While high-quality, stylish scrapbooks can be a nice thing to own, every once in a while all you want is a quick and inexpensive way to create a fun scrapbook. Your kids will love making these easy scrapbooks out of disposable bags. These books can even be a great gift for family members who want to see some pictures of their family members. Children can also learn a lot about saving images through this activity. If you already have pictures around your house in frames, you might even be able to borrow some for one of these scrapbooks. Get the picture fun started by making some of these cute albums today.
Equipment you will need to have
To create a scrapbook from plastic bags, you’ll need to get a container of gallon-size clear plastic bags that zip up. Be sure to find plain bags, rather than bags with a print on the front. Also, measure and cut two square pieces of lightweight cardboard, 12 inches by 12 inches. Gather a supply of scrapbooking paper, or just substitute cheap construction paper, especially if the kids are going to be making this craft. You will also need a ruler, a glue stick, scissors, a stapler, a hole punch, a wool needle, assorted markers, a large nail, and a hammer. And naturally, you’ll want some great images to put in your scrapbook. For children, use printed digital photos, instead of pretty original photos printed on film. If your album is destined for a relative, it might be best to choose images that are high enough quality to display in scrapbook frames. However, young people are usually happy with any type of photos.
assembling the book
You may want to put the book together yourself if you are producing the book as a project for your children. Set the number of pages you want in the book, and then get that number of plastic bags. Put them together by stapling 5 bags, placing the staples along the left side and the opening at the top edge. If your total number of pages is going to be more than 5, make more sections. Take one of the cardboard covers and place it on a padded surface where you plan to work, then place a stack of plastic bags on top. Punch holes about an inch apart through the bags and cardboard, using the hammer and nail. Do the same with the rest of the plastic bag stacks, and the other lid. Match up the bag sections between the covers, line them up and fasten with a needle and some string, knotting the ends when done. Using the ruler as a guide, mark a straight line along the front and back bound edges so you can fold them back. When you do this, the album will open with little effort.
Insert the images
After you have done the book, the really fun part will come. Get a bunch of construction paper and some photos that fit properly in the bags, and then present them to your child. They can then use sticky squares or glue and some markers and scissors to create fun pages. When all the pages are complete, place them in the bag pages and close them. You may want to give yourself a little extra time and attention if you plan to give the scrapbook as a gift. These scrapbooks are great because the pages of the bag are so easy to open and close that it makes it very easy to swap photos between the book and the frames.
These books are a wonderful way to display your favorite photos and make a great project for your children or a gift for friends and family.