1. Take many photos

The most important aspects of a scrapbook are its photos. In order to make a good scrapbook, you must take a lot of photos — the more the better. These photos should be of important events, people, places and animals (among other things).The photos should be personal and mean something to you. They should also be vibrant and engaging. You should store these photos in a safe, dry, climate-controlled place. 

• Additional tip: Kodak.com recommends taking close-up shots to help you remember the details of what was occuring when the photo was taken. 

2. Keep memorable items

Mementos such as ticket stubs, airplane tickets, greeting cards and invitations also add sentimental value to your scrapbook. If some item is important to you, consider putting it in your scrapbook.

• Additional tip: According to MarthaStewart.com, anything can be potential material for a scrapbook. The website explained that even business cards can be used in a scrapbook to help you remember stores, hotels, restaurants and other locations.

3. Pick a theme

Every scrapbook needs to have a theme. Ideas for themes range from holidays to vacations to births. If you have a wide variety of pictures from different events, don’t be afraid to make multiple scrapbooks. In order to add as much detail as possible to your scrapbook, you need to narrow its focus. Placing photos from too many events will make your scrapbook seem scattered and confusing. 

4. Buy supplies

If you want to make a quality scrapbook, your supplies should reflect your theme. For instance, if the theme of your scrapbook is a birth, then you may want to choose pastel-colored paper, paint and markers. If you are making a vacation-themed scrapbook, you may want to choose supplies that remind you of a particular vacation spot. 

5. Plan each page

Like many things in life, scrapbooking is done best when you do a lot of planning. Planning doesn’t necessarily mean having to measure each picture and drawing out a rough draft of each page — although doing either wouldn’t hurt— but it does mean that you should think about what you want on each page. After you figure out what you want on a page, you should lay these objects on the page, without gluing them, to see how they look in relation to one another. 

6. Begin gluing your photos and mementos onto paper

Following your previously made design plans, start gluing your photos and mementos on to stationary, colored paper, or other kinds of decorative paper. Matting your photos against colorful paper will help make the photos “pop.” This will also be the time to add embelishments such as buttons, ribbons and glitter. Make sure to not make your pages too busy. If you add too many items to a page, you won’t be able to focus as well on a particular photo or memento. 

• Additional tip: Disney’s FamilyFun website advises writing funny quotations, stories and jokes on your scrapbook pages. The website also recommends drawing cartoons and doodles to keep your pages unique and engaging. 

7. Insert the pages into your album

After allowing the glue to dry, shake your pages to rid them of any excess material, then slide them into page protectives in your photo album. 

8. Store your scrapbook

Making a scrapbook is a lot of fun. Looking at your scrapbook years after you made it is an even more enjoyable experience. To prevent damage to your scrapbooks, you should store them in a secure spot. Also, don’t be afraid to share your scrapbooks with others, especially those who are in your scrapbooks.