Scrapbook Cover Ideas

They may say that you can't judge a book by it's cover, but every scrapbooker knows that choosing the perfect cover for each album is an important task. There are many different options you can consider.

A book with a cutout square in the front shows a sneak peek of the first page of your album. If the cover page of your scrapbook is carefully designed, this is an interesting way to present your final project.

Simple leather bound covers are best if you want to store all of your scrapbooks on a bookshelf and have a unified look for the display. Many leatherbound covers have a small opening in the front. You can display a photo in this spot, make a decorative label that helps you quickly identify the contents of the book, or write a short dedication note if you're planning to give the book as a gift to a friend or family member.

Scrapbooks with raised embellishments on the cover, such as the two hearts on this album, are visually appealing and a great choice for special occasion books like a wedding or anniversary album. However, you won't be able to store this type of scrapbook on a bookshelf. The added bulk of the cover embellishment will damage the book it is stored next to.

Some scrapbook albums come with slipcases that protect the binding of the book. This option is only appropriate if you design pages with stickers, rub-ons, and other flat embellishments. If your pages use brads, eyelets, chipboard letters, or other dimensional embellishments, your book will be too thick to place back in the case once all the layouts have been added.

Scrapbook covers bound with ribbon have a cute and casual look, but this type of binding is not the most durable choice. It would be fine for a small book of vacation photos, but not the best choice for several years' worth of family photos.

Spiral bound scrapbooks are fairly inexpensive, but you generally can't purchase refill pages for this type of book if you decide you want to add to your album at a later date. If desired, however, you can decorate your spiral bound album by tying bits of colorful ribbon along the different coils in the binding.

If you've chosen a fabric scrapbook cover, it's also possible to stamp a design on the cover using permanent fabric-safe ink. This technique lets you add short phrases, dates, or small images that relate to the theme of the book.

If you're a digital scrapbooker, services such as Shutterfly will let you order albums with special photos printed directly on the cover. This type of scrapbook makes a great gift for family and friends.

Traditional scrapbookers can create a similar look for their album by using Mod Podge to adhere a photo to a canvas album cover. Coat the entire album with two or three layers of Mod Podge after adhering the photo to seal and protect your work.

If you want to make your own scrapbook cover, one method you can use is to cut a front and back cover out of chipboard and hold your book together with large binder rings. In addition to being an inexpensive way of showcasing your scrapbook layouts, this method also makes it easy to add pages to your album at a later date.