Make Your Own Scrapbook Cover

From LoveToKnow Scrapbooking

Learning how to make your own scrapbook cover is a wonderful way to ensure your album is a one-of-a-kind creation from start to finish.

A binder with a clear plastic insert makes it easy to create a customized cover for an 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook album.

Judging a Book by Its Cover

"You can't judge a book by its cover." While this saying may ring true in many circumstances, scrapbookers are an exceptionally creative group of people. If you've put so much time and effort into your layouts, it's only natural to want to display them in a beautiful album. There are a number of unique scrapbook albums available for purchase, but decorating a plain album is a wonderful way to make sure you have a book that's as unique as your memories.

Learn to Make Your Own Scrapbook Covers

If you want to make your own scrapbook cover, there are many different personalization options available. For example:

Choose an album with a keyhole insert, then personalize it with a photo or a decorated block of paper that gives the album's title.
Decorate a plain cloth covered album with fabric paint. Swirls and dots made with puffy paint can add a touch of dimension to your project. Stars made with glow-in-the dark fabric paint are a fun addition to the front of a child's scrapbook album.
Add rub-on letters to a vinyl scrapbook album cover to label the book with a name or date.
Cover a plain chipboard album with your favorite patterned paper or a collage of die cut embellishments and leftover family photos.
Use strong adhesive dots to attach metal charms or chipboard embellishments to the cover of the album.
If you can sew, make a fabric slipcover than can be taken on and off the album as needed. This is also a great way to lend a unified look to a collection of mismatched albums.
Add ribbon ties to the rings of a spiral-bound scrapbook.
If you scrapbook 8 ½ x 11 pages, purchase binders from an office supply store that feature inserts for custom covers. Make a pretty sample layout using your favorite supplies to slip into the cover.

Making an Album from Scratch

While the methods listed above will help you personalize a plain scrapbook album cover, you may want to try making an album from scratch. Bookbinding can be a fun and enjoyable hobby for paper crafting enthusiasts. To learn more, check out the following helpful links:

The same bookbinding techniques you use to create a scrapbook album can also be used to make handmade journals to give as special gifts for your family and friends.

Customized Digital Covers

Digital scrapbookers have many options available for making scrapbook covers as well. When you order a photo memory book from a service such as Snapfish or Shutterfly, you can choose from a variety of cover options. Covers can be created using a pre-designed template or you can upload your own image to make a completely customized cover. Velvet, leather, and linen finishes are also available to make your own scrapbook cover.

Do My Scrapbooks Need to Match?

One of the most commonly debated issues among those new to scrapbooking is whether or not all your finished albums need to match. This is purely a matter of personal preference. If you plan to display your albums in your living room which is neat and sparsely decorated, a row of perfectly matching scrapbooks may be the most visually appealing. However, there is something to be said about the quirky charm of books that each have their own unique appeal.

Retrieved from "http://scrapbooking.lovetoknow.com/Make_Your_Own_Scrapbook_Cover"