8 Steps to Creating a Memorable Memory Book

One of the most exciting photo albums I'm working on for myself right now is for my son, Logan, that journal his accomplishments, special moments and growth during his first year. This is a work in progress but I'm excited to share some of my pages with all of you, as well as share some ideas on what I think are good tips to keep in mind when you are putting together any type of photo album - whether it's for your baby's first year, your wedding day, a special vacation you've been on, etc. These concepts can be applied whether you do digital or traditional scrapbooking.

1. Set a structure: It took me some time to determine how I wanted Logan's book to flow. I decided to keep a clean structure to his book, starting each month with a cover page of fun photos, and continuing on with pages that outline his milestones, special moments he experienced during that month, a couple of favorite photos I wanted to enlarge and highlight, and then a couple of photo collage pages. Having a set structure that I followed for each month really helped me stay organized and in line with my vision. Here's a sample of a couple of the cover pages I'm using at the start of each new month:

2. Look for themes: I must have sorted through hundreds and hundreds of photos that I took of Logan in just the first few months of his life! I noticed a common theme among many of them, including his first time swimming, his first time meeting our dogs, his first bath, etc. Keeping photos like this together make for a nice, smooth page that flows easily to the eye.

The photos on the left were taken at a pumpkin patch while the photos on the right were taken
on a hiking trip. Breaking photos up into themes allow for smooth, clean layouts and
makes journaling about the events much easier.

3. Look for inspiration: Everyone has some type of creativity within them but sometimes even the best of us need to look for inspiration beyond our own capabilities. I typically start my photo albums by doing a Google image search of various scrapbook pages. I save the images I like in a folder on my computer and turn to them when I've hit a creativity roadblock. Sometimes just seeing how other people design their pages will spark ideas for how you want your pages to look.

I found a photo online of an object floating in clouds and I knew I wanted the cover of Logan's book
to have a light and peaceful design to it. I drew inspiration from the clouds to create his cover.

4. Scrap as you go: If I waited until Logan turned 1 before starting his photo album I would be very overwhelmed. Instead, I've been scrapping his pages month to month. This keeps my memory fresh when journaling on each page and doesn't leave me with 100 pages to do all at once. If you don't have time to scrap right away, just keep a notebook on hand to jot down certain memories you want to include once you do have time.

5. Take breaks: When I scrapbook, I often get so focused on creating my pages that before I know it, it's midnight and I have to get up in 6 hours for work. It's important to take breaks not only to keep your mind and ideas fresh, but to also make sure you focus on other things as well. When you step away from your projects for a few hours or a couple of days, oftentimes you come back to it with a new focus and new ideas that have formed during your break.

6. Be selective: You don't need to put all 5,000 pictures you've taken from your trip to Italy in your photo album. Choose the ones that you really want to highlight and remember. If you have 5 pictures in the same background but just different poses, just choose one or two to include. The idea is to focus on those important photos that will spark special memories when you look back on them in 5, 10 or 20 years, not to see how different you looked if you posed with an open smile versus closed smile in front of the Colosseum.

I have a million photos of Logan on his tummy but this one really pointed out all of his
beautiful features on his face. I made this photo the focus of the very first page of his book.

7. Think beyond just photos: Have a special note or card from someone you want included in your photo album? Or a napkin or drawing you want to include? You can always scan items like this and place them into your digital scrapbook, or glue them into a traditional scrapbook if you prefer that route. Just because you are creating a photo album doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to just photos.

My husband and I did ink prints of Logan's hand and footprints a couple of weeks after he was born.
I scanned and inserted them onto one of his pages.

8. Have fun! This is very important. You won't enjoy putting a book together if you aren't having fun. When doing Logan's book I found myself constantly laughing at his photos, or tearing up when I looked at pictures from when he was born. Putting a book together should conjur up different feelings and emotions. If you aren't having fun, refer to tip #5 and take a break. Come back to the book when you are more focused. It shouldn't feel like a job to create!

Happy scrapping!