Scrapbook Page Inspiration

Something all four of these scrapbook pages have in common is there is only one spotlight photo or even no photos.  I think the “Twenty Quotes I Like” page could showcase a special favorite photo as well.  Also unique about these examples is how journal inspiring they are.  I have a personal journal of favorite quotes and it would be so awesome to include a page devoted solely to my love of special quotes.  A page devoted to meaningful quotes would reveal much about the scrapper’s personality and character.

“10 Things I Love About Being a Mom” is not only a touching tribute, but also a wonderful journal prompt.  I could see even longer responses being given with more details.  Or this could be a recurring theme in successive albums.  The spotlight photo would show changes in the scrapbooker from album to album and create a timeline theme that is consistent throughout the family albums as the years go by.

Sometimes I only have that one great shot that I want to scrapbook so the page has to be extra special--extra creative.  That’s why I love the “Seaside” page with its simplicity and minimalist beauty, yet the page is filled with a lovely memory.  This is a mostly wordless journal page with only a short caption to capture the moment concisely.

A Pinterest album page layout idea just makes me smile.  Where would I be without Pinterest?  I remember having to use bookmarks to help me relocate all the amazing stuff and things I found on the Internet.  I usually would just give up in the end.  I also had an Idea Book that had years of clippings from magazines carefully filed away.  But when I found Pinterest, “the world became my oyster.” 

Of course I would want to create a fabulous (yet simple in design) album page devoted to one of my favorite and helpful past times. This can also be a wordless journal page with just a Pinterest Board title to say it all.  As with the real Pinterest Board, choosing a catchy board cover photo is very important and draws the viewer to click on for more.

  

   

These Pinspirational album page layouts have made my priority list when I sit down to get creative with my family photos.  I hope they inspire you as well.  Please visit my “Cuttin Up” Pinterest Board to see all the wonderful ideas I have come across so far.

Touch of Class: Graduation Layouts

Oldest Child's Graduation Layout

I cut one scrapbook page in half with a paper cutter so that I could make a pocket page.  It is held on with adhesive.  I use a protector cover which I slip off to see the pocket contents which include momentos and cards.  Before filling the pocket, I decorated the page just like any other layout.

On my pocket page, I used only a few "Finishing Touches" using most of the space for pictures from graduation season.  The final touch will be my journaling penned in with fine-tip pens.  I have also typed up my journaling when I plan to write quite a bit.  It saves room.

Here's a tip for aligning your alphabet stickers:   Place them on the backing paper of leftover tape runner coated paper.  When ready, simply place the top half of the letters on the album page and remove the strip of coated paper.  Press down the lower half of your letters for a perfect title.  

Aligning Stickers

Layout by Cristine Zocchi

(Source: Creative Memories Vol. VI Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, p. 69 and p. 39).

Journaling and Merger Layouts

Journaling

I like rereading these old Idea Books from Creative Memories 'cause I'll always find something I haven't tried yet.  The journaling is something I do, but I have to admit it takes me a while to get around to it.  This is terrible because pictures need to be journaled while it's fresh in our minds, and besides how interesting are family photos without words?

"Bullet Journaling includes the who, what, where, when, and why written either under each photo or as a paragraph detailing events on an entire page.  It is normally a list of words, descriptive phrases or sentences that capture the main details of the event.

"Quick Captions and Comments journaling lets you reflect on what is happening in a photo and may tell why you took the photo.  Often, captions or subtitles can set a mood or tone, and they may describe what the thought and feelings of the pictures are.  Examples include quotations, anecdotes or poems.

"Storytelling is writing the facts or information of the event in paragraph form.  This provides a full illustration of the event and will capture more of the details.  If you are writing from the heart and sharing special feelings, storytelling may be your best option."  (Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VII, p. 11; Illustrations by Shelly Parks 1/94 and Adapted from article by Nancy G. Hill).

Merger Layouts

The layout photo at the top shows a type of Merger Layout where you mount miscellaneous photos from different events on a single page or two-page spread.  I did a whole album based on "themes."  It turned out really cute and interesting ("Counting Sheep," "Boo Boo Page," "Water Fun," "Smiles"...).  

I save room in my albums by arranging photos by seasons, unless it's something like Christmas which gets its own page.  That way I don't use too many duplicate photos, and only the most interesting and well-taken photos are displayed in my albums.  The rest are kept on disc or (as with my pre-cd photos) in a photo box.  

From now on, I plan on using one color of ink for photos from the same event on my 2-page season layouts.  Such as for Fall I might use deep purple, burnt orange, and sienna for the three autumn birthdays--another color for the annual campout and corresponding school colors for cheerleading and cross country.  I really like the idea of similar colored photo mounting paper for pictures from the same events.  (Inspired from Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VII, p. 77).

Awesome Family Vacation Albums and Journaling!

Vacation Journal Prompts:
Who planned the details of your vacation?
What part of the vacation did you enjoy the most?
Where did you eat the best food?

It's best to keep to 6-8 photos per page so the page isn't too busy, but sometimes that's hard because you have so many great photos to choose from--especially vacation photos.  Here are more of my Family Vacation Layouts:

A Trip to Disney!

Reuse the Disney Park map and trace Mickey using an inexpensive light board (or a bright window).

A Trip to The Beach

A Trip to The Park

Here are two great layouts that can use a lot of your photos.  I have done the top layout for many different themes.  

designed by Lorene and Layne Kamalu

Create a 10 x 10 inch grid filled with 2.5 inch squares.  Crop photos to fill one or two squares.  Start placing photos on the scrapbook page in the upper left corner and continue to the right and down.  Included are some thought-provoking questions to help you better journal your pages.  The following is from an old Creative Memories Idea Book (no longer in circulation):

Creative Memories Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, p. 68

Use silver and gold metallic pens to write on dark card stock.  Use a tearing tool to create the "waves effect" in the bottom left photo.  For more journaling how-to's see my post Organizing and Journaling Photos.