My daughter’s first grade graduation party went off without a hitch. She celebrated the milestone with family, friends, and a huge five-tiered chocolate cake. In addition to the sugar and smiles, my soon-to-be second grader scored a gaggle of gifts, including a beginner’s scrapbook.
Interestingly, my daughter didn’t quite know what to make of the book containing pre-made layouts. Since I am a relatively avid scrapper, I have always allowed her to make page designs from scratch using my stash of photos and embellishments. The album she was presented with includes decorations and mats for photographs, so there is little that needs to be done, save for inserting pictures and adding captions.
This could be a saving grace if you are just getting into scrapbooking or you simply don’t have the time or money to collect various paper and embellishments to design your own unique layouts. The pre-made albums are also ideal for kids, who are just getting into the hobby, though if you have a particularly creative child, she may feel stifled by the fact that the pages are pre-arranged.
Personally, I would recommend the pre-made books for very young kids, not ones who have prior experience crafting. While you don’t need a lot of separate scrapbook supplies to create a page, you also don’t get a lot of practice mixing and matching products.
On the flipside, there are plenty of companies that sell pre-made scrapbook albums, which means you have quite a collection of options to choose from. For example, Scrapbook Doodle offers monthly themed kits that feature whimsical pre-made albums and separate page designs. Save Your Life Scrapbooks also offers custom pre-made layouts and mini albums that can be constructed in less than an hour. However, my favorite online resource that features original pre-made scrapbook layouts is Etsy. The crafters on this site are extraordinary talented, and it shows in their diverse handcrafted albums with pre-made layouts that are second to none in terms of quality and creativity.
Do you think pre-made scrapbooks are too easy?
Related Articles:
Do You Have a Favorite Scrapbook Brand?