I Want to Start a Scrapbook for My 17 Year Old

Great question.

Over the years, I had tubs that I threw stuff in - assuming I'd get around to this one day. I am not crafty and I have scrapbooking sisters.

The tubs were taking over, and so we hauled them out - each kid and I one at a time, and I had them pick their favorite things to keep - because what I thought was important, was not. I was saving so much that had no importance to them - that I was sure mattered!

So in the end, there was just enough for a scrapbook.

If you go to a place like Michael's - they have scrapbooks with inspirational quotes on the front, or just basic ones. You can get overwhelmed. I know I do. So I just had my kid (done one at this point) pick it out. You can buy (easily) one stack of paper to start in the color family they would like. One of my kids likes bright colors, so that's what we picked. The sheets fit in and for now, I just shoved an important memory into each sleeve and it started to come together - just do it in order.

Then - if you're into this, they have all the little things you can add - decorations (probably a name for this) at the store.

I suppose that's the fun part. For me, I am not sure if I'll ever get around to that part. By the time I have the picture, the 'thing' we're remembering and little scraps and bits that went along with it, that's enough for us. It was simply a place to store the memory instead of a tub.

:) Good luck. I'm sure she will appreciate having it all in one place and fun to go through!

I did a scrap/photo book for my son as a high school graduation gift. Good heavens, it wore me out! (In a good way!) I bought the book from Hallmark and ended up going back over and over to get more pages and the expanders. If I had known that I could have saved money on a Hallmark points card, I would have done that upfront.

I put representative pictures of him as a baby, later in youth sports, on vacations, special things that I knew meant something to him. With family and cousins, etc. In high school sports, choir, plays and musicals. His programs, sports records, prom pictures, school friends. Back when he was applying for colleges, they sent out acceptance letters. I put every one of them in the scrapbook, including his letter giving him his scholarship.

I put every card he was sent for graduation into the book along with a picture of him and that person. And of course, his graduation announcement was in there too.

After all this I put a “people who love you” section in there.

I had it all laid on my dining room table for a good while, and as I added, I re-organized. I am not a scrapbooker, so to speak, so it wasn’t fancy like real scrapbookers make, but I did my best to make it look good.

He took it to college with him, and showed it to close friends. I know it means a lot to him.

Do you have a good store near you that specializing in craft and scrapbooking supplies? Around here, we have Michael's and we have Joann Fabrics, which has a big craft section. See if one near you has a class for beginners. It will save you a lot of time in the long run. After the class, talk to he store experts - don't let them oversell you, but if you make friends with them, you can come in when you get stuck and show them your "rough drafts" that need work. Nothing better than one-on-one attention.

Good morning! I have made scrapbooks for my 2 daughters and I am currently filling my 2 granddaughters scrapbooks...as they grow. I picked up scrapbooks that I thought they would find appealing, and a package of assorted scrapbook sheets that coordinated, some pretty adhesive number and letter packages, and glue sticks. I dedicated the first page to their birth. Announcement, 1st pictures, ultrasound pic (for 2nd daughter), 1 page of pics from about 1 mos. to 3, 1 page 6 - 9 mos., 1 page 9-12 mos., then a page each for 1 yr, 2 yr, 3 yr, 4K, K, 1st Grade thru Senior. I made a collage of pics on each page in the beginning, school years I had their 8 x 10 school pic and maybe a couple other snapshots if they were significant. The last few pages I filled with a collage of college graduation pics, pics of them with friends, family, laughing, silly whatever. I used adhesive letters and numbers for their ages on specific pics, grades etc., I also typed out a few things in different type styles and sizes, printed them, cut them out and added to the scrapbook. I was pleased with how they turned out. Simple, yet was a snapshot of their lives thru graduation. I gave my 1st daughter her book at her baby shower, my second daughter I decided not to wait. Michael's is a good place to buy supplies, and they always have coupons.

I love it. It's not too late. I would just do the hightlights.
A few pics of each stage:
baby
first food pic
first walk
first day of kindergarten
riding bike for first time
elementary sports
Halloween trick or treating
Christmas pics
16 years old around the time she got her license
prom pictures if any etc.
A great idea. Love it.

This looks like a massive endeavor. 17 years is no joke a lot of pictures. I would select a theme
Maybe school related like 1st day, sports activities etc. Have you thought about doing a photo book? Might be easier, faster, cheaper then scrapbook.

Also maybe selecting the photos you love the best that have emotional sentiment to you might be more powerful.

I would do one on Shutterfly or some such online photography place. That will help you with time and energy. You can pick backgrounds etc. Are all the photos on your computer? I'd start by going through and identifying your favorite memories through the years and put them in order. I wouldn't have any set number of pages for each year. Sometimes, the years weren't super memorable but the next 2 had tons of memories. Play it by ear and have fun. It's a labor of love...enjoy

I think all your options are good, you just have to pick a theme and go for it. I would plan a bit in advance though and decide how many pages your're going to give to each age/grade and then you have a limited space so you don't go crazy trying to fit every single picture. If you start from birth or K I would just do like 2 pages per year and do a few pictures from various seasons.