Making a holiday scrapbook

Postcards, ticket stubs, keychains, shot glasses, magnets, napkins, receipts, boarding passes. The list of pointless souvenirs and momentos we find ourselves bringing back from our holiday is endless. Each flight we take, each restaurant we eat in, each museum or concert or park we visit, we insist on buying/keeping/stealing (ok maybe not the last one) something to ‘remember’ our trip by, only to be dumped in a box or the bottom shelf, to be discovered again when moving house.

I used to be a very sentimental person, and I still am because I love having photos of my trips; I keep a journal; and I do still bring back odds and ends. But now, I actually do something with them- I use them for my Scrapbook. Scrapbooking may be associated with grannies but I’ve found it to be neat way to be creative, especially in our digital age where we sometimes forget about the fun of actually making something with our hands. So, I thought I’d write a post about how to make a holiday scrapbook that’s a creative, fun and funky way to keep all your holiday memories safe and in one place; somewhere you will actually want to look through in a few months time.

First, get yourself a scrapbook. It doesn’t have to be expensive or huge, but I think that at least A4 size is best and with thick pages. Also, one that is ring-bound is best because it won’t explode as it puts on weight (which it will as you add to it). You can always buy a simple one and then make a cool cover for it.

You’ll also need to get your hands on a few supplies and materials. Scissors, tape, glue are of course essentials. Then think creative- I bought different kinds of patterned tape, different coloured pens and pencils and also unearthed a pile of old travel magazines to cut up. Feel free to use anything you want- I’ve used coloured paper, tissue etc. The idea is to use a variety of textures and patterns.

On your trip, collect as many things as possible, but make sure they can be stuck into your scrapbook. There’s no point bringing back half a coconut (if you even get past Customs). Things like tickets, maps, postcards, receipts and boarding passes are perfect. Also download and print a few photos from your trip. Don’t choose too many, they are supposed to compliment your page, not take over- they get enough glory in photo albums and online. On this Mozambique and Zimbabwe page, I’ve chosen a few meaningful photos that don’t overwhelm.

Once you have all your materials together, lay everything out. Start by deciding on a background. I normally use a map or a large cut-out from a magazine, as you can see here with my France page. Then slowly start arranging the various bits and bobs on the page. You will have to cut things- don’t worry about straight lines, different shapes make it interesting and add variety. Things can overlap too.

When you are happy, decide how to stick them. You have a few options- if you want the tape to show use the funky coloured tape. Otherwise, roll a piece of tape on to itself so its sticky on both sides (or use double sided tape) to attach something to the paper. I tend not to use glue as I find it too messy. On this Amsterdam page, I’ve used patterned tape and normal tape rolled up when I don’t want it to show.

Try to vary the textures as much as possible. This Summer page uses pressed flowers, and a wristband, both of which add interest.

And this Skiing page uses a cute bobble hat and a lift pass.

I try to make each page as unique as possible by adding my own special touch to it. I like sketching so I have scanned my drawings, printed them and stuck them in, for example here with the dolphins on my Bahamas page.

Similarly, in this Rome page, I used a sketch I had made of the view from one of the hills we climbed.

I also like to add snipetts from my journal- words and memories that mean something to me. Often these are jokes but also thoughts I had. The use of writing adds another media and breaks up the visuals a bit, and is a good excuse to use fun pens and pencils.

Add cut-outs from magazines and leaflets, especially when they correspond to the page. For example, I used a photocopy of a page in a travel magazine for the background of the Corfu page and some phrases from leaflets that are relevant and some of my own writing too.

Here are a few more examples:

This India page uses a colour theme- lots of warm shades of red, oranges and yellows.

As does this Thailand page- but using pink as a colour theme.

This Normandy page looks quite refreshing, using earthy tones and white.

Remember that it doesn’t matter what goes in, so long as it means something to you. It can be as busy as you like, but try to limit yourself so its not too cluttered. Going back through a full scrapbook is so rewarding, and as you get more creative you will start seeing ideas for it as soon as you arrive in a new place.

What are your thoughts on scrapbooks? Are they a good way to keep and display memories or do they have no place in today’s digital world?

All photos my own