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:
