A Scrapbook is a big project to undertake, but it would be an ideal gift to mark an 18th birthday, an anniversary or a retirement. 

The cost of the project will depend on the album you choose, the number of pages you require, the choice and quantity of embellishments used and the quantity of photos that you require. 

You Will Need

• A Scrapbook Album. You will find a wide choice of designs and sizes available from online suppliers. I prefer to use a 12 x 12 album for this type of project.
• Paper You will need scrapbook paper to form the pages of the album. Choose thick paper that will be firm enough to mount your pictures on
• Page Protectors.
• Photographs. I always print more than I think I will need because I will cut some of the photos down. I choose and edit the the photos I want and then get them printed by an online photo service. For a large number of photos it works out cheaper (and looks nicer) than using your own printer.
• Embellishments. Choose embellishments to fit the theme of your album
• Scissors
• A Paper Cutter
• A Scanner
• A Printer
• Photo Paper
• Glue Dots. Buy a large pack with dots of assorted sizes.  

Start by planning your album layout. The album pictured in this article was made for my daughter’s  18th birthday. The album was about her, so I used her name as the front page title, I illustrated this with various pictures of her and some text explaining the meaning of her names.  I then worked on various themes including Baby Days, School Days, Fun, Friends, Family, Party, Places and Music. You can choose your own themes depending on the type of album you are making.

You will have lots to put into the album, but avoid making your pages too crowded. With the exception of the front and back pages you need to design your layouts to fit two pages, because that is how they will be viewed when the book is opened.

I like to cut out some of the photos to give them more impact or to get rid of a distracting background, but don’t overdo it. If you want to use a lot of pictures, perhaps to illustrate special trip, it often works better to have one large photo surrounded by smaller photos. I used this method to illustrate a trip to Disneyland Paris.

To add interest to the album I like to scan and print out small versions of letters, certificates, badges etc. In this album I use a copy of a letter to Santa, copies of music certificates and copies of messages written by friends. I have also used a few embellishments and rub on transfers of words or phrases. You can choose what too put in your in your album, set all the items out on the page first and only stick them down with glue dots when you are sure that you are happy with the layout.

If you have enjoyed this article please take a look at my other craft articles.

How To Make A Photo Box

How To Make A Tag Album

How To Make A Journal Jar

How To Make A Paper Bag Album