I didn’t think I was going to make a special Christmas scrapbook this year.

For one thing, I didn’t want to overload us – both myself and YOU – with 31+ days of prompts and videos!

But that was in November.

Why on earth would I ever think I wasn’t going to make a Christmas scrapbook?

Today, it’s December 1 and two things occurred to me:

1. Christmas will be over before I know it.
2. I can’t not document the holidays in SOME way.

 

The Dilemma of 12″ x 12″ albums

I haven’t scrapbooked in a 12″ x 12″ album for a while.

I love little books that one can look through quickly and be done with.

I love that little books are not cumbersome to hold and I love that I can show one to someone without them being bored to tears, eyes glazing over, as they mindlessly flip through pages and pages of albums. It’s true; after so long, looking at albums–unless they are of you or your own–gets boring.

That’s not to say I don’t LIKE 12″ x 12″ albums.

In fact, with the new little grandbabies around here, it’s so tempting to get back into making some bigger pages.

Yup, that’s my two littlest grandbabies in that picture! I expect there will be some Christmas fun with them this year!

And whether your subjects are big or small, story-telling is so much easier in a big space.

And I’ve done it big.

I have a 12″ x 12″ Creative Memories style album that is dedicated just to being a Christmas scrapbook. I haven’t added to that one in a number of years and I don’t expect I’ll ever add to that one.

For one, I don’t want it any thicker than it is. I’ve had trouble with the strap-hinges letting go when the album is too full. Plus, I like bulk and texture and that style of album just doesn’t allow for it.

(I recently listed a few packs of those strap-hinge pages on my Facebook page so check it out if you’re in need of some!)

I’ve been doing a small album each year for a number of years.

If you’re thinking of getting away from 12″ x 12″ albums, don’t worry; you don’t have to fill the entire book this year. There’s nothing wrong with using a small album year after year, until it’s full.

There really is no right or wrong in papercrafting. Do what works for YOU!

A small album works for me.

For you, it might be a big one. You might even want to prep your pages ready for Christmas photos after the holidays. Wouldn’t that be easy scrapbooking?

It could also make picture-taking easy if you pre-plan the type of photos you want.

But I’m way ahead of myself.

Right now, let’s ponder; what to use for a Christmas scrapbook, journal, or album?

My book options for a Christmas scrapbook

I love to make new books from old books, objects and packaging. And that’s something I have no shortage of.

If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve seen me recently trying to clear out some of my stash.

Not because I don’t love the items I’ve listed for sale.

I do.

But I have too much! I will never, ever create enough books to use up my massive collection.

I’m also never going to stop shopping! I love vintage shops. I love flea markets. I love garage sales.

And so, I’ve been letting some items go.

Freeing up space for more in the future.

Freeing up space to be able find the things I want to use right now.

Freeing up space for materials from other work projects that need to be stored in my room.

Despite what I’ve been offering for sale, I still have plenty of books to choose from.

I did a little digging and I found five different types of items that I could use for my Christmas book.

Let’s take a look at what I found.

1) Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Covers

Reader’s Digest Condensed Book covers are the best.

Trying to find cool covers can easily become an obsession of its own. But beware, if you start researching the value, you might be scared to ever use one for a journal or album.

My advice; simply don’t look.

If I bought it for $1 (or maybe a bit more, depending how much I like it), I’ll use it.

And some of the covers are quite pretty.

How about that one with the cardinals? Perfect for a Christmas book.

These books have gorgeous patterns and colours.

When I use them, I mostly cut the spines off. They are one part of the book that tends to get brittle with age so I prefer to create my own spine. But more on that in a future post.

Which of these Reader’s Digest book covers would you choose? Tell me in the comment section below.

2) Big Red Books

There’s something about big red books that makes me keep them. Perhaps it’s that I know they’ll make a great Christmas album some day.

These book covers measure about 8″ x 10″ and the pages would be a great size for photos. It could be more like a traditional scrapbook with more traditional layouts.

Notice that middle cover? Who doesn’t have one of those books? The ones where you’re supposed to document all your Christmas details in the spaces allotted on the decorative pages?

I suspect most of us never actually fill them out.

So there. Now you have a use for that book you’ve been meaning to complete, go grab it.

