6 Ways to Make Great Scrapbooks

Going through online albums is always a fun experience, but nothing beats the delight of leafing through a scrapbook filled with happy memories and made with lots of love. April Lim has been making scrapbooks since 2005. A member of the design team of Lasting Impression, an online scrapbooking store and design studio, April likes the fact that she is able to put her thoughts and feelings into every layout in a creative way. She particularly likes seeing her kids go through the albums, allowing them to recall significant events that happened in their lives.
Here, April gives us a couple of tips on how to make great scrapbooks.

“My favorite scrapbook subjects are my kids,” says April.

1. Choose a subject that fascinates you. In April’s case, it’s her two kids. She explains, “I try to make layouts capturing both of them in their playful moments. Though they do fight sometimes, I know they love each other very much and I hope when they see these pages I made for them, they would be reminded that they should always be there for each other no matter what.”

2. Don’t be afraid to experiment. April faced a creative challenge when she helped her son make his history project. Tracing their family’s history, April gathered photographs from both sides of the family. Unfortunately, the color scheme of the old photos didn’t go well with the vivid hues which April preferred. She looked at other people’s work for inspiration. She said, “It turned out quite well and I’m happy that because I used archival quality materials, I know the album will survive for future generations to see.”

3. Get the kids involved. Scrapbooking is even more enjoyable when you get the kids involved. April’s youngest son David helps her out sometimes. “He’ll be the one to get the stickers, peel off the double-sided tape, or even suggest placements of the embellishments or suggest a title. On occasion, he’ll describe his own feelings about the photo to be placed in the layout, which I’ll document by including it in the journaling.”

April says, “I’ve made a lot of friends through scrapbooking.”

4. Scrapbook with friends. April has made a lot of friends through scrapbooking. She’s part of the Adobo Girls, whom she meets every month or so, and the Friday Group, whom she meets every end of the week. She says, “Like how kids have playdates, we also have scrapbooking dates where we spend one day together just chatting and making layouts.”

5. When in doubt, do some scraplifting. Ran out of ideas? Look into scraplifting. It’s when you get inspiration from someone else’s layout and copy it, just as long as you give credit to the person who made the original layout. April adds, “There are also sketches available online to serve as a guide for the placement of papers, photos, and embellishments.”

“This is an example of the pocket scrapbooking style,” says April.

6. Do some pocket scrapbooking. This is one of the latest trends in scrapbooking, which aims to make this craft easier and less time-consuming to do. This involves using something like slip-in albums where one can place photos, paper, and embellishments. Ready-made cards are also available these days. She says, “I’m currently into this type of scrapbooking so I’ll be able to scrap all the photos that I have. I try to scrap my photos on a monthly basis in chronological order. I do this also for my travel photos.”

April explains, “I love this layout as this reminded us of the time when David was hospitalized due to a bad eye infection. It was so sad to see him in pain, yet he was still brave enough to conquer the pain and make the hospitalization a fun moment.”