If you don’t consider yourself particularly crafty, the idea of making a scrapbook or memory book can seem like a huge chore. You might even doubt your ability to be creative.
This doesn’t have to be the case! There are ways to create your own memory books with ease, no matter what your level of creativity happens to be. The only things you need are your family photos and the will to succeed.
Use these eight strategies to make your own scrapbooks and memory books:
1. Work on one page at a time. Sometimes, the task of a scrapbook seems like a huge amount of work. Instead of thinking about the project as a whole, break it into small, manageable pieces. Work on one page at a time and enjoy the process until your memories are organized and your scrapbook is complete.
2. Collect embellishments. The embellishments are the parts of the book that aren’t your actual photos. You can use other paper type memories and other designs to mount in your book of memories. Scrapbook and craft stores offer specific embellishments in all sorts of colors and themes.
* You can also save money by designing your own. Use construction paper to come up with your own designs. You can even print embellishments from your home computer.
3. Decide on a theme or motif. Pick a theme that you’ll carry out throughout your book. For example, you might want to do a book that represents the last year. Or you might choose to create a scrapbook of your summer vacation. This will help you to focus and narrow down your ideas.
4. Choose a color scheme. Pick a color scheme that you like and stick to it. You can make a wacky book with all different kinds of pages, but better results usually come from sticking with a certain color choice just to keep things looking neat.
5. Design a cover. Your cover can also be a nice place to get creative with your book. You might want to include a picture and some kind of description of the book’s theme.
6. Decide on a size. You can make scrapbooks of all different sizes. You may want one that’s small so you can carry it around. A larger scrapbook can hold more photos and provide longer, more fulfilling trips down memory lane later.
7. Learn an online graphic design program. Computer graphics programs offer many customization options for your photos and embellishments. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll love expressing yourself and creating a special memory book you can be proud of.
8. Digitize your scrapbook. If you familiarize yourself with a computer graphics program, you can create all of your memory books on your computer and have them printed like regular press printed photo books. All you have to do is submit your final design pages and cover to the print company of your choice.
Scrapbooking is a special way to ensure that the most treasured moments of your past are always easy to recall. Instead of allowing the process of creating a scrapbook to overwhelm you, take small steps and enjoy the journey as you relive the most treasured moments of your life.
