs, traditional paper scrapbooking, and mixed media.
- Amy Tangerine is known for her ability to make everyday moments look amazing in scrapbook layouts.
- One idea for scrapbooking is to create "lists of likes" as a mile-marker for documenting memories.
- Using colorful washi tape to section off a page and leaving negative space can help highlight a specific photo or day while appreciating the beauty of the moment.
- Interview-style layouts can be used to showcase graduates ready to take on the world.
Travel Scrapbooking
- Travel memories can be preserved through scrapbooking by including photos, maps, and mementos from the trip.
- Taking photos during the journey, saving maps, and arranging scraps from favorite places can make vacation memory scrapbooking easy and fun.
- If scrapbooking an entire vacation seems overwhelming, you can focus on highlighting one event per month.
- Airplane photos can make for adorable scrapbook layouts, as demonstrated by Studio Calico.
- Maps can be creatively used in scrapbook layouts, as shown on Martha Stewart's site.
- Spare photos can be used as city names, as seen in the Athletes Abroad scrapbook page.
Instant Photo Scrapbooking
- Instant cameras and film provide a fun and creative way to make and share memories.
- Instant photos can be pasted into scrapbooks with or without accompanying text, or used to create personalized art installations on walls.
- Jessica Rose and Adrienne Alvis have unique takes on using Instax photos in scrapbooking.
Photo-Heavy Scrapbooking
- Traditional photos can be used to fill album pages and tell stories without relying on words.
- Project Life offers pre-fab inserts and pockets for photos, simplifying the scrapbooking process [[13]].
- Kelly Purkey used photos of all shapes and sizes to document her travels to Vietnam in an inspiring scrapbook album [[12]].
Journal-Inspired Scrapbooking
- Journals offer a more free-form approach to scrapbooking, allowing for doodles, sketches, paintings, and the use of vintage materials [[15]].
- Seaweed Kisses combines art with mementos to create beautiful, patterned paper pages [[15]].
- Traveler notebooks, like the one created by Jennie Pae, can be used as a scrapbooking medium [[16]].
- Hand lettering and images can be combined to create romantic and imaginative scrapbook pages, as shown by Vanessa Perry [[17]].
Adorned Single-Image Scrapbooking
- Highlighting a single, important moment with one photo per page can create a powerful focal point in a scrapbook layout.
- Adorning the photo with cut-out letters, colorful tape, colored pencils, or paper clips can enhance its impact [[18]].
- Tiffany Tillman-Emanuel used digitized mementos to craft a mixed-media scrapbooking page celebrating her daughter and mother [[18]].
Bright Colors and Bold Shapes
- Using repeating shapes and vibrant scrapbook paper can create visually appealing and joyful layouts.
- Gina Lideros used paper scraps to create an exciting and interactive page [[21]].
- Lisa Dickinson used bright pages to provide contrast to her old photos, resulting in visually striking layouts [[22]].
- Christine Newman used white cardstock and paper punches to create impactful silhouettes in her scrapbook page [[23]].
Smash Book Style
- Smash books are a type of scrapbook that incorporates various keepsakes and mementos.
- ShopEvalicious used random objects, including receipts, to create a smash book layout [[24]].
- Kelly Purkey created a smash book dedicated to a single month in her life, collecting odds and ends in a Ziploc bag [[25]].
If you need further assistance or have any specific questions about scrapbooking, feel free to ask!
