A letters of the alphabet scrapbook may seem like a project best suited for a child's memory album, but this approach can be used for many other types of scrapbook layouts as well. From your child's first year of school to the ABCs of why you love someone, there are lots of ways to use the alphabet in a scrapbook.
The ABCs of Me
One use for a letters of the alphabet scrapbook is to create an "ABCs of Me" album. If you're like the majority of scrapbookers, you probably spend most of your time scrapbooking about the people around you. Break away from this pattern by making an album that focuses on you.
An "ABCs of Me" album is a good choice for starting to scrapbook about yourself because the pages don't need to be completed in any specific order. You can work on the project whenever you have time or whenever you feel inspired to talk about a particular topic. Instead of worrying about how to document one event, remember that you're trying to create a book that gives a broader picture of who you are as a person. You can place photos from your own childhood next to pictures of you taking your children out to the park. You can even make a collage of portraits taken over the years to show how your fashion sense has changed.
Ideas to use for pages include:
- Favorite foods: A is for apples could include photos from family apple picking.
- Favorite books, movies and songs: Give each page its own theme that revolves around the book or song being used. For example H is for Harry Potter may have some lightning bolts and broom sticks.
- Favorite people: You can do this by first name, last name or by things that remind you of someone, such as your Grandmas Peach Pies under P.
- Favorite places to visit: You could do an entire scrapbook about things found in a museum, for example, M is for Mummies.
- Hopes for the future: Create a bucket list in scrapbook form with all the things you want to accomplish, such as T is for travel.
- Most important accomplishments: This can be done either by accomplishment itself, or by the attributes you used, for example it took C for courage to tackle a rock wall.
- Words that describe you: Use photos of yourself that express each character trait and match it with a corresponding letter. For example, if you're intelligent, put on some glasses and grab a textbook for a photo labeled "S is for smart."
- Inspirational quotes or Bible verses: Highlight the first letter used in the verse, or highlight the name of a person featured within it.
ABC Gift Albums
Another great use for a letters of the alphabet scrapbook is making a gift album. The ABC format is easy to follow and can be adapted to fit a variety of occasions. For example:
- Baby's First Year: This fun site offers lots of ideas you can use for a baby's first yearbook, such as the different foods he tries for the first time.
- Little Boys: Try using expressions that reflect your son's personality with an alphabet list of A is for adventurous and B is for boisterous.
- Little Girls: Create a scrapbook of the ABCs of your little girl's first experiences, such as first Zerbert with Daddy and first walk with Grandma.
- ABCs of Friendship: This site offers a different attribute for each letter. Try pairing each letter and attribute with the friend you think most embodies it.
- Father's ABCs: The Father's ABCs contains a number of different ways to celebrate a father through the alphabet. Consider doing a book of traits, skills or reasons you all love him.
Denny Davis also has a large compilation of ABC lists you can use to create your scrapbook, ranging from adoption ABCs to the ABCs of winter. Most of the lists have several suggestions for each letter, so you can mix and match to create your own unique scrapbook project.
Tips for Making an Alphabet Scrapbook
Here are some tips you may wish to keep in mind as you're making your letters of the alphabet scrapbook:
- An ABC scrapbook typically features one letter per page, but you can adjust this format if needed. If you want to make a smaller book, try doing two letters of the alphabet per page. If you have lots of photos and memorabilia to include, do a double page spread for each letter or attach mini books to certain pages to add room for extra journaling.
- Make your book easy to assemble by choosing a basic layout to use as the template for each page. For the busy scrapbooker, sketches are a lifesaver!
- Even if you don't normally like to include your handwriting on your album, consider adding a few handwritten elements to your ABC book. Try handwriting the letter title for each page and a few photo captions to give your scrapbook a personal touch.
- If it bothers you to have photos with competing backgrounds on the same page, try converting all of your prints into black and white images before you begin your scrapbook.
- Are you looking for a fun way to get rid of leftover alphabet stickers? Make a collage background paper to use as the title page for your ABC album.
- You can make interesting accents for an ABC album by cutting letter shapes out of photos that showcase various items from around your home. For example, you could cut a "B" out of a closeup of your daughter's birthday cake or cut the letter "G" from a shot of the flowers in your garden.
Get Creative
There are lots of ways you can use the alphabet to create a wonderful, personalized scrapbook. Pick a person, a place or a favorite item to get started. You never know just what you may find between the letters A and Z.