Gut it.

And use the cover.

And take a look at those inside pages. Some of them will be worth reusing or repurposing.

As for the book on the left, I kept it simply because of the gorgeous embossing on the cover.

And the one on the right? It’s red.

Did you ever have one of those fill-in-the-blanks books? Did you complete it? Tell all in the comments below.

3) Little Red Books

Do you like a smaller book for your holiday-themed scrapbook?

These are the small ones I dug out. I considered using one of these for my project.

The book on the right was a school reader. It wasn’t very thick and it’s a tad tiny so using it would result in a very thin book.

But the cover IS adorable for a Christmas scrapbook.

Remember; you could also get this look by gluing or decoupaging a vintage image (think old books, wrapping paper, or greeting cards) to the cover of a plain book.

The red book on the left actually held old music records. I tossed the records when I bought the book at a flea market years ago.

I love the colour of this book. It’s got a great embossed cover design, not Christmas-themed, but who would really notice? Even the title could work as is.

I love the spine and the binding too.

And that page on the inside cover.

I also love the pages, which I kept intact.

I’m already thinking about the different ways I could use those pages, peek-a-boo circles and all! I could put layouts in the pocket. I could cover the sleeves. I could let a photo show on both sides of the page.

And who doesn’t love working on Kraft-coloured paper?

Do you have any ideas for those sleeves? Share them in the comments below.

4) Children’s Story Books

Children’s story books make the sweetest covers.

They are so whimsical.

So nostalgic.

I bet you’ve seen some of these Little Golden Books before.

You might even have some around your house.

Little Golden Books are definitely still around but you can find some that are quite old.

So old you might not want to cut them up!

And depending on the editions, the condition, etc. some can be valuable.

My advice is the same as I give for the Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, don’t look.

If you start looking, you might be hesitant.

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Want an easy way to make a Christmas scrapbook? Click here.

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I generally look for books that have a good cover but are damaged inside. Perhaps a child scribbled on the pages. Or pages got torn out.

I’m also okay with a book having some wear and tear on the cover. It adds to the vintage look.

These cosmetic issues generally mean a book has lost it’s value so I don’t worry about using it.

If I use a Little Golden Book for a journal/scrapbook, I generally keep the story intact. I like to spread the pages through the book, in order of course, so that the complete story can still be enjoyed.

That could be especially fun if you’re making the book for a child.

If you were choosing, which one of these Little Golden Books would you use?

5) Christmas Tins

Ever get a tin of cookies or candies for Christmas?

Who throws them away?

How adorable is this tin? I could never throw it away!

And it’s a great size, 8″ x 10″.

Here’s a peek at the inside.

The cool thing about this tin is that you could save other mementoes from the holidays as well. Tuck in your Christmas cards, a favourite gift tag, maybe even some wrapping paper. You could toss in some loose photos or make a booklet or album to sit inside.

Imagine the fun of pulling these tins out in future years to see what’s inside. It would be like a little time capsule of Christmas past!

What do you do with tins? Toss them? Or repurpose? Tell us in the comments, please!

How will I choose my Christmas scrapbook?

I wasn’t sure what I’d want to choose. My top three are probably the Reader’s Digest with the cardinals on the cover, the large red cover with the embossing, or the Santa’s Toyshop book.

I love the record cover album – just not for this year.

I’m not expecting to have any major events/activities to record this Christmas so I don’t NEED a big book.

What I do expect is to see lots of fun photos of little grandbabies and their parents enjoying Christmas.

So I’m choosing…

…Santa’s Toy Shop.

It’s a whimsical cover. That’s my goal; a whimsical Christmas and for that, I’ll want a whimsical Christmas album. As you can see, some of the pages have been scribbled on and are pretty messed up.

We’ll talk more about what I can do with them next time.

Stay tuned for some book-binding talk and tips and how to choose pages.

Right now, go ahead and start the search for your own book. Feel free to share your choices in The Scrapbook PlayRoom on Facebook if you need some help deciding what to choose.

And if you want to purchase one of the books I shared in this article to make your own Christmas scrapbook, let me know.

Everything’s for sale. And I can always buy more.

Let me know in the comments; are YOU making a special Christmas book for yourself or someone else?