How to Scrapbook in an Hour – a Fun, Screen-Free Hobby!

How to Scrapbook the Easy Way

When you hear the word “scrapbook” you may be instantly intimidated thinking about your mom or aunt Jean’s intricate books, perfectly-placed stickers, and die cut flair. You may think scrapbooking nowadays is just too much work, and I totally get that!

But, I also know you’re probably looking for some hobbies that get you off your phone, and you want to celebrate your family’s photos memories somewhere other than your camera roll. (I know this because that’s me, too!)

So, I’m here to help. We’re going to scrapbook in an hour and call it a day! It doesn’t have to be super involved unless you want it to be. You can preserve your family photos in a small, simple scrapbook that you and your kids will love looking through for years to come. In this tutorial, you’ll some inspiration, a few supplies you can grab as needed, and the motivation to get some photos off your phone and into the real world.

Print Your Photos

First, you’ll need to get those photos off your phone!

If you’re wanting to print traditional 4×6 photos for your scrapbook that you can also frame, check out printing deals at stores like CVS or Walgreens. I have personally used Mpix to print a large amount of photos online before and absolutely loved the quality and the whole process. (Side note: I also used Mpix to print larger art prints to frame on a specialty art paper they have – it looks like I bought them at an art gallery but the prints are from Etsy!)

You can also use this adorable Instax Mini Link printer – it prints Polaroid-style photos using a bluetooth connection to your phone!

This little printer is so handy to have around for things like this scrapbooking project, or to print small photos to display around the house. You can also use the Instax Mini camera that prints the photo one-by-one just like an old school Polaroid.

Photo Printing Hack: If you’re scrapbooking for one child at a time like a personal memory book – search their face in your camera roll and easily pick your favorite moments of that kid! 

Gather Your Supplies

Remember – the goal here is to make scrapbooking simple and fun! Don’t overdo it on the supplies. (I whisper to myself…)

Look around your house first and raid your craft supplies – you might find a pack of paper or stickers you forgot about! Here are some of the basic supplies you’ll need:

• A scrapbook (something small and simple so it’s easy! I used this one but there are tons of small, cute options that aren’t the big guys of the 90s)
• Paper – I found this cute little pack that was good for the Instax photos and used colorful cardstock that I had on hand – this came in handy!
• This little tape dispenser makes it SO easy to attach the paper and photos
• Stickers – these are kind of optional but fun to have! I mainly used our PPP stickers since they’re the cutest 😉, or you can take a quick glance at Walmart or Hobby Lobby and grab a couple packs that are your family’s style!

Note: if you’re at Hobby Lobby, make sure to check the clearance aisle! You can usually find really cute packs of paper and stickers for a great price.

How to Scrapbook in an Hour

Here’s the fun and easy part – just start taping!

You can layer some paper behind some of your photos if you want, or just tape them right in.

Add some stickers or a note about the memory or a date. I like to jot down some details about the photo or day that I can remember on a separate piece of paper, and then tape it on for some extra color.

Do a few different pages and boom – you just scrapbooked!

(My kids helped place these polka dots here – remember it doesn’t have to be perfect!)

Since this is simple enough to do and the books are smaller, you can always pick a theme to stick to for each book if you’re overwhelmed by just how many memories live in your camera roll right now.

Maybe it’s a book dedicated to a specific Christmas, a book of everyone’s birthdays and parties over the years, chronicling a family vacation, or one book per kid to watch them grow.

Or, you can just print out all your favorite family photos and add them in at random so each page is a little surprise waiting to be seen. If your kids are like mine, they will be truly delighted to look through these pages of memories, especially if it’s photos they haven’t seen in a while.

I hope this project will bring you joy like it did for me! Remember – simple is better than perfect, every single time. Have fun!

A small scrapbook like this also works so well with recipe cards! This would make SUCH a cute bridal shower or wedding gift – full of family recipes and photos!

Grab a box of blank recipe cards and fill in your favorite recipes. You could even have these out a table at a bridal or baby shower and have guests write their favorite recipes down and compile later.