Planning out a scrapbook?

oh - and you'll never be 'caught up' really as long as you continue to make memories and take photos. So enjoy the process and remember every photo doesn't have to be scrapped

My chronological family album I try to stay within, or close to, the same year and I take an easy going, work on it as I'm able approach. I go to a retreat in January so to prep for that retreat I print all the photos (if I haven't already started an album) from the previous year and make a list of the layouts I want to do. I usually get through October done at my retreat, then just continue to work on it as I can. I don't stress over it.

When I work on something more specific like a school album, or a baby album for one of my adult kids, etc I take a completely different approach. I gather all my photos and memorabilia. I try to limit my supplies to 1-2 paper lines and only a handful of colors of cardstock. Again, I make a list of events I want to capture/layouts.

Using a school album as an example...I sorted photos, artwork, memorabilia into grades. My goal was (2) two page layouts per year. I wanted their school headshot, any activities they were involved in, a couple pictures from events/field trips and a photo of their friends from that year. This worked really well for Elementary and Middle School. Once they were in High School and had more activities I did a separate album with a 2 pg spread for each activity. I very, very roughly used Becky Higgins approach to school albums--mostly just the organizational part. Once I have sorted through all the photos and paperwork, assembling the album was a piece of cake and went quickly!

Another example is a travel album. While we are traveling I keep somewhat of a journal. What we did that day and any fun memories, thoughts, laughs, experiences we had. When I get home I make my list of events I want to remember, pick out my paper line and print my photos. I can generally do a travel album in a weekend.

I think the key to my method is limiting my choices. If I have too many choices, it takes me forever. That and organizing my photos. After that I can fly through the layouts.

I’ve organized my photos because I have a few projects I want to start, and. Few coming later. So for me organizing the photos is a good starting point. I’ve yet to start these projects but I’m trying to get there!

I don't really plan anything although all my photos are sorted by year/date/activity and will eventually go in the corresponding family album for that year. I don't enjoy scrapping chronologically so this works for me. I just like to scrap what is inspiring to me at the time.


I do have my 2 DDs birth to 2 albums finished and what I did was put page protectors in an album and labelled each page so I would know what I wanted to eventually scrap...ultrasound, birth story, month 1, month 2, milestones, cute memories, etc. This would work for any type of album with pages labeled according to the vacation, special event, etc.

Good luck!

When I plan an album I try to have a start and end in mind.  Most of my projects take multiple books and it is a challenge to figure out when to split the book into a new one.  I always scrap chronologically if I can.  Many times a logical place to move to a new album means one album is a bit thinner than it could have been or a bit overstuffed.

I never split an event into 2 albums.  For example, if I was doing pictures of one party I would not have them split between 2 albums.  A large event like a wedding may have a less obvious split between albums, but I would know why I stopped and started where I did.

probably because you remember the current better and can get those memories down now while they are still fresh

I don't plan out a whole scrapbook.

I scrapbook in chronological order, and I very rarely go out of order.

My photos or photos cd's are all in photo boxes in chronological order.

When I am scrapbooking, and I pull the next group of photos. Then I pull the 12 x 12 envelope pertaining to whatever subject the photos are. Then I look through my assorted product binder to see if there's anything in there that I might want to use. Then I pull assorted coordinating papers. Then I sort through the photos and decide which one I want to use, then start putting this with that, or that with this, etc... then once things start coming together(usually roughly laid out on my table)...then I start assembly of the page(s). If I love it, it's done. If I'm not loving it, then more sorting and shuffling is done until I get it how like it. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for it to come together, sometimes it takes hours or days. 

My method may not work for others, but it works for me.

I'm working on a big vacation album along with Project Life for 2018/2019/2020.

I write out the stories I want to tell. Having the journaling outlined makes things go faster for me.
For Project Life, I have a list of highlights for each month.
Then I edit and print the photos.

My typical process is to fill the pockets. Add some journaling and filler cards.
Then I go back after a bunch of pages are full to add embellishments and stamping.

Which has occasionally led me to make doubles of the same pics/scrap them twice. Only 3 times over 22 years though. 

I scrap chronologically and keep one album per year. The only planning I do is to gather my pictures and memorabilia and sort it chronologically and start. I also do Project Life.

I pull out all of my photos for the year and then organize them into months. From there I break them down to events and a catchall page. I match them to pre-made layouts and anything that doesn't have a layout gets put in a baggie with a sketch/and or paper.

I used to plan. Then I realized my hobby felt like work, I had that grim feeling I’d never catch up... So I stopped planning & started scrapping whatever I wanted to. Now I’m having fun. Whatever plans you make, be sure to make enjoying yourself your top priority. Keep it fun. Don’t worry about getting caught up or getting it done. As long as you’re alive it will never be done so just enjoy it. It’s fun. Keep it that way.

For my regular scrapbooking I go Chrono by month. When I'm ready for the month I have a worksheet that I made to help me organize. I write down notes for social media, events with lots of photos and pull memorabilia. I go through my digital photos, first just favoriting good photos and put them in an album. Then grouping them usually by events, themes and general by making smaller folders within an album. Then I print contact sheet (lots of small images on one piece of paper) for each LO I think I will be making. From there I figure out order of the pages and if they will be a regular LO or pocket page. The I match up a sketch or pocket configuration and figure out which photos I want in which sizes. After all of that I print photos (in the exact sizes needed) and create page kits. I do about a month at a time.

For a vacation I will break it down into logical sections based on locations or time. Within that section I may scrap Chrono or by theme (eg for cruises I may do our rooms, meals, deck activities and ports vs Chrono). Vacations I do a photo book with the PL app and only paper scrap some of the significance stories or favorite photos. We usually do family vacations so the photo books allow me to easily make multiple copies to share.

I am pretty sure that if I tried to plan a scrapbook, I would get so caught up in the planning of it, that I'd never do any actual scrapbooking.     My best approach has always been to do whatever I feel like doing, with whatever supplies, for whatever photos, with like no expectations at all.