17 January 2013

How To Create A Do-It Yourself Vacation Scrapbook


Vacations make memories that can last a lifetime. Whether it’s a weekend camping trip or a week long cruise, lying on the beach or hitting the slopes, vacations get us out of our normal routines and help us build lasting memories. What better way to record those memories than with a do it yourself vacation scrapbook?

A scrapbook is more than a photo album – it tells the story of your vacation. A scrapbook is an easy craft project to share with your children and makes a great gift for those with whom you shared – or would like to share – your experiences.

There are as many different ways to approach the craft of scrapbooking as there are stories to tell. If you are working with small children, a scrapbook that includes a variety of textures will help cement the experiences in their minds. Take the time to think about this project while you are on the vacation and you’ll find numerous items that can be gathered for later use in your scrapbook.

For a trip to the beach, consider gathering small shells that you can use to decorate pages. A pocketful of sand from the beach can replace glitter to add texture to a page or two. For a camping trip, consider collecting a few flowers to be pressed into the book. Did you attend a show or visit a theme park? Keep your ticket stubs and other small reminders of your time there. If your vacation included a fancy restaurant, a menu or wine label can bring back the dinner conversation years later.

You can also build textures in other ways. Use pinking shears to trim page edges. Cut out and layer pages to create a pop out effect. Use puffy stickers and paints to add depth to the page, or attach fabrics or different types of paper to change the feel of a page.



While textured scrapbooks are fun, they tend to be bulky and difficult to keep in good condition for long periods of time. For a more contemporary and long lasting scrapbook, consider building one using an online printing service, such as Smartpress.com. A professionally printed photo book makes a sleek and stylish scrapbook that is much more durable than the traditional paste and paper version. A personalized calendar is also a fun alternative to the typical scrapbook. Printed scrapbooks are also convenient when you want to gift them to more than one person, since you simply order additional copies for each one.


You can still use your own photos as well as anything that can be scanned, such as tickets or postcards. You can edit and arrange your pictures easily without having to order prints first by simply uploading them from your digital camera. Additionally, you can add graphics and effects that are more difficult using traditional photo prints. Using effects, you could create an retro comic book from your vacation photos or use a filter to make your scrapbook into an antique adventure journal.

Whether you choose to break out the scissors and glue or prefer the mouse and digital enhancement, make sure that your scrapbook tells the story of your time away. Use it to capture the spirit of your vacation, the adventure of going new places and trying new things, the joy of spending time with cherished loved ones, even the frustrations that you will laugh about for years to come.

6 comments:

  1. Way before scrapbooking as we know it because so popular, I made scrap books using all the items I did along the trip. Napkins from the ice cream stand with the stand name on it, left over foreign change, and even the credit card statement! I actually get compliments on them because they're not so cluttered with what I call "extra clutter" - but is all about my trip.

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  2. This is such a great idea. I truly never thought about this. Thanks for the post. I've tons of pics of the grandkids.I'm definitely going to use your suggestions. :)
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  3. Thanks for the tips on both traditional and new scrapbooking methods. I do like to keep stuff from my trips around but never get to scrapbooking them.

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  4. i love maing scrap books there just memories that you can look back at

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  5. I am afraid that our vacation pictures are all stacked in a photo box (unopened) - since we upgraded out devices we now only have digital photos. I miss making scrapbooks and I may start again.

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  6. This is a good idea. We ever we vacationed I of course liked to take tons of pictures. As we traveled I would pick up post cards or ticket from places we stopped at as well as a restaurant napkin or menu. I would write little tidbits of information as we seen it. That way we had all the things we needed to make a nice vacation book that everyone would enjoy looking at.

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