10 Things You Should Include When Putting Together a Scrapbook

Do you ever sit down with the urge to scrapbook, but not feel motivated by any of the stacks of photos sitting around you? Maybe you just need something new to scrapbook, rather than another pack of pictures for a child's birthday party. Consider these ideas of things that should be included in your scrapbook.

The Bad Pictures. Of course you want to scrapbook all those adorable photos of your little angels grinning at the camera. But don't toss out the ones of your newborn screaming during her photo shoot. Make a layout for your scrapbook of some of the not-so-great pictures. Life isn't always a bowl of cherries and your scrapbook should reflect that. Also, if you have some cute pictures that turned out blurry, or too far away etc, go ahead and create a layout using those as well. Reality is art, after all.

Your Pets. Especially for those scrapbookers without children, pets can be such a fun subject to scrapbook. Create a memorial to a pet who is no longer living, or take scrapbook those snapshots from the early puppy days.

Your Car. Whether you drive a wreck or a soup-ed up sports car, your car is likely an important part of your life. Does it have a name? Is there a story behind where you go it? Take some pictures of your vehicle (maybe some fun ones on a car wash day!) and create a scrapbook page about it.

Everyday Life. What did you do all day today? Can you even remember? A scrapbook layout of your everyday life is the perfect addition to an album about yourself, or just a great thing for your posterity to read. Everyday things are often the most interesting in retrospective. Some ideas include making a list of everything you did during a 24 hour period, or picking a random moment of the day and documenting it.

Your Job. Considering how much time you probably spend at work, your job is probably not fairly represented in your scrapbook. Perhaps you'd rather spend more time than you have to thinking about work. But if you have some good friends as coworkers, you might want to include them in your scrapbook. Also, writing about what you do for a living in your journaling will help those you read your scrapbook in the future get to know a different side of you.

Your Routine. A scrapbook page that documents your hour-by-hour schedule would be fun. The things you do everyday may seem boring, but wouldn't you like to know what your grandmother's routine was like when she was your age? Another idea would be to pick something specific - like your child's bedtime routine - to record in your scrapbook.

Yourself. Don't forget about you! Often scrapbookers are so focused on documenting other aspects of their lives that they forget to scrapbook themselves. Of course, this isn't made any easier if you take all the pictures and aren't in any of them. Step out from behind the camera and be in some of the photos. Or scrapbook your own childhood and teenage years. Journal about who you are now. As much as your children will appreciate the scrapbooks you've created for them, they'll want to see who you were too!

Favorite Things. What are your child's favorite toys at this age? Is there a stuffed animal he won't go to sleep without? A book you have to read to her every day? Record your child's favorite things in a scrapbooking layout and you can almost hear him saying in the future, "I remember that!" Document your own favorite things too. What is your favorite drink you pick up at the coffee shop every Friday morning? Do you have a pair of slippers you must wear while scrapbooking? Or a favorite book you could read over and over?

Scrapbooking or Other Hobbies. Like your job, your hobbies are an important part of your life. How many hours a week do you spend scrapbooking? (Not enough, probably!) Scrapbooking, crafting, or any other hobby you indulge in, makes a great subject for a scrapbook layout.

Family recipes. There are stories behind many family recipes just waiting to be told. Whether it's your great-grand-father's sourdough starter kept alive all these years, or a recipe your mom made for your dad on their first date, or even something you remember from your childhood, a family recipe is a precious memory waiting for a place of honor in your scrapbook.