It’s true what they say – the days really are long and the years really are short when you’re in the throes of parenthood. It might feel like your little people will always be, well, little, but before you know it they’ll be (almost) fully grown. And this is where scrapbooking comes in…
The explosion of camera phones has shown us how much we all value capturing these precious memories as they fly by. Getting them off our phones and into our hands however doesn’t happen as frequently as it should. Modern family scrapbooks are a really lovely way to preserve your photo memories and combine a journaling element. Scrapbooking can be elegant, minimalistic and classic, or maximalist and full of colour. The joy of a scrapbook type photo album is that it can be 100% personalised – you get total creative control. And when it comes to scrapbooking pictures to print, here at PostSnap we’ve got some great options, from our 2×2 minis and square prints , to our retro prints which can include text.
Scrapbooking Ideas
Below, we’ve gathered together our top tips and ideas for how to make three different types of scrapbooks using family photos. You’ll also find journaling and photo prompts to help you on your way. We hope this inspires you to print milestone photos for a scrapbook and create beautiful mementos your children will cherish.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A scrapbook – these can be picked up from Hobbycraft, The Works and Paperchase
- Photomounts
- Photography-safe glue
- Journaling pens
- Washi tape
- And the most important bit – scrapbooking photo prints!
1. A Scrapbook for Baby’s First Year
So much happens in a baby’s first year of life. They grow from a snoozing, sleeping little bundle, to rolling over and sitting up, to chit-chatting away, crawling and even walking. It’s a year packed full of hitting development milestones and experiencing everything for the first time. They’ll never be this little again, which is as good an excuse as any to document the big, and small moments throughout the year in a photo scrapbook. Be sure to add memorable quotes to your scrapbook of photos – first smile! breakfast time! first tooth! bath time!
Top tips:
– Firstly, start your book with all the best bits – baby’s birthdate, how much they weighed and the reasons you chose their name. Don’t forget to include your birth announcement picture and some of the ‘first day’ snaps of your little bundle. Our retro prints would be great for scrapbooking here.
– Secondly, it’s all about remembering to capture a few cute shots on the same day, every month – set a reminder on your phone so you don’t forget.
– Keep a running note in your phone of everything that baby gets up to that month, whether it’s first tastes or first steps, and then take the scrapbook pictures to match. That way when you get to writing your monthly summary everything is already ready to go.
– Finally, don’t forget to do some hand and foot prints to mark your little one’s first month and twelfth month – it’s a really lovely way to see how they’ve grown over the year.
Three journaling prompts:
1. What is Baby’s favourite thing to do this month?
2. What did Baby do that made everyone smile?
3. What was Baby’s favourite bedtime story?
Three photo prompts:
1. First family photo
2. First steps
3. First taste of food
2. Birthday Scrapbooking – Annual Scrapbooking
At Postsnap we’re all about making memories tangible and we love any excuse to make and record some birthday memories.
An annual Birthday scrapbook, jam packed with all the different iterations of your child over the years is not only a fun memory to look back on, but a cherished collection of ideas, thoughts and funny comments to pass on to your children. All you have to do is think up a set of questions to ask your child every year on their birthday – like a birthday interview. Don’t forget to take birthday photos for your scrapbook and to include snaps from the year gone by – you could make a fun ‘year in review’ collage using our 2×2 mini photo prints.
The magic of this scrapbook album really does lie in the physicality of it – because using your own handwriting, rather than something typed will make this something to be treasured as they get older. And most importantly the photos! Don’t forget the photos. Our photo prints in colour and black and white would add a really stylish look to your scrapbooking here.
Top tips:
– Do keep the basic questions the same, but don’t be afraid to change up the rest every year.
– Leave space to include special souvenirs from the year, such as certificates, ticket stubs or special mementos.
– Try and find photos from across the year to show the breadth of everything your little person has achieved in the twelve months that have just flown by.
Three questions to ask:
1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
2. Favourite song this year?
3. What makes you happy?
Three photo prompts:
1. Holiday pictures from that year’s summer adventures
2. Partaking in their favourite hobby
3. A happy snap with best friends, siblings or nanny and grandpa
3. Scrapbooking for Budding Photographers
Here’s a fun photo scrapbooking idea: give your little one creative control. Children get a real thrill from taking photos and seeing the world reflected back at them and it’s even better when they can hold the photo prints that they took in their hands. So, why not let your little one have a day of taking pictures on your iPhone or camera (supervised, of course), order some PostSnap photo prints together and when they arrive they can set about creating their very own photo scrapbook.
Top tips:
– You could do this over a couple of weeks or just one day out. Either way, they’ll LOVE having their own, handmade memory scrapbook.
– Children love an arts and crafts project, so let them go for it and get out the washi tape, stickers, glitter glue and let their inner artist come out to play.
– They may not be old enough to add any journal entries (or maybe they are!) but you could definitely do it for them by asking them questions about what they’ve photographed and recording what they say.
Three journaling prompts:
1. What about this picture makes you happy?
2. Why did you take this one?
3. I love the colours in this. Can you tell me what it is?
Three photo prompts:
1. A selfie!
2. Something you want to keep in your scrapbook forever
3. Something that made you smile
Photo Credits: Kirsty Mansell (Insta handle: @journalofcuriousthings)