15 Extra Unique DIY Scrapbooks
Updated on July 1, 2021
Making your own DIY scrapbook is always a crafty, nostalgic experience, even when you buy a base book and simply inset your own pages that you’ve decorated yourself. Fun scrapbooking supplies from your local craft store can be expensive sometimes, but there are always alternatives. Sometimes it’s even more fun to actually make your own scrapbook from scratch, or from more unconventional things!
Check out these 15 awesome and unique scrapbooks that are a little different than the pre-made books you’ll find at the store.
1. Wallet sized Valentine’s scrapbook
Many of the store bought scrapbook designs are very large and designed to be more like a full sized family photo album. If you live in a small space or you’d like to be able to leave the scrapbook out for guests to browse as they please, however, then a smaller design might make more sense. That’s why I’m such a big fan of this smaller version! Check out how Wedding Chicks made it using wallet-sized photo prints.
2. Father’s Day memory book
guides you through the process of making a scrapbook that your kids can help you with in order to make the perfect Father’s Day gift! This adorable little memory book is the perfect way to collect all of your favourite pictures of your husband and your kids (or maybe your father and you) in one place. Check out how it’s done on Shelterness!
3. Old book picture album
Have you been collecting old prints and pictures and prints from your hometown, your family, or just anything that you find interesting? Then it definitely makes sense that you’d want to find a more unique and historical way to display them than just in a store bought scrapbook. I’m absolutely in love with this old book idea from Making Lovely! Find an old book that you like the cover of, that you know was written by an author from the area your pictures were taken in, or that was an old family favourite, and use corner fasteners to fix the pictures between the pages.
4. Forgotten party scrapbook
Do you love scrapbooking after important events and documenting your favourite experiences with your friends? That’s a great idea, but what if you were so busy hosting the party that you forgot to take a lot of pictures? That’s what this “forgotten” party scrapbook idea is for! A Beautiful Mess suggests piecing together important things that happened throughout the night by collecting whatever pictures and selfies your friends took, using fun stickers to remember things like date and location, and having your friends hand write their favourite or most memorable parts of the night so you can include those and laugh reading them when you look back in a few years.
5. DIY stamps
Perhaps you’ve had a scrapbook on the go for a few years now but you’re looking for ways to DIY new embellishments and details rather than the book itself? Stamps are one of my favourite things to add to a scrapboook page, but the cost of buying specific stamps just to use a few times can add up and I can’t always afford it. That’s why I was so pleased when I came across this DIY stamp tutorial from Fellow Fellow! It’s nice being able to customize whatever stamps you want more affordably.
6. Photo books for kids
Scrapbooks and photo books might not be precisely the same thing, but I think they’re pretty close, especially if you make a new one every couple years! I love the idea of making kids a photo book full of pictures of their family members and fun things they’ve done. Pairing the photos with a little description that’s framed like a storybook will help them remember and appreciate all of their neat experiences and loved ones. This is an especially good idea for kids who have many family members and loved ones who live far away! Get more details about making it on Cup of Jo.
7. Handmade paper
Are you a super detailed scrapbooker who really wants to make the pieces of your book right from scratch, down to the most basic elements? Then perhaps you’re up for the challenge of making your own paper! You’ll certainly value the book to an event bigger degree if you’ve put in this kind of time, effort, and love. See how the paper is made on Kiss the Groom.
8. Family board book
Do you remember reading those little cardboard page books with your parents when you were a kid? Perhaps you had the kind that didn’t involve any reading because they were just cardboard pages filled with lovely pictures. Either way, now you can learn how to make your own! I almost like this idea even more than making a scrapbook for your kids to look at later, because they can just take in the pictures themselves without being distracted by too many DIY details. Check this one out on A Beautiful Mess.
9. “Little things” photo books
Have you recently moved into a new place or found yourself so happy where you are that you can’t help but smiling at all the little details of your life that make you extra happy? I’m a super nostalgic person, so I know this feeling well! That’s why I’m so in love with A Beautiful Mess‘s idea of creating a “little things” scrapbook or journal. Any time a little gift, event, or single person makes you feel special and happy, document something about that experience in your scrapbook!
10. Road trip journal
DIY Ready suggests doing something similar to the idea above, but all on a single road trip or vacation specifically! I love the idea of making the book a similar size to a postcard or a Polaroid picture because then it’ll fit in your suitcase better and won’t be as cumbersome while you’re traveling as a full sized book like the ones you’ll see in stores. Make pages out of whatever you can get your hands on on the road!
11. Wooden cover scrapbook
Have you been trying your hand at woodworking and wood burning techniques? Well, that interest can actually be done in conjunction with your love for scrapbooking! I’m a massive fan of this idea from Young Bird for making a customized wooden cover for your scrapbook. It makes the whole collection look like an ancient family anthology rather than something you just finished making last week.
12. DIY photo transfer pages
Have you always been interested in making a memory book that actually has your pictures on the pages themselves, rather than just glued or taped to the surface? Sure, you could do that by ordering a printed book from Walmart or the nearest photo printing place, but it’s a lot more fun if you make your own! That’s where photo transferring techniques come in. Free People shows you how to actually “print” your images onto the surface of a new page as though you really are making your own book.
13. Mini memories album
Did you just get a Polaroid camera and even you have to admit that you went a little crazy with the pictures? There are plenty of albums you can buy in stores that have little Polaroid sized pockets in them, but making your own is always more satisfying. Say Yes guides you through the process of making a cute little folding photo book just like this one.
14. Playing card photos book
Are you looking for a simple, affordable way to display some of your favourite family pictures so visitors can flip through them? Do you want to make a miniature photo book for a friend but it has to be small enough to fit in the mail? Then perhaps this playing card flip book idea from Paper Vine is the one for you! We love the unconventional way the book looks sitting on the side table or in a care package that your friend will open, making the pictures a little bit of a surprise.
15. Chipboard photo albums
A Beautiful Mess walks you through the steps for making an alternative version of the board books you saw above; one that’s split down the centre! Rather than flipping the pages from right to left for the next picture, you’ll grab them at the split in the middle and open them outward, revealing a new picture in the centre. You might embellish the edges of the pages with your other scrapbooking supplies, but either way this format is adorable and eye-catching.
Do you know someone who loves scrapbooking, but who’s always looking for new ways to display and format their pages and books? Share this post with them for a little bit of inspiration!