Thanks for the Memories: How to Create a Great Scrapbook

This is a collaborative post. Please welcome today's contributor.

Pexels - CC0 License

Something that we should consider, especially as the modern world makes it easier than ever to store memories digitally, is to create a scrapbook. A scrapbook is something that will preserve family memories, but can also tell a story. What are some of the essentials you need to create a scrapbook?

Choose Your Book

First, you need to pick the right book. In many ways, it's a very simple task because you can choose something that appeals here. But you may also want to start going a bit further and consider the right materials that work with the book themselves. For example, if you want to have a large photo album with parchment paper pages, you may want to give consideration to the things you can practically stick on there. Because while you may start thinking about adding materials and heirlooms, you've got to ensure that the scrapbook is able to put up with it. So if you are going to start sticking items that are made of Oracal 651 vinyl with a paper back, you’d better make sure the book material is going to last.

Picking the Right Themes

The process of collecting your memories is an incredibly cathartic and wonderful time. It's important to make the most of it, but if you are creating a scrapbook that's going to last the ages, you need to come up with a theme. You may start operating with a Pinterest board approach, for example, you may want to be adding things to your lust list, and while this is incredibly beneficial in the here and now, if you want something that's going to be passed down the generations, deciding on a theme is going to ensure that it stands the test of time. You could start telling the story of your family, but you can also delve further by thinking about the origins of your name and everything that's important to you and your family values. The right theme is not just for the sake of the here and now, but it can become something that is timeless.

Personalizing It

Going one step further than the theme, when you start to personalize it, it becomes a living, breathing document of you and your loved ones. You can personalize it in many ways. You could start sticking in dried flowers that grew in your back garden before you moved out, or you can start putting in old letters and poems or anything that inspires you. To personalize it, you just have to stick to your instincts.

Sorting the Memorabilia

You may think that there is a cut-out from a newspaper that inspires you, or maybe there are many gadgets in the kitchen you’ve been lusting after for so long, but whatever it is, ensure that you can create some sense of organization in your scrapbook. Telling a story is one of the most important parts of a scrapbook, and rather than it being a mishmash of ideas, if you want to create a great scrapbook, you've got to sort out all of the memorabilia and make sure it does tell an inviting tale, so anybody that would be intrigued by the scrapbook can pick it up and instantly see how it communicates who you are.