Scrapbook Cover Fun Using Binders

I made these scrapbook covers for my sisters family a few years ago and then for my other sisters family as well. I made them for my girls for last Christmas but was waiting for our newest photo shoot to get current photos for these.

I usually go to second hand stores, yard sales, office discount or liquidation places to buy my large notebook or loose leaf covers or binders to make these. I have 2 shelves full of different sizes of notebooks so I can use them for all sorts of purposes.

When I made the one's for my sisters family, I had the other family members write "My favorite memory with (insert the family or person's name) is:" and then they would write their favorite memory with that family. However, I had cousins do cousins of their same age so that when I gave it to their family, they had something to read and view inside already. I had photos of that favorite memory in some cases and put those in the book as well.

When I gave the gift, I also put together a packet of scrapbook paper, letters, frames and other scrapbook punches and scissors for each person so they could scrapbook their pictures easily.

Basically, you just get the larger scrapbook paper, cut a few strips out and glue them on top of each other in layers using contrasting papers. I then used sticky letters and put the person's name on the front. I printed their name lengthwise for the spine of the book and glued it on contrasting paper. Never glue your photos onto any paper. Only use sticky tabs that are acid free when attaching pictures. I printed the saying I wanted on the back page onto acid free paper.

For my sisters family photo I put on the back, I told them to all act silly when we were camping the summer before. I blew it up and printed one for the back of each album like these I did for our family.

I then picked out the pictures that we wanted for the front of this years scrapbook and had them printed off. I had forgotten that when I put the book together I had planned on a 5 x 7 on the back so when I was in a hurry and ordered 8 x 10 pictures instead, I had to pull off the words on the back and re cut and glue them. That is what I get for taking so long to get photos taken. Also it would have saved me some money making them 5 x 7 as it was almost $30 for the 12 photos in the 8 x 10's and that was ordering them over a few days.

This is a fun way for them to know what year album it is as the photo on the front can be their school picture for that year or one you have taken for them.

We usually do our photo shoots at the same time of the year when I know we will all be together but we haven't been together for some time. Our usual photo shoots are over Thanksgiving break. Doing one yearly give the perspective of how they have changed over the year.

I will post about another way to use the binders tomorrow...