Making Memories
Scrapbooks not only help preserve childhood moments, but they also let you spend some quality craft time with your kids. We explain what makes these albums stand out—and how to create your own.
By Shannon Grotzinger
In this tech-savvy age of digital cameras and image-hosting websites, photo albums thick with snapshots may seem like a thing of the past. But if you remember the joy of perusing the albums your parents or grandparents had, you might see the value in flipping a page rather than clicking a mouse. When it comes to passing memories along to the next generation, nothing compares to the feeling of curling up with a bound album and pouring over the photographs.
Photo albums may be classic, but scrapbooks take the experience up a notch by pairing photographs and mementos with written recollections. They reach deeper levels than their photo-only counterparts.
 The Benefits of Booking It
“The part of scrapbooking I truly enjoy is the mission,” says Valerie Breda, an avid scrapbooker and a consultant for Creative Memories, a scrapbooking-supply company. “It’s having a place for pictures, having a story behind them [and] not shoving them in a shoebox,” she says. “The computer is a digital shoebox.”
For an adult, a scrapbook can bring back a flood of memories and provide a connection to family and friends. But a child can also reap the benefits of making—or receiving—a scrapbook.
Children who receive albums made specifically for them often get a boost in self-esteem, Breda says. Once, during a Creative Memories convention, she heard the story of a consultant who had created an album for her daughter detailing all the things she loved about her, such as her smile and the sparkle in her eyes.
“The daughter was about 10 years old and having difficulties in school and with her friends,” Breda remembers. “One day, the mother realized the scrapbook was missing from the bookshelf and asked her daughter where it was. The daughter explained that she had pulled it out and gone through it because it made her happy to know she belonged somewhere.”
To many children, creating a scrapbook can be just as fun as receiving one. Breda, who has four kids between the ages of nine and 11 (including twin boys), helps her youngsters create their own albums. After a family trip to Disney World, the children put character pictures and autographs into an album. This summer, Breda plans to organize mementos from activities and school so her kids can work on new albums. “Not only are they creating the albums together, but they’re at an age now where they can reflect upon what they’ve done,” Breda says. “That makes them excited and proud.”
Kiddie DIY
When Breda started putting together scrapbook workshops for children, she was surprised at how little assistance they needed. When crafting with your kids, she suggests you let them take the reins.
“Parents have to remember to gently guide their child,” says Breda. “Kids will be more proud of an album with mistakes and ripped pieces of paper that they created on their own than an album where they were told how things should be placed.”
Another way to make scrapbooking more kid-friendly is to break it up into smaller activities. For example, collect photos with your child one day, crop them another, and then begin constructing the album. “Children’s attention and passion will only last so long,” Breda says. “They will want to walk away and come back to finish another time.” Flexibility will help both kids and parents have fun.
Adrianna, Breda’s 11-year-old daughter, began scrapbooking shortly before starting second grade and says she enjoys it. “It gives me something to do, and it reminds me of all the great times I have had,” she says. “I like to see how much I have succeeded and how much I have grown.”
Click ’n’ Craft
Many parents may feel daunted by the time and energy it takes to deal with fanciful hole punchers and handwritten entries. Such was the case with Amy Ryan, a mother who found herself with little time for creating traditional scrapbooks after the birth of her daughter.
Rather than giving up, Ryan turned to digital scrapbooking programs that allow her to decorate layouts and add photos on the computer, then print each page and slide it into her scrapbook. The programs offer layout templates, overlays, fonts and digital elements like torn edges, ribbons and frames. Even to the discerning eye, digital pages look almost identical to traditional ones.
“It’s great for working moms who are familiar with the computer and don’t have the time or space for scrapbooking but want to preserve their kids’ memories,” Ryan says. “Once you know the program you’re using, you can knock out a bunch of pages in one sitting.”
Ryan also appreciates the money she saves by scrapbooking digitally. While some online kits cost money, you can find deals (try www.designerdigitals.com) as well as some free options. Whether you want the hands-on experience of creating a scrapbook from bits of paper or you dream of going digital, your albums are sure to be keepsakes for many years to come. “You’re not creating a work of art,” reminds Breda. “It’s never going to be judged or criticized. You’re creating a work from your heart.”
Getting Started
Ten steps to creating a scrapbook.
- Plan which photos you want to include in the album. Also decide if you want to have a theme (such as summer camp or family outings).
- Select an album. For more journaling space and larger photos, opt for a 12" x 12" book. Or go with an 8" x 8" size for an easy, approachable space for first-time scrappers.
- Buy the basics: you’ll need a good pair of scissors and archive-quality adhesives and markers.
- Choose cardstock (heavyweight, solid-colored paper) and printed papers, ideally ones that already match your album’s size.
- Gather page decorations—stickers and keepsakes such as postcards, tickets and party invitations.
- Consider extra embellishments, including die cuts, ribbons, pressed dried flowers, stamps and jewels.
- Organize elements by page spreads.
- Crop photos. Try cutting some into shapes such as squares, ovals and circles. Mat photos with cardstock or patterned paper.
- Get creative and design. Key elements of a page include photos, titles, decorations and papers. Be sure you have space for each item before you start adhering everything to the page.
- Enhance spreads with photo captions or journaling, which involves writing remarks about the photos.
For inspiration, look to scrapbooking websites and books. Most importantly, remember that an album is about chronicling memories, not making a masterpiece.
Sustainable Scrapping
With traditional scrapbooks, the stacks of paper and embellishments used have obvious repercussions for the environment. While the point of scrapbooking is to preserve memories for the future (which is why many of the materials are of the same quality as those used in museum archives), if you want to save memories and stay on Mother Earth’s good side, try these tips.
- Buy recycled paper and cardstock; options include Paper Trunk and the K&Company ReMake line.
- Look for recycled papers dyed with soy or organic inks, such as those offered by Piggy Tales and the K&Company Lotus line.
- Apply the three R’s by reducing your consumption and waste, reusing saved paper scraps in borders and other elements, and recycling any unsalvageable pieces.
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