Best Books for Scrapbooking to Improve Your Layouts
If you want to improve your scrapbook layouts, then this list of the best books for scrapbooking will help. Having a shelf of scrapbooking guidebooks is a good resource when creativity is lacking.
BEST BOOKS FOR SCRAPBOOKING
There are TONS of books out there to help crafters. Scrapbooking is no different. Although there are unlimited online resources, it is always nice to have some actual books on hand.
Scrapbookers love paper, and books are no different! Whether you create simple scrapbooks or elaborate layouts, these books can help you. Getting new creative ideas helps crafters when they get in a rut. Remember, the most important factor in scrapbooking is to get the pictures on the paper. Preserve those memories in your memory books.
I am breaking these books into a few different categories to make it easy for you to find the books that you will want to add to your collection. It may be hard to find these books in craft stores. Your best bet is to buy most of these online.
BOOKS TO HELP WITH SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT TITLES
It can be hard to come up with new title ideas if you have been scrapbooking for YEARS. I have personally scrapbooked hundreds of Christmas layouts. I think I used up all of my own ideas a long time ago, LOL. These books help me with new layout title ideas.
- ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PERFECT WORD: I have been using this book for close to 20 years. It has helped me come up with creative titles for basically any layout theme I am working on. Linda Latourelle wrote the book, which is still available on Amazon.
- ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE PERFECT CARD: Linda Latourelle’s other great resource book has longer sayings, phrases, and even poems, which makes it great for scrapbookers and card-makers. I also have this book in my craft room.
- WORDS TO THE RESCUE: THE SENTIMENT GUIDE FOR THE TONGUE-TIED: A highly rated book by Steve Fadie. This is all about helping you find the right things to say in a card. Although this book isn’t geared specifically for scrapbooking, I think it can help! It will be a very good resource for card-making crafters. It helps you find the right words for special occasions.
- SCRAPPER’S SOUP; TITLES AND TOPPERS: This book has such a fun title. It has over 22,000 titles, sayings, one-liners, etc. There are 400 categories, so there is something for every scrapbook page layout.
SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT SKETCH BOOKS
I love getting new ideas for how to lay out my pictures on the page. My own pages can get kind of boring if I do the same layouts over and over. I love the creative techniques that other scrapbookers use and am so glad they share their ideas in books. Here are some books to help with layout inspirations.
- SCRAPBOOK PAGE MAPS: SKETCHES FOR CREATIVE LAYOUTS: Becky Fleck’s books, Scrapbook Page Maps, are some of my favorite. There are 2 books in her page maps series. Both contain tons of layout sketches for double-page layouts and single-page layouts. A bonus addition is the deck of laminated cards included. These cards are small versions of some of the layouts in the book so you can take them with you on the go. I have both of these books and use them often.
- PAGE PATTERNS: JUST PLAIN SIMPLICITY: Another book I own and use is this book by Cheryl Bradbury. The best part about this sketch book is that she includes ideas based on how many pictures you want to use for the layout. She has page pattern ideas for up to 35 pictures on a double layout!!
- 525 NEW AND INSPIRING SCRAPBOOK SKETCHES VOLUME 1: I came across this book that was just published in 2022 by Anna Lyons. This is one that I don’t own YET, but think it is a good idea for me to get it! 🙂 Her ideas look fresh and updated and the book gets great reviews. She also has a volume 2 and a volume 3 if 525 isn’t enough for you!
BEST BOOKS FOR THE BEGINNING SCRAPBOOKER
If you are new to creating photo albums for yourself and your family, here are some books for you. These books will get you started on your scrapbooking journey. The best way to learn is to do a little research and have a resource to refer back to as needed. Remember, future generations are going to thank you for documenting life!
- CREATING KEEPSAKES BOOKS: I will be totally honest now. I don’t see much that looks high quality on Amazon right now to teach you to scrapbook. The best books I owned when I was a beginner were from Creating Keepsakes. They had lots of different books. Many of these are still available online at places like Ebay, Abe Books, Thrifty Books, etc and they have some of the best deals. You should be able to get a good deal too! Here are the names of some I used to have.
- Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Solutions
- Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Everyday Moments
- Creating Keepsakes Tips & Techniques
- Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Friends & Family
- Creating Keepsakes Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking
A great way to save money on books is to ask other scrapbookers. People may have some books they would be happy to share with you! Garage sales are another good place to buy scrapbooking books.
SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT DESIGN IDEAS
If you are looking for inspiration for the decorative elements of your layouts…it is going to be hard to find books for that these days. Most of the inspiration you need is online. There are tons of scrapbooking and paper crafting blogs and websites that love to share layout ideas.
I still LOVE to hold something in my hand and look at it. My solution is to subscribe to magazines. When I first started scrapbooking 20 years ago, there were lots of scrapbook magazine subscriptions to choose from. That is no longer the case. There are two different magazines that I get, and I can highly recommend them. Both have ADORABLE layouts and card ideas. There are a lot of pages in these magazines, and I think they are worth the money.
- SCRAPBOOK & CARDS TODAY MAGAZINE: This Canadian magazine is stuffed full of the newest scrapbooking supplies and all our favorite brands. There are a lot of free file downloads to go along with layouts in the magazine. They may have contests you can enter. If you don’t want to get a hard-copy magazine, you can sign up for a digital subscription.
- CREATIVE SCRAPBOOKER: Another good quality magazine is called Creative Scrapbooker. It is full of new techniques and innovative ideas for layouts and card-making. There are ideas for mixed media projects. I love their page designs. This is also a Canadian magazine.
I do see these magazines in my local store (Joanns). These also make a great gift for a crafter. One thing to note is that these are both quarterly magazines instead of monthly.
Scrapbook Generation has some layout idea booklets that I use ALL THE TIME! They work great if you need to fit a lot of pictures on the layout.
Another great place to find ideas to document your family history is the idea books that come from other scrapbook supply companies. Creative Memories has a catalog that is full of great ideas. They also sell one of the most popular albums available. Close to My Heart is another scrapbooking company that has a great catalog. Find a consultant near you to get their new book or booklet for the quarter. These catalogs are a great option to stay current on new paper crafting trends.
Now that I have shared the best books for scrapbooking….I have to ask…which books do you own or plan to own? Do you have a book to recommend? Be sure to leave your book ideas in the comments so other people can check it out!