Scrapbooking: Making a Heritage Album
for You and Your Family

Scrapbooking. It's easy. You don't need to be an artist. All you need are some simple supplies and time to have some fun!

Do you have a story to tell? Of course you do! Your life is an incredible, compelling, page-turning tale. For those who love you most, it is more enthralling than any book on the bestseller list. It is a never-ending story. What you begin, others can add to.

The visual images are there (dig out those photographs!) and so are the words (how many stories, secrets, and dreams have you told your family and friends?). By combining pictures and text in one place, you'll have an accessible, easy-to-read, and enjoyable format to share year after year.

A digression--a brief history of scrapbooks.

With the introduction of photography, the first photograph albums appeared with precut holes for inserting visiting cards and photos. By the early twentieth century, these albums were seen as a more informal, individual form of expression and their blank pages did not have precut holes. Black pages became the most popular and white ink was used to pen in captions. Photos were pasted directly on to the pages or held in place with photo corners. In addition to photographs, mementos were oftentimes included and the resulting hodgepodge could cover numerous events, people, and years. After World War II, single special events, such as a wedding, the birth of a baby, or a family vacation, were deemed worthy of an entire album. Today we are inspired to use archival-quality materials and original, exciting page layouts to create a long-lasting family treasure.

Why make scrapbooks?

In our busy lives, scrapbooking helps keep us connected to what is important in life: family, friends, and the experiences we share with them. Pasting photographs and jotting down impressions in a book is a relaxing way to record history. And, the wonderful thing about scrapbooking is that it can be done one page at a time, thus giving you a sense of completion. Also, if the very thought of doing genealogical research makes you feel intimidated, just keep in mind that it is not necessary for creating a celebration of you and your family's existence; just stick with what you know when you work on your pages!

Now's the time to overcome any anxieties you might have about:
Having the time. Rome wasn't built in a day, so don't try to force yourself to produce a complete album in one day, either.

Do the work in stages. Commit 15 minutes a day, 1 hour a week, whatever works for you, to work on your albums. Do double-duty whenever possible; for instance, crop photos and lay out pages while you watch TV. Journal for a few minutes before you go to bed and document photos.

Appearance of handwriting. Do you know anyone that thinks she has beautiful handwriting? Probably not, so don't worry about yours. Handwriting provides a personal touch. Feel free to use a typewriter or computer, too!

No space to work. A kitchen table, a card table, or a TV dinner tray that sits across the arms of a chair may be all the space you need.

Not creative enough. We are all creative in some way or another. Relax! We are not here to win beauty contests. You'll improve over time and find one or more natural styles that just feel right for you.

Ability to tell stories. Don't know what to say? Then, just put a simple caption with your photo. Have a great story but no picture to go with it? Then, tell the story without a photo, or add a line drawing of your own. Fearful of making a mistake or grammatical error? Then have someone else proof your writing before you commit it to your scrapbook.

Writer's block. Frozen fingers? Write something, anything; jot down facts. Blank brain? Select a photo and brainstorm; jot down notes for a photo as you think about them; use small pieces of paper to put notes on; write one-sentence statements; talk to a friend. Fearful of ruining a page? Remember, you're not alone so try writing in pencil first, journaling on a separate sheet, or preparing a mock-up before finalizing your scrapbook page.

Remember: Scrapbooking is not about sticking every photo you've ever taken or every memento you've ever collected into one place. Like a writer or a poet who chooses which story to tell and how to tell it, you will choose the past you want to preserve and how you want to pass it on to others.

Things to gain from making an album:
You can say what's in your heart and make people feel loved. You can work with others and enjoy some family fun. Gain new appreciation for yourself. You'll connect with your roots, especially if you delve into your family history. Scrapbooking can be a source of comfort when you make your pages as well as when you return to them to relive the times you've chosen to save.

Getting started

Keep things simple. You don't want to become overwhelmed with choices and stall out on your project before you've barely started. First, you'll want an album. Purchase a high quality, photo-safe album and stay away from magnetic albums and pocket page albums. You'll also need the basics: scissors with a straight edge, paper, sheet protectors, photo corners, and a pen. Additionally, you might want to try some of the following on your first foray into scrapbooking: stickers, clip art, rubber stamps and ink pads, scissors with a decorative edge, stencils and templates.

Collect your family memorabilia. Here's a brief list of items to gather together into one place for easy access. (A longer list follows at the end.) Letters, postcards, telegrams, invitations, greeting cards, recipes. Photocopies of official documents - births, religious confirmations, marriages, home ownership, school and college records, military service, political offices, taxes. Photocopies of newspaper articles. Photographs, drawings, prints of family members, homes, or antique items. Maps to show where family members lived.

