The era of neutral tones and beige everything is of the past; summer ‘26 is on its way with a colorful awakening. “Scrapbooks,” “junk journals,” “memory manuals,” “artsy albums”–however one labels a compilation of tangible memorabilia and photos–are the ultimate approach to documenting your sunny season joy. But how do you start your analog archiving journey?
It is true that social media has taken over this originally tactile hobby. Pinterest boards replaced magazine cutouts for inspiration, and an Instagram “story” is the modern equivalent of a scrapbook page. Though for summer ‘26, let’s bring scrapbooking back to its roots. The first step is finding your binding, otherwise known as a scrapbook album. A standard album has 12-by-12 inch pages held together by a spiral-bound spine or three rings. This simple contraption of dead trees will soon become a capsule of summer sidequests, so purchase thoughtfully.
Next up: putting the “scrap” in a scrapbook. The necessities of curating a scrapbook include adhesive (a tape runner for flat aspects and foam squares to add dimension), cardstock paper (a spectrum of colors), patterned paper, scissors and printed photos (four by six inches or three by four inches). Each page of your scrapbook should have a specific mission, a story that can be told in one to four pictures. Do not overwhelm yourself with material—pick some pics, choose a color palette (pull from your pictures or select two to three main hues), determine your decor (stickers, souvenir movie tickets or old letters) and assign a title to each page.
From there, set your inner artist free…within the realm of reason. Begin by trimming a “background” solid-colored cardstock to the size of a page and fastening it in place. Then, plan your layout by placing the largest element/photo moderately off-center (not dead center) and test out potential positions of the other elements around it. Also, decide how you will display your title (letter cutouts, handwriting, etc.). Depending on the mission of your page, a journal entry or written recap may help document the memories. When you’ve locked in your layout, finalize the page with your adhesive of choice.
Pointers to become a professional scrapbooker this summer…
- Give your pictures room to breathe. This can be done by “matting” your photos, or cutting cardstock/pattern paper in the same shape but slightly larger than the picture, similar to a border.
- When debating whether to include a journal entry, do it. You may not have much to say, but words bring detail.
- Do not buy in bulk. Scrapbook beginners commonly make the mistake of investing in the entire Hobby Lobby art supply aisle, but the key is to start small and build your reservoir over time.
