How long should a scrapbook be

Two pages can be slid into each page protector back-to-back to create a double-sided page. If you need to move pages around, you can easily remove them from their protectors. When you want to add additional page protectors to your album, you can unscrew the machine screws and add extenders to lengthen the posts. A three-ring album uses page protectors that are usually identical to those found in post-bound albums. Instead of being bound by posts, a three-ring album uses standard three-ring notebook-style hinges to hold the page protectors in the book.

D-ring albums allow the pages that sit flat in the book when it is closed. If you anticipate removing or adding pages to your album often, three-ring albums offer the most flexibility. Strap-hinge scrapbooks use pages that have staples built into the edges.

Plastic straps slide through these staples and hold the pages in the book. Since the pages themselves are bound into the book, page protector sleeves are slid over the pages to cover them. To add or remove pages from the album the strap-hinge assembly is taken apart.

A book-bound scrapbook is bound like a traditional, hardcover book. It has a sewn and glued binding where the pages are permanently bound. Pages cannot be added, but many book-bound scrapbooks have perforations that allow pages to be taken out to give more room for bulkier items on the remaining pages.

If you have a lot of photos: trim them down! Photo via Page Maps If you are totally stumped on how to lay out your page, challenge yourself with design sketches from sites like Page Maps.

This site contains wonderful pre-made scrapbook sketches that do all of the design work for you. Simply follow the design and customize to your own photos and style. Gather some basic supplies Finding the perfect paper crafts supplies and kits is all part of the fun! Sign up for our newsletter. Stay connected to Craftsy experts. Access over 1, Premium classes. Premium Membership Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts.

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Choose your theme. Speaking simply, the theme is the underlying purpose or idea holding your scrapbook together. If you've decided to make a scrapbook, you may already have a theme in mind. If you do not have a theme, though, you should start by picking one. Possible themes include: Family vacations High school or college accomplishments Family reunions Family holidays Times spent with friends Military career. Sort through your photographs. With your theme in mind, sort through any photo collections that may contain photos fitting with that theme.

Begin with your most recent photos and work your way backward through time. Note that you do not need to use an entire photograph. In all likelihood, a portion of your photos will be cropped. As a result, if you find a photo with a background element you do not want, you can still use it for your scrapbook if that element can be cleanly cut off.

Choose as many photos as you like during this stage. If you have too many, you can narrow your selection down later. Organize your photographs. Sort through the photos you pulled and arrange them into categories. Each category should then be broken down into pages, and each page should have roughly four to six photographs assigned to it.

You can create multiple pages for each category, if desired. For example, if you are making a scrapbook of a specific family vacation, your categories may include something along the lines of: trip there, beach, hotel, museums, return trip. If you have a lot of beach pictures, you can have multiple pages for those pictures. The idea is merely to group similar photos together within the scrapbook overall. Get a general idea of the layout you want.

You do not need to plan out each page ahead of time, but at minimum, you need to determine how many pages you want, how many photos you want to have per page, what colors and embellishments you might want to consider using, and how many journal entries you plan to include. Write possibilities down as you brainstorm, then eliminate the ones that you don't like and choose your favorite after sorting through the notebook.

This is also a good time to determine if you want to make separate title pages to separate your categories or if you want to place titles directly on photo pages. If you want to be even more thorough, you can also tentatively arrange photos on your working surface to get a general idea of how each page may look. Part 2. Find an album. Scrapbook albums can usually be found at craft stores and most stores that sell stationery.

Standard albums are square with inch by inch You can also find pocket albums with 6-inch by 8-inch In a pinch, you could also use a standard 3-ring binder for your scrapbook, but an actual album is preferable since the binding and pages are better suited for scrapbooking. Consider your theme when choosing your scrapbook. For example, if your scrapbook will contain photos from a beach vacation, a light blue or sand-colored album might be a good idea.

On the other hand, for a scrapbook featuring photos of your friends, you might want to consider a more playful color. Also note that you may be able to find albums with titled covers for some major events, like weddings and military enlistments. Choose paper that works well with your pictures. When you look for a paper to include in your scrapbook, take along a few of your photos and compare them to your options.

Plain colored paper should coordinate with the colors in your photos, and patterned paper should coordinate with both the colors and theme of your scrapbook. Select embellishments. Your embellishments should coordinate with the theme of your scrapbook. Standard embellishments include 3D embellishment stickers, rubber stamps, and charms, but you can get as creative as you want.

Choose embellishments that add visual interest but are relatively flat. Otherwise, your scrapbook may not close well. Stickers and stamps are among the easiest embellishments to match your theme since there are so many varieties available. Consider the color of your paper and pictures when choosing embellishments.

It's pretty and simple to do. You can also try thinking of a scrapbook as a traveling companion. When Martha Stewart Weddings editor at large Darcy Miller took a three-week trip to Africa , she brought along a blank book light enough to carry in her bag and a small kit—including scissors, magic markers, rubber cement, and a portable watercolor set. Here's a great gift for someone who's just adopted a new pet: Start a scrapbook to document their life with their new companion.

Fill the pages with information about their new family member: Their family pedigree if they're a purebred, or adoption papers if they're a rescue ; any photos from the breeder or shelter, or classified ads; photos of the pet's parents or littermates; ID tags; a first collar; a favorite toy; the box top from a favorite treat; and heartfelt memories from your first meeting, whether those are written or in visual form.

You can continue to fill the pages with new memories as time goes on. A scrapbook can help organize—and proudly display—the steady stream of photographs, artwork, awards, and other keepsakes that accrue during a young person's school years. Here, we taped two pieces of standard notebook paper together, from short end to short end; trim the width if necessary to fit the scrapbook pages. Then, fold the paper up from the bottom, and make pockets in desired depths.

Stitch the sides to scrapbook pages with a sewing machine to secure, or simply glue with an archival glue stick. If you're working with very fragile photos, historical documents, recipe cards—or anything that can easily tear or be tarnished—you'll want to avoid destructive tape and glue.

These ribbon mounts allow you to secure these items to the scrapbook page without damaging them. Start with a three-inch strip of grosgrain ribbon; fold both ends down at the midpoint to form a triangle, and then iron it out. Repeat the process until you have two or four ribbons for each item. Attach them to the photo by slipping the triangle with the seams in the rear over the corners, and use acid-free double-sided photo tape to affix them to album pages. Upcycle the maps you used on a journey through foreign lands as the show stopping features of a new travel scrapbook.

The printed papers become colorful and fitting backdrops for vacation memories. Martha herself shared this precious idea back in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. Our founder created four printed-and-bound photo stories of special moments in her granddaughter Jude's first months as a newborn.

Then, Martha gifted the set to Jude and her own daughter Alexis for Christmas. Tiny treasures like stickers, buttons, or stamps are easier to enjoy and store when they're glued to folded pages. Measure and mark a long strip of paper or card stock with its short side matching the long side of a small box. Accordion-fold the strip and glue the first page to the inside of the box's lid and the last page to the inside of the box's bottom.