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Scrapbooking is more than just a hobby — just ask the 25 million people who joined the scrapbooking movement in 2018. This creative outlet, which has been around since the 15th century, can also be highly therapeutic, acting as a way to decompress from the stressors of everyday life.
A 2011 study by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital published in the Journal of PsychosocialOncology revealed that scrapbooking increased caregivers’ abilities to cope with their child’s illnesses. The results weren’t exactly surprising to experts. As New York University psychologist Robert Reiner, PhD, told Healthy Women that same year, “The act of performing a craft is incompatible with worry, anger, obsession, and anxiety. Crafts make you concentrate on the here and now and distract you from everyday pressures and problems. They’re stress-busters in the same way that meditation, deep breathing, visual imagery, and watching fish are.”
They also happen to make incredible gifts for everyone from your significant other to your favorite travel bug. Read on for more tips on how to start one of your own with the best scrapbook albums on the market.
How to Start a Scrapbook
Whether you’re making one for yourself or someone on your holiday list, starting a scrapbook is easy — especially when you’ve got a great scrapbook album on hand.
Also known as cropping, scrapbooking is essentially the art of personalizing a blank book with photos, memorabilia, stickers, notes, and other embellishments in a cohesive format in order to create a time-honored memento.
The first thing you’ll want to do is choose a theme, and the categorized scrapbook albums on this list will make it easy to do just that. From there, you’ll want to go through and select photos that fit your subject, along with any basic supplies you might need, including card stock ($6.99, Amazon), tape ($5.78, Amazon), glue ($5.79, Michael’s), or stickers (prices vary, Michael’s), to name a few.
Arrange them on the page together as you see fit, and voila! You’ve got yourself a gorgeous keepsake to be cherished for years to come.
The Best Scrapbook Albums
From scrapbook albums that will commemorate all your child’s school pictures to those that will remind you of your favorite adventures, we’ve found a great selection you’re sure to enjoy. Keep scrolling for FIRST for Women’s picks for the best scrapbook albums that can double as heartfelt gifts.
Relive all your best adventures with this eye-catching album made especially for those who love to travel. It’s got 40 pages with room for 100 pictures and a hard cardboard cover to keep all your most precious memories safe. It measures 10.5 x 7 inches.
SAVE NOW: Use promo code 50OFFTOPSALE to get an extra 20 percent off at checkout.
Remember your vacation now and forever with the help of this sweet customizable binder. Available in five colors and three different sizes (1-, 1.5-, and 2-inch), you can make it your own by naming the place you traveled to and uploading one of your favorite photos from your trip. It measures 10 x 11.75 inches and holds up to 540 pages depending on your size choice.
This handmade 8 x 8-inch “mini” album is equipped with everything you’ll need to hit the ground running, from photo mattes, pockets, and tags to removable inserts and journaling space. Adorned with pet-themed Christmas art, this darling piece is one you’ll pull out year after year come the holiday season.
Perfect for school-aged children, this apple-adorned find has everything you’ll need to document your favorite little one’s educational journey from preschool through graduation. It measures 12 x 12 inches and has a faux leather cover with a recessed photo opening.
Where to buy: $13.12 (Originally $15), Scrapbook.com
Book nerds will go gaga for this unique album, which resembles the cover of an old school fairytale. With 10 page protectors to get you started, you can fill this book with 48 matching Once Upon a Time pages ($17.49, Scrapbook.com) to tell a story featuring the prince or princess of your choice via photos, mementos, and more.
Pass down your best recipes — and the memories that go along with them — for generations to come with this 11 x 11.5-inch scrapbook album from JOANN Fabrics. It comes with 25 cards for recording cooking instructions, eight category dividers to keep things nice and neat, and room for photos and keepsakes from all your best times spent around the dinner table.
She’ll love the feminine floral cover of this 12 x 12-inch album, which comes complete with 10 page protectors for memories that will last a good, long while — if not a lifetime! There’s also a built-in photo display on the front for a personalized touch.
A day as special as your wedding deserves its very own album, and this frame-a-name option from K & Company fits the bill nicely. Not only is there space for a photo of the newly-married couple and a plaque bearing their surname, it can be further customized with included insert sheets and stickers. The cover is faux leather and it measures 12 x 12 inches.
SAVE NOW: Use promo code 50OFFTOPSALE to get an extra 20 percent off at checkout.
We love the tree design of this personalized family binder. With space to add your family’s last name, a unique message, and dates, it’s the perfect way to house information related to your genealogy, including family trees, DNA reports, photos, keepsakes, and more. Choose from a 1-, 1.5-, and 2-inch binder designed to fit 275 to 540 pages of 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
Pet lovers will delight in this Love Pets piece, which is meant to hold photos of your favorite animal companions. Emblazoned with miniature cats, dogs, and glittery hearts, it's got 10 vinyl page protectors, 10 page inserts, a clear dust jacket to keep it safe from dirt, and acid-free pages that you can decorate to your heart’s content.
With an attractive-yet-simple cover in a solid, neutral hue (choose from five) and included quality supplies, this scrapbook album makes for a suitable gift for just about anyone, from your dad or grandpa to your spouse. There are interactive prompts to help guide you through the process and pockets, stickers, and other decorating elements are included.
Show your love for your partner with this red-and-black heart-shaped pick from Firbon. Boasting 30 sheets of paper with space for up to 120 photos, you’ll have plenty of room to express just how much he or she means to you. As an added bonus, it comes in a ready-to-gift box you won’t even need to wrap.
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