What Do You Mean by a Scrapbook and Scrapbooking?
A scrapbook is a book full of colourful blank pages in which pictures, images, drawings, cuttings, etc., are collected and preserved as a memory. The method of collecting, arranging, preserving and presenting family and personal history or any other memories in the form of a book or card is known as scrapbooking. It is an entertaining and creative activity that allows us to record our precious memories, mementoes, etc., so we can cherish them later. It also helps us in channelling the artist inside us.
Helping your child create their scrapbook could be joyful, and at the same time, helpful for them to gain knowledge of their family’s past stories. As your kids grow up, understanding the feeling of being nostalgic, a scrapbook full of childhood keepsakes will make them happy by nurturing their memories. Read through this blog to get an idea of how to make a scrapbook for a project or just for fun.
Where Did it All Begin?
Many of us might think that scrapbooking is a phenomenon in recent times. But where did it all begin? To rectify this fact, you must know that the art of scrapbooking originated in England and dates back to even before the origin of the word ‘scrapbook’ and the invention of photography. Its history began in the 15th century when commonplace books and the friendship album became very famous.
A Scrapbook
Read Also: Fun Scrapbook DIY Ideas for Kids
The commonplace book was a system that documented the writing and sorting of all kinds of quotes, anecdotes, recipes, poems, observations, song lyrics, movies, life experiences, etc. On the other hand, the friendship album was used when friends or other companies were invited to a home. They were requested to sign this album and even note down something personal.
Over the years, the way of scrapbooking changed immensely. In the 1800s, people started collecting black and white pictures and newspaper cuttings and preserved them as scrapbooks. As more and more people started growing interest in scrapbooks, various companies started producing scrapbook albums along with glue.
Mark Twain’s Scrapbook
Mark Twain, more widely noted as an American writer than an inventor, was himself a scrapbooker. He designed a self-pasting scrapbook and patented it in the year 1872. Being a scrapbooker himself, Twain knew that preparing only the glue was itself a very lengthy and cumbersome process. To avoid this clumsy step, he created this self-pasting scrapbook in which each page was coated with adhesive in a grid pattern. This adhesive required slight moisture to stick the scarps on each page, like pictures, clippings, images, etc., on each page.
Twain’s scrapbook became a huge success, and numerous sources reported that this outstanding invention earned him a big fortune of about $100,000, which was quite a considerable amount in those days.
What are the Different Types of Scrapbooks?
Scrapbooks can vary from a wide range based on the pages' size, texture, and outer cover. Buying a scrapbook might be quite intimidating if you are not well aware of all these features.
Depending on these factors, there are four types of scrapbooks commonly used worldwide. These are as follows:
Post-Bound Scrapbook
Buying a post-bound scrapbook for your project could be a wise choice. This type of scrapbook has the facility to let you add more pages in between whenever required, although the time and effort taken to unscrew the posts could be on the higher side. However, using it can be beneficial because when you open it, two pages lay so close to each other that it creates an almost seamless two-page layout.
Ring-Binder Scrapbook
Ring-binder or three-ring-binder scrapbooks are the most economical type available on the market. You can easily add pages in the middle of the album. Once finished, you can even slip your page within the protective sleeve of a regular type of acid-free sheet protector to keep your photo safe. Unlike a post-bound scrapbook, when you open this, the two-page layout will show a gap in the place where the ring binders are. Hence, the arrangement won’t be seamless.
Spiral-Bound Scrapbook
A spiral bound scrapbook consists of pages attached with a spiral spring. This makes it easier to flip through the pages containing your most cherished memories. You can even rotate the pages 360 degrees and lay them flat. You may add pages in the middle, but it would require extensive effort to open the entire spiral spring and then put it back. These scrapbooks, too, won’t give you a seamless layout of the pages as the spiral spring would cause an interruption in between two pages.
Spiral-bound Scrapbook
Book-Bound Scrapbook
These scrapbooks are bound like any conventional hand-covered book. The pages are permanently bound to the outer cover with glue and sewing, thus not allowing you to add pages to it. However, some book-bound scrapbook pages are built with perforations, letting you tear out less important pages to make space for large, voluminous items on other pages.
How to Make a Scrapbook for a Project?
Making a colourful scrapbook is a fun and creative activity. You would require a few materials before you could get started with your scrap book craft. Here is how to make a scrapbook project at home.
Materials Required
5 to 10 pieces of colourful A4 size acid-free cardstock sheets
A spiral ring
Paper punching machine
Two plastic sheet covers - must be A4 size.
Step-wise Guide
Take the A4 colourful sheets and arrange them per your choice of colours.
Place the sheets on the hardboard and clamp one of the sides using some paper clips.
Use the punching machine to create holes along the open side of the sheets. Make sure the holes are at a distance of 5mm from one another.
Now take the plastic sheet covers and create holes as you did on the papers.
Once done, place these two plastic covers on the front and back of the sheet bundle and align them in a way such that you see through the holes.
Take the spiral spring and carefully put it through the holes. Keep on binding it until you reach the end of the book. And your spiral scrapbook with colourful pages is ready.
Following the above-listed methods, you can learn how to make scrapbook projects home.
How to Use a Scrapbook?
Here are a few uses if you are wondering how to use a scrapbook. A scrapbook can be used to record and document moments of your life so that you can cherish them later. Some amazing ideas for using a scrapbook include:
Preserving photos and memorabilia
Creating holiday decor
Documenting important journals
Colourful artwork
Weekly routine calendar
Watercolour paintings and paper collages
Projects based on different study topics.
Conclusion
Scrapbooking is an entertaining art that helps us collect, organise and preserve our day-to-day activities to help us cherish them later in our lives. This amazing craft started way back in the 15th century and is still practised widely worldwide by people of all ages. It is used mainly to store photos, newspaper cuttings, drawings, and colourful crafts.