Storage. Scrapbooking supplies can be stored in a shoe box, plastic tub, or similar container; this keeps things handy and in one place. File, don't pile your paper supplies and documents, and your scrapbooks. If you stack items, they can rub against each other and this will eventually lead to damage.

WARNING! Never cut, tear, or break apart original documents, records, photographs, or other irreplaceable items. Always use photocopies, drawings, or other means of reproducing the originals so that one-of-a-kind items will always be preserved.

Ready to start scrapbooking? Here are some ideas to help you begin working on creating your future family heirloom.

Project #1 - Create a theme page on yourself.

Step 1 - Select. Select up to 6 photographs that represent something important about yourself that you want to share with others. Find a theme that holds these pictures together and that you can tell a story about. Do a mock-up of a layout by placing one or more photos on a page and consider what you want to include around the photos: handwritten words, preprinted words, borders, mats, stickers, etc. Envision the shapes you want the papers and photos to be in reprinted their final form. Place items in what you expect to be their final spots and lightly pencil in the shapes, if needed, to get a visual sense of how things will look once they're affixed.

Step 2 - Mount. Cut papers and photos as desired. (Be sure you cut up a copy of the photo, not the original!) Mount all items into place. Use photo tape, photo corners, safe adhesives.

Step 3 - Journal. Add the words so your viewer will know what you know about the person or people on the page. Include the who, what, where, when, and why, of course. When naming a person, give his or her full name, nickname (if any), and qualifier, such as: "John Robertson, my best friend in 6th grade, whom we all called 'J. R.' after the popular TV character." Brief captions or subtitles can set the tone or mood of the photographic image; they can also describe the thoughts and feelings at the time. Examples include quotations, anecdotes, or poems. Storytelling provides a fuller account of the depicted event and can range from a long paragraph to a full page.

Project #2 - Protect your memories.

What is your favorite or most important memory? Make a list of up to three that you want to get down on paper and save for posterity. Write out the first story now, even if it's just an abbreviated version. How does it feel to revisit this old memory? Is it a happy one, or sad? Do any other senses come into play in addition to "sight"? Do you hear, taste, or feel anything when you recall this memory? How would you feel if you lost your remembrance of this moment?

Project #3 - Pick an ordinary occurrence in your life and feature it in a scrapbook page.

Here are some ideas:

• A day in the life of…. Every family member's typical day
• Weekend activities - places to go, things to eat, people to visit
• Dinner at our house - typical menus, where we sit, prayers, table settings
• Out to eat - favorite restaurants and "the usual" orders you place
• Inside jokes - jokes, funny lines, practical jokes, nicknames
• Bedtime/nap-time
• Bad hair days
• Family myths
• Holiday newsletter
• Worship - where and how we worship, and what we hold sacred
• Good works - how our family serves others
• Pets - indoor and outdoor animals we love
• We were there - when this amazing situation happened
• The year you were born - headlines, photos and stories in review
• Natural events - storms, weather patterns, other natural occurrences
• Politics - who ran for office, what scandals occurred, what were the issues
• New Year's Eve - your traditions, your resolutions
• The year in review - reminisce about the year's highs and lows
• Heroes - who were we cheering for and why
• Entertainment - what we do for fun

More items to collect and include in your heritage album:

• Announcements
• Artwork
• Autographs
• Awards
• Baby books
• Birth certificates, hospital bracelets, sonogram copies, etc.
• Brochures
• Cemetery rubbings
• Census
• Certificates
• Children's drawings
• Clothing
• Clubs
• College diplomas
• Confirmations
• Continuing education
• Diaries
• Doilies

E-mails

• Family Bible pages (photocopy, don't tear out!)
• Family traditions
• First date, kiss, dance, etc.
• Flatware (with initials)
• 4-H Club
• Graduations
• Greeting cards
• Guest lists
• Hand prints
• High school diplomas
• Hospital bracelets
• Jewelry
• Journals
• Letters
• Locks of hair
• Maps
• Marriage licenses, announcements, invitations
• Menus
• Military discharge papers
• Napkins (engraved)
• Newspaper clippings
• Obituaries
• Passports
• Performances
• Pets
• Photographs
• Post cards
• Postage stamps
• Programs
• Recipes
• Report cards
• Residences
• Ribbons
• Scout badges
• Souvenir programs
• Ticket stubs
• Vacations
• Volunteer work
• Wedding invitations
• Who's Who

Nothing is so inspiring as a collection of sample scrapbook pages that others have already done. For helpful photos, layout ideas, and more information about the preservation of photographs, negatives, documents, and even scrapbooks themselves, try any of the following how-to guides.