How to Make a Baby Scrapbook Album

First, you'll want to begin to purchasing an archival safe and acid-free album of your choice. Sizes can range anywhere from 6"x6" to 12"x12". If you want to make one as a gift, you might want to use a smaller size. You can include page protectors, but it's not a necessity. The album itself can be spiral bound or postbound. Spiral bound albums are nice, because the spirals can also be embellished giving it a special touch.

Decide on a theme. You can turn it into an ABC album, my first year, either whimsical, cartoonisch or elegant, whichever you prefer.

Next you'll want to choose your colors, blue/green/brown/yellow/orange for boys, ink/purple/yellow/orange/brown for girls and green/yellow/brown for unisex. If possible try to coordinate the colors in the photograph with your cardstock and coordinating patterned papers. Try to stick with double layouts as it is more pleasing to the eye to have coordinated layouts. I usually take the right side of a double spread for the photo(s) and the left side for journaling. You might want to stick with the same color schemes throughout, changing the style from double to double layout.

When embellishing, try to keep it simple. A simple bow, sticker, tag, buttons or flower with ribbon might do. If you're using a small album, then you have to make use of the space you have available, so it's best not to clutter the pages with embellishments. Different types of embellishments you can use are stickers, diecuts or cut-outs of baby carriages, baby bottles, safety pins, real saftey pins, bows, angel wings, baby buttons, letter beads, metal plaques with baby's hands and feet or various stamp images. Just go to your local scrapbooking store and you'll see what you might need.

For the journaling, you might want to use your printer and print on vellum. It gives the layout a very special and soft look. Adhere the vellum with brads, staples and ribbon, buttons, mini safety pins, eyelets, or with vellum adhesive. If you want a very personal touch, use your handwriting. I tend to mix the two. You can also use large tags for journaling

You'll also want to decorate the front cover. Sometimes you can find albums with windows on the cover, which is great for placing a beautiful photo of the baby. It's a good idea to take a piece of transparency to cover the photo for protection in case there isn't already one included. Cover the front partially or completely with patterned paper, use a wide piece of ribbon and tie around the front cover near the spine. If you have a spiral album, tie a few ribbons into the spirals. Embellish the frame and put on the baby's name and viola! Cover finished!

When making an album for someone else, you'll want to make a pre-made scrapbooking album without photos. Make sure that you include photo mats to adhere the pictures onto and make titles or journaling generic. i.e. "Sweet Little Angel" can be for both a girl and a boy.

Hopefully I have provided you with lots of good information to make a great baby scrapbooking album! Have fun!


cover of baby girl album "My Birth Story" double spread

Jacqueline M. Schimmel is a Professional Scrapbook Designer who designs custom and premade scrapbooks, cards, frames and teaches scrapbooking courses in Germany. The name of her business is Memories Artwork™ located at http://memoriesartwork.typepad.com.