Making a family scrapbook can be the ideal way to organize all those piles of old photographs that many people have stored away in boxes or drawers. Having basic, acid-free scrapbook materials such as papers, markers and stickers can go a long way in helping you create a family scrapbook to hopefully pass down through generations. The first step in beginning the scrapbook should be to look through all of the photographs and other items you may have, such as sports ribbons or certificates and special school papers. After you pick out the materials you want to include, re-examine all of the family-themed materials you have to help you come up with organizational ideas for your scrapbook.
One method of making an interesting family album scrapbook is to organize the materials by date. For instance, if you have old black and white photographs of grandparents or other relatives, you could order these at the beginning of the family scrapbook. Of course, use only those photos that you can identify with the person's full name and at least the approximate date. Adding a beautifully patterned, acid-free paper under a photograph isn't going to work for future generations if "Grandpa's Farm" is the only identifier. If you can't provide a reasonable amount of detail such as "Grandpa Paul Jackson's Dairy Farm, 1950s, Hillsboro, Wisconsin," or "Uncle Melvin and Aunt Hilda Murray's home, December 1965, Perth, Australia," it's probably best not to use the picture in the scrapbook.
Another method that's popular when making family-themed scrapbooks is organizing everything by titles on the pages. For example, a family scrapbook page labeled "First Birthdays" could display this event for all of a couple's children. Another page titled "Family Pets" could feature photographs as well as information such as names, favorite toys and other notes about each pet in the family's life, past and present. The variation on these theme pages are endless; you may want to include exterior and interior shots of different places the family has lived in or vacationed at.
Take your time not only in creating the pages for the family scrapbook, but in choosing the album itself. You may decide a certain color suits the family best or not to get a light-colored scrapbook cover because it may show dirt more after many years. Again, it's important that all of the materials you choose for the project, including the family scrapbook itself, are acid-free to help ensure the album's longevity.
