Paper Crafts Scrapbooking

How to Make a Scrapbook Page

By
Rebecca Ludens
Rebecca Ludens

Rebecca Ludens is a paper crafts expert and writer with two decades of hands-on scrapbooking and paper crafting experience. She authored "Teach Yourself Visually Scrapbooking," designed products for craft companies such as Artistic Wire and The Paper Loft, and teaches scrapbooking at workshops nationwide.

Learn more about The Spruce Crafts' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/06/24
basic scrapbook page

Carol Yepes / Getty Images

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Yield: 1 page

Scrapbooking is a popular hobby that can bring out your creative side and it's an easy way to capture and share your favorite memories. Tap your inner artist and create a page of personalized journal entries by following this step-by-step tutorial to scrapbook your photos.

How to Scrapbook at a Glance

You'll find all the materials you need in your favorite craft store, including a scrapbook album to start your venture. Scrapbook albums are typically 12x12 inches but come in different sizes, colors, and styles. Some may even provide a few pages to begin your project. Once you start, you'll likely want to add refill pages to expand your book, so choose an album that offers flexibility.

Here's an overview how to create a scrapbook page.

  • Sort your photos
  • Choose a focal point photo
  • Choose paper and embellishments
  • Create a background
  • Double-mat the main photo
  • Group mat the supporting photos
  • Add more photos
  • Write journaling entries
  • Add embellishments
  • Add the page to your album

Below is a free scrapbook page layout to begin your project. This layout has basic, clean lines that look fabulous in any album. Use it as a guide, but feel free to infuse your creativity into the page.

Free download scrapbook template
Ludens

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Paper cutter or paper trimmer
  • Scissors
  • Pen or marker for journaling
  • Adhesive (glue stick, double-sided tape)

Materials

  • 1 12x12-inch square scrapbook album
  • 1 12x12-inch square scrapbook page
  • 1 12x12-inch piece scrapbook paper (optional, for background)
  • Selection of card stock, white, solid colors, and patterns
  • 4 photos for your page
  • Stickers and other embellishments (optional)

Instructions

  1. Sort Your Photos

    To start your page, select several photos of one theme. In this sample, four photos from a fall trip to an apple orchard are used to create a single, 12x12-inch scrapbook page. If you're considering creating a two-page spread, choose several more pictures to fill both pages. 

    father and daughters apple picking
    Ludens

  2. Choose a Focal Point Photo

    1. Select one photo as the main picture on your layout. Having a single focal point is the easiest way to create a balanced, pleasing scrapbook page layout. Here, the strongest of the four images is the page's focal point.
    2. Next, crop or reprint the other photos in a smaller size so that the focal point photo is the largest one on the page.
    father and daughters apple picking
    Ludens

  3. Choose Paper and Embellishments

    Select solid and patterned papers in colors that accentuate the photos. This page's selection includes hunter green, navy, red, and white card stock, with a pair of blue-green patterned papers as accents.

    Coordinating Paper and Stickers

    You'll find many styles of patterned papers and card stock with coordinating stickers that are perfect for your layouts. Coordinated items save you time when putting together your scrapbook page.

    family photos on top of sample scrapbook pages
    Ludens

  4. Create a Background

    To begin putting together the scrapbook page, you need a canvas. You can use a solid sheet of 12x12-inch scrapbook paper as your background for placing your images. Or, you can create a 12x12-inch background with patterned paper and card stock.

    1. Here, the background begins to come together with a 12x4-inch strip of solid green card stock.
    2. The green card stock is topped off with a 2-inch tall strip of patterned paper.
    3. Two more strips are added to the bottom of the green strip until the paper is 12x12 inches to fit onto the scrapbook page.
    patterned scrapbook page background
    Ludens

  5. Double-Mat the Focal Point Photo

    A double mat gives extra emphasis to the focal point on the page.

    1. First, the photo is placed on a mat of white card stock.
    2. Next, a slightly larger frame of red card stock is added underneath the white card stock.
    3. Once the focal point photo is matted, it's placed on the large field of green card stock in the middle of the page.

    Matting to Balance the Page

    If you're unable to make the supporting photos smaller, double-matting the focal point photo is often all you need to give it the prominence required to balance the layout.

    creating a matted border for photo
    Ludens

  6. Group Mat the Supporting Photos

    Matting several photos on one piece of card stock is a great time-saving technique in scrapbooking. Here, all three supporting photos are placed on a mat of a single strip of white card stock.

    Use your paper cutter to trim down photos so they are the same size if you're using them on a group mat.

    grouping family photos together
    Ludens

  7. Add Photos

    Experiment with your layout without adhesive. Dry-fitting the parts of your layout before adhering them to it is a great way to test the placement of the pieces and make sure you like how they will look on the page.

    placing family photos on scrapbook page
    Ludens

  8. Add Journaling

    The photos on your page will lose meaning over the years without supporting copy.

    1. Here, the text is printed on a sheet of white card stock.
    2. The card stock is then trimmed to fit on a strip of navy card stock.
    3. The journal entry is then placed next to the focal point photo.

    Ways to Journal

    You can handwrite your journaling, use pre-printed quotes in fancier fonts, or print your text for easy reading. 

    photos and caption organized on scrapbook page
    Ludens

  9. Add Simple Embellishments

    This particular scrapbook layout doesn't require many embellishments. A simple nature-themed sticker added to the top is all that's needed to complete the scrapbook page.

    scrapbook embellishment
    Ludens

  10. Add the Scrapbook Page to Your Album

    The completed scrapbook page is a simple and quick way to create a layout that uses four photos. It tells the picture's story in a clean and classic way that you'll be proud to display in your albums.

    A completed scrapbook page with photos, text, and embellishments
    Ludens