ART NEWS
Save Your Memories in the Best Scrapbooks
Scrapbooks provide the ideal opportunity for a walk down memory lane while also encouraging personal creativity. The practice of scrapbooking began in 19th-century England; it was particularly popular among those who went on the Grand Tour of Europe and wanted to preserve tokens from their travels. One avid practitioner was Mark Twain, who carried a series of scrapbooks on his journeys in which to save souvenirs, clippings, and pictures. Today scrapbooking is a hobby enjoyed by people of all ages all around the world. Scrapbooks come in a wide range of dimensions and designs, but we’ve got you covered: Browse our selection of the best options below.
1. Vienrose Self-Adhesive Scrapbook
This good-looking linen-covered scrapbook makes it very easy to save your photos and memorabilia, thanks to its self-adhesive pages. Able to hold up to 120 photos, the book has 40 acid-free pages (20 sheets) covered by a peel-back clear plastic layer under which you insert your pictures and mementos. The book comes in two sizes: 11 by 10.8 inches and 13 by 12.8 inches, and the linen covering—hardy but pleasing to the touch—is available in a range of pastel colors and darker hues.
Buy:
Vienrose Self-Adhesive Scrapbook
$18.99
2. Paper Junkie Hardcover Kraft Scrapbook
If you’re looking for a basic scrapbook you can customize from cover to cover, consider this hardcover album. It has a blank cover made of sturdy kraft paper and opens to reveal thick, acid-free pages. The twin-loop spiral binding allows the book to lay flat when open, and the durable pages take well to a wide variety of wet and dry mediums. With 40 sheets (80 pages), this 8-by-8-inch book has plenty of space to accommodate tons of photos, clippings, and mementos without coming apart.
Buy:
Paper Junkie Hardcover Kraft Scrapbook
$13.99
3. Pioneer Jumbo Scrapbook
The most formal-looking scrapbook on our list, this option features a cover made of washable faux leather trimmed with a gold-tone stamped border. This sophisticated exterior is available in either white or navy. The scrapbook also has the largest dimensions—12.5 by 14.25 inches—and the most pages of any of our favorites picks. The 50 beige sheets (100 pages) are smooth, clean, and uniformly hued, and should you run out, you can add as many more pages as you like, thanks to the expandable binding. The acid-free pages allow archival-quality preservation.
Buy:
Pioneer Jumbo Scrapbook
$12.99
4. Arteza Craft Cover Scrapbooks
Arteza’s scrapbook, sold in pairs, is a great option for artists seeking a place to play with ideas rather than produce something elegant for posterity. You get a lot of pages to work with, with each book featuring 40 spiral-bound sheets (80 pages). We find that the quality of the sheets isn’t quite as impressive as those found in pricier options; you have to take extra care when using glue or other wet media, as the surface can warp with too much moisture. Also, the nonarchival pages are black, so you’ll have to use silver, light-colored, or metallic inks and pigments to decorate it.
Buy:
Arteza Craft Cover Scrapbooks
5. Innocheer Scrapbook Kit
This kit is perfect for a rainy-day session of creative scrapbooking. It comes with a spiral-bound blank book with a solidly constructed cardboard cover as well as a slew of good-quality scrapbooking accessories such as stickers, ribbons, markers, and stencils. You even get a sturdy storage box with a latch so you can keep all your materials together. The scrapbook itself features 40 acid-free black sheets (80 pages) that dramatically set off your photos and clippings. Measuring 12.4 by 8.3 inches, the album can hold more than 160 photos and ties shut with an attractive ribbon.
Buy:
Innocheer Scrapbook Kit
$32.99
