Tips to help you create the most beautiful scrapbook!

Do you have boxes and boxes full of old (and some new) photographs that you don’t know what to do with? A scrapbook is such an easy way to organise photos and make them presentable so you can show them off next time you have visitors.

Although, when you have mountains of images it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some quick tips to help you organise and create the most beautiful scrapbook every time!

Workspace is key

Always set up a designated work space before you begin. There is nothing more annoying than dragging all of your supplies out and then having to pack them all away for dinner, or try eating around them. If you can set up an area in your house designated to scrapbooking or crafts that is ideal! However, if you can’t try purchasing some cheap drawers form the shops that can be wheeled around to wherever you will be working. You can set these drawers up with everything you need (scissors, glue, paper etc.) and it will make staying tidy and organised a lot easier. Just wheel the drawers over to the dinning room table or the lounge room when you are ready to begin.

Ensure you have a clear theme

If you have a lot of photos to go through, it is best to pick a theme for each album. You won’t be able to fit all photos in one so start a series. You may want to start in chronological order of family births, or you could have one scrap book dedicated to the birth and newborn time of all your family members then move onto childhood, teenage years, adulthood etc. Or if you have recently been on a holiday you could designate one book to that entire holiday to keep all your photos together. Once you get started the possibilities are endless, but if you don’t have a clear theme organising photos can be overwhelming!

Organise your photos

Before you pick up that glue make sure you organise all of your photos! Not only should you try and organise them into what photo is going in what scrapbook but you should also try and get an idea of where in the scrapbook they should go. This is where chronological order is easiest, but you can do it however you like – it’s your scrapbook! The easiest way to organise photos is to get a plastic tub and organise each scrapbook worth of photos into a manila folder. This way you can store it all in the tub and label the folders, incase you need to pack up half way through or are only doing little bits at a time.

Make sure you have enough supplies 

Walking into the craft section of any store and the urge to spend up big is pretty hard to deny! But you don’t need a lot to get started so don’t over spend. Best way to gather your supplies is to make a list of what you need before you go to the shop (making sure you have a clear theme). Here is a summarised list of things you will definitely need:

• A photo album (or similar, whatever style suits you)
• Page protectors, so your hard work doesn’t go to waste
• Double sided tape, paper glue or photo corners (whatever you would prefer to use)
• Stickers, stamps, cut-outs, coloured tape and any other decorative items that you like
• Patterned and coloured paper
• Sharp scissors or stanley knife
• Pens

Make sure you have enough paper, adhesive to last because there is nothing more upsetting than starting a project and not being able to finish it.

Try your design before you do it

It can be exciting to get caught up in creative flare but one of the most important things about scrapbooking is to try out your design ideas before you commit! That means placing everything down together the way you want it to look before any glue or tape finalises it. This way you will know what works and what might need some tweaking. I know I have often created a page which worked really well in my head but when I finished taping everything down it wasn’t that great… This wastes your supplies and your time.

Lastly, have fun! Be creative and try new things, make sure you include photos of yourself in the book and show it off to your family and friends when you are finished. Remember to stay organised and well stocked with supplies and you can’t go wrong.

Do you have any scrapbooking tips?