Considerations in making a scrapbook

Making a scrapbook can be considered as one of the most enjoyable and rewarding home crafts out there. Apart from bringing out the creativity and enhancing resourcefulness in every person, making scrapbooks helps people to organize memories and other keepsakes.

Over the years, more and more people become fond of collecting photos and mementos. Usually, these come from their friends, family members, and loved ones. Since a large amount of these could turn into a clutter, proper storage is a must. To ensure that these will be kept in one place, it's ideal to compile everything in a wonderful scrapbook.

Getting started

There are so many options for scrapbook these days. It will be up to you on what type or appearance you would want it to have. Here are some simple guidelines when getting started on making scrapbooks:

1. Consider the size. In creating scrapbooks, the first consideration should be the size of scrapbook itself. In the market today, there are two standard sizes of scrapbooks: the 8.5”x11” and 12”x12”. If you want to create a scrapbook for the family, the most common option would be the 12"x12". This is because you will need larger space to accommodate all the photos along with the captions of the family members. If you are creating a scrapbook for personal use or a something that can be given as a gift for a loved one, you can use the smaller ones such as the 5"x7". This might have lesser space but there will be enough for a more intimate or personalized theme. You can also work on more details without having to spend so much on materials and other accessories.

2. Be particular about the pages and the way they are attached to the scrapbook. One important specification of scrapbook includes the pages and how it is attached. Usually, it's a toss between the post-bound scrapbooks, strap-hinge scrapbooks, and 3-ring binders. The post-bound comes with black or white cardstock pages and are covered by sheet protectors and the pages of which are bound into the scrapbook using three posts that enables it to be easily taken out so you can add or remove pages. This kind of scrapbook makes it easy for you to move pages around by pulling the cardstock out of the sheet protector or by sliding in a page where patterned papers are used. The strap-hinge scrapbooks, on the other hand, are those that have flexible plastic straps in the cover that run through wire loops embedded in each page and expandable. The 3-ring binders or D-ring binders are those albums that are bound using rings that allow you to add or switch around pages quickly and easily.