Scrapbooking for beginners

I have been scrapbooking for over twenty years now and every new page is as exciting as my first. I first started scrapbooking after having my first child to try and capture the many memories. It soon turned into a lasting hobby and I have many scrapbooking albums from the years to look over. So if you have ever wanted to try scrapbooking here I have compiled a guide to scrapbooking for beginners.

 Having hobbies is important to encourage us to try new things and pull ourselves out of our comfort zone. Crafts such as scrapbooking allow us to be imperfect and to express ourselves, which is hugely important for our ongoing personal development. Some people use crafts and other hobbies to break out of repetitive habits when the seasons change, for instance. For me scrapbooking is about being creative at the same time as creating lasting memories.

What is scrapbooking? 

Scrapbooking can be viewed as a form of self-expression as we find creative ways to preserve memories. It involves sticking photos and other memorabilia into a book so you can look back through it in years to come. 

There’s no right or wrong way to start scrapbooking – it’s a place to store moments you want to cherish, however you wish. Some people add sketches, paintings, handwritten captions, stickers and more. The goal is to tell a story with your creation. It’s also a chance to start up an ongoing project you can add to over time.

Gather Essential supplies for scrapbooking

To begin, you’ll need some basic supplies alongside your chosen photos and memorabilia. Choose an album that fits your vision – it could be a large A4 size if you want plenty of space to work with, or something more compact and portable. You can use everything from a journal to a more traditional scrapbooking album.

In terms of supplies, you’ll need the following:

• Glue/ Adhesive  Acid free!
• Scissors
• Decorative paper
• Pens or paints
• Any additional crafting decorations (e.g. ribbons, fabric or stickers)
• A book or album
• Photo and or memorabilia
• Try using this scrapbooking starter tool kit

Take your time choosing decorative supplies that match your desired theme. You might want to choose a particular colours cheme or add references to countries you’ve visited. Papercraft supplies are ideal for helping you add own personal stamp while scrapbooking.

Choosing your theme and layout 

Some people like their scrapbooks to act as a general timeline, whereas others might want to follow a specific theme. For example, you could compile your travels by dedicating each page to a particular holiday you’d been on. Or, you may want to create a memory book to look back on your wedding day or Anniversary. As I said before scrapbooking my babies milestones worked for me and was a good place to start.

Making it personal with Embellishments

Build you page with pieces of paper or paint as your background. Gradually build on this adding photos.

You can then add flowers and fussy cut pieces of paper to decorate. This also includes anything from found items to old tickets.

You can enhance the photographs you’ve chosen by adding notes and clippings to bring the memory to life. For example, you might have kept concert tickets or posters that directly relate to that period in your life. Use these memories to add to little pockets on your pages.

Try doodling on your page

Doodling is a fun and cheap way to add a creative spin to your layout. Use a simple black liner pen or crayons and pens. Putting pen to paper can be as simple as writing a short memory on the page too!

Where to find Inspiration for Scrapbooking pages

If you need inspiration before you start, you have plenty of resources at your disposal. Magazines are a classic place to look for visually striking compilations and can give you unique scrapbooking layout ideas. Meanwhile, social media and platforms like Pinterest are filled with aesthetic design ideas. You can even find tutorials on here such as this mixed media page.