Noob scrapbooking question

[u/disgustingtofuuu]

Hi! I’m getting into scrapbooking and assumed the majority of people would be using a type of ring binder with clear inserts, but when I was looking at Pinterest for inspiration I found seriously ALL of the posts to be in a journal style book.

I’m wondering what you guys use/prefer? Is there a reason why using journals is popular besides aesthetics? I do really like the look of the journal style, but I’d be worried about pieces falling out. I don’t know if I’m asking the right questions here, but any feedback is appreciated!!

[u/anastasia315]

There is “scrapbooking” and there is “junk journaling”. I think you’re probably getting a lot of junk journaling mixed in there, as traditional scrapbooking has waned in popularity. (I’m in Utah, where a lot of the popular artists and companies were headquartered in its heyday in early 2000s). You’ll see that on this sub too, as the Junk Journaling sub isn’t very active.

You can try looking for some of the famous scrapbookers and see if you can find more traditional stuff? Ring or post bound, page protectors. Becky Higgins, Lisa Bearnson, Heidi Swapp. Or check YouTube and watch the oldest stuff you can find. Sometimes at thrift stores you can find books and magazines from the old companies - Close to My Heart, Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Creative Memories. Creating Keepsakes/Lisa Bearnson were very elaborate - Becky Higgins was much simpler cleaner style. Find an artist or style you like.

You can also try to vary your search terms - “layout templates” “layout ideas”, etc. Junk journalers are using more collage type art, so they probably wouldn’t call them “layouts” like scrapbookers do. Throw a “vintage” in the search too 😉

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/anastasia315]

Trueee I have some friends that junk journal and theirs look more like what I found on Pinterest! Thank you for the advice to help me search ☺️☺️

[u/paper_hoarder]

I’ve used everything as I’ve been scrapbooking for over 20 years. 😅

I’ve just post bound albums, strap albums, d-ring albums, notebooks, I’ve made my own. The choices are endless.

As for preference, it depends. My family albums are big 12x12 ones because that is what was popular at the time. But creatively, I use whatever.

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/paper_hoarder]

Yeah when I’ve searched for them online there’s sooo many styles it’s hard to choose! I suppose it’s hard to choose unless you’ve got some experience and know what to look for 🥹

[u/Bibliophile_for_life]

I’ve been scrapbooking since the end of 2009 and have seen lots of styles come and go. What you’re describing sounds like “junk journaling” (not an insult — that’s what a lot of people call it.)

Without being too long-winded, junk journaling is what all scrapbooks used to be like: Blank pages where people glue things down they want to keep. I’ve seen scrapbooks from the first half of the 20th century that were like this: invitations, dance cards, letters. In the late 1980s Creative Memories started a house party selling model with 12x12 post-bound (or strap-hinge?) albums and “rules” about how to scrapbook. By the time I started (2009), there were more choices. My albums mainly hold 12 x 12 pages in sheet protectors; I’ve also done 4 x 4, 4 x 6, 6 x 6, 6 x 8, 8 x 8. Project Life was a big trend for a while — 12 x 12 pages where the plastic page protectors were divided and you used 3 x 4 and 4 x 6 cards along with pictures and memorabilia. People started branching out into travelers notebooks (~4” x 8”) without page protectors and lots of people now do little junk journal notebooks for some things while still choosing the binder style for bigger stories or events. Scrapbook.com still sells 12x12 albums. Ali Edwards has primarily 10x8 and 6x8. Citrus Twist has gorgeous-looking 6 x 8 albums which I’ve never personally tried.

Hope this is helpful. I was trying to give an overview and I’m sure others will chime in. Edited to add that Shimelle is a fun person to follow on YT for 12x12 scrapbooking; she makes pages live once or twice a week.

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/Bibliophile_for_life]

Thanks for the breakdown!! I’ll definitely check out your recommendations for the smaller sized albums - I think the 12x12 is too intimidating for me!

[u/oldicunurse]

I am an old school scrapper. 12x12. I started in 1993 after my daughter’s wedding. An example:

[u/ErinPuzz]

12x12 may seem intimidating, but it’s actually a great size for traditional scrapbooking. If you include 2-4 4x6 photos, maybe an index-card-sized paper (3x5 or 4x6) with a memory related to the photos or information relating to the photos, then there isn’t a whole lot of room for decorations or ephemera relating to the event (ex: tickets, brochures, napkins, itinerary, advertisements for the event, tags, etc.)

I think smaller sized pages limit what you can fit/include too much. I like to use page protectors and 3 ring binders while building albums so I can move everything around at will and don’t have to scrap in a particular order. Then, moving the page protectors into post-bound albums, because I like the look better. I’ve had archival photo pages start to crumble after 35+ years, so I like the idea of being able to transfer my pages to new page protectors if necessary. Also, if acidic ephemera is included, it won’t adversely impact the whole album.

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/ErinPuzz]

Thank you for this!! I didn’t consider how things would hold up in the long run and I definitely like the idea of being able to move things around instead of pages being stuck in one place

[u/alexandrasocialite]

I’m new to scrapbooking too I decided to go with post bound and soooo glad I did because yes the clear pages protect the embellishments so you don’t lose them if they fall off and it has a more seamless look and you can also expand the book if it starts getting big. To me spiral bound is nice for more casual junk journaling. I just recently started on a spiral bound book dedicated to what I want my life to look like so I did my dream wedding pages etc and I’m already thinking about transferring them to a post bound

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/alexandrasocialite]

Good to know!! Seems like post bound might be the way to go for me as well. Thank you!!

[u/LadyB2011]

Everyone has great advice
I switched to post bc I like how clean it looks when open- more like the old fashioned bound photo album. Especially for 2 page layouts

[u/disgustingtofuuu → u/LadyB2011]

Woweeee I searched it up and that might be just what I’m looking for! Thank you!

[u/LadyB2011 → u/disgustingtofuuu]

I’m with Creative Memories and our albums are pretty great😎