Scrapbooking Mistakes
Am I an Expert on Scrapbooking?
There’s a great quote by Niels Bohr that says, “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.” If that’s true, then I just might qualify as a scrapbooking expert—because I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes! I thought it would be fun (and maybe even helpful) to share a few of my early scrapbook pages to show how much we can learn simply by doing—and sometimes realizing years later that we would have done things differently. Even though I still love these pages for many reasons, I’m grateful for the lessons they’ve taught me over the years, which I hope have helped me grow into a better scrapbooker today.
Scooby Doo page from 1999
I guess I was dabbling in digital scrapbooking before it was really a thing—I made the title on my computer using an old program called The Print Shop and typed up my journaling. But wow, that busy background paper! And the sticker placement is pretty random, too. Still, the photos of my cute kids make me smile.
Lesson learned: Avoid busy background papers; they can easily overwhelm your layout. The fun patterned paper would have worked great if I had a plainer paper on top of it or used it as a border or accent piece.
Chinese Pajamas page from 1999
Some of the worst scrapbook advice I ever followed was to cut my photos into shapes around the subject. I went through a whole phase of doing this, and while I tried to be careful, the result was often jagged scissor-cut edges. The random sticker placement and odd doodles didn’t help much, though I’m glad I at least included some thoughtful journaling and left two of the best photos mostly intact.
Lesson learned: Don’t over-crop your photos! Even with today’s digital tools, cutting out the background can sometimes erase important context or history. And hand-cutting photos with scissors is rarely a good idea.
Easter page from 1999
This was during my border phase—I loved making little sticker borders and was especially proud of the dotted accents around the egg stickers. There’s nothing terribly wrong here, but the page does feel a bit chaotic: mismatched fonts, inconsistent embellishments, and, well, that giant Easter egg!
Lesson learned: Don’t let one design element take over the whole page. Be mindful with font choices, and focus on highlighting your photos and journaling rather than letting embellishments steal the show.
Halloween page from 1999
Guess who got a new circle cutter? I definitely went a little circle-crazy here! Between the busy tablecloth, the wallpaper border, the lively photos, and the overloaded title area, the page feels overwhelming, even with a solid black background.. Still, I’m happy I included some handwritten details and feel proud remembering the fun Halloween party I hosted for my family.
Lesson learned: Circle crops can be fun—but use them sparingly!
All these pages were created over 25 years ago, so it’s natural they look a bit dated now. It makes me wonder: what design choices am I making today that will make my current layouts look “so 2020s” down the road? My hope is that I’ve moved toward a more timeless scrapbooking style. While it’s fun to experiment with trends, the most important thing is to create pages you’ll still feel happy with years from now.
