Are you interested in scrapbooking but feeling stuck on what you’d even include? Let me guess: you’re convinced your life is totally boring. You have no clue what you’d even have to scrapbook about beyond the typical birthdays, vacations, and holiday events. Even seasoned scrapbookers like myself feel unsure about what to include in their albums once in a while. As someone that’s been scrapbooking since my early teens, believe me when I say I have so been there. It can even feel selfish to scrapbook the simpler moments of your own life. It’s also tempting to focus on only the highlight moments involving loved ones.

To help you overcome these mindset hurdles around scrapbooking, I brainstormed a list of 15 unique things to put in a scrapbook that go beyond the obvious life events. Ready to shift your thinking around that “boring” life of yours and get to documenting? Keep scrolling for my list!

15 Unique Things To Put in a Scrapbook

1. A day in the life of you. Commit to taking quick photos throughout a certain time period of your day (no matter how boring it seems!). You could document a morning in your life, a workday in your life, an evening in your life, etc.

2. Favorites lists. I LOVE a favorites list. It captures the things you’re excited about and currently enjoying. For example, you could make a list of your current favorite shows, restaurants, trips, live concerts, or bucket list items.

3. News events. Screenshot big or important news events that contextualize your year. By the time you look back at your albums, you’ll be glad you collected these events into one place.

4. Tangible mementos. Include small postcards, ticket stubs, notes, letters, art projects, Polaroids, etc. among your photos and journaling.

5. Memorable technology. Phone screenshots/memorable moments of technology. I look back on my phone screenshots from 2014 and it’s funny to see. While your technology looks normal now, it will look so funny and outdated in only a few years’ time.

6. Your home. I love taking straight photos of the places I live every year or so. Remembering what a place looks like. Take details and wide shots of your home’s rooms, no matter how boring you think it is. It’s easy to forget to take these types of photos.

7. Media you consume. Movie and TV show posters, album covers, book covers, TV show posters. I made a whole page of TV posters in my 2020 album to remember all of the shows we watched during the pandemic!

8. Journaling and captions. What makes a scrapbook more than just a photo album is the addition of journaling, mementos, and that extra personal touch. Tell your stories, even if in just a few words.

9. Vintage family photos. Reflect on your earliest memories or family stories you’ve been told around the dinner table. You can by all means combine the old with the new!

10. “Unremarkable” details. The most seemingly boring or insignificant details are the ones that you’ll look back on most fondly. Think back to one of your favorite memories ever. What details tell the story other than the people in them? Next time you’re documenting an event with your camera, think about those details and capture them in photos, or write them on the page.

11. Interviews & homages to your favorite people. Interview your favorite people & circle of friends, or include an homage to your favorite people in your scrapbook. How did you meet, what do you love to do together, what makes you great friends?

12. The hard moments. We don’t usually photograph them, write about them, or include them in our life documentation. Because who wants to remember the hard times? Challenge yourself to put these moments in your scrapbook, in whatever way feels calling to you. For example, losing a pet could become a beautiful homage to them. What struggles did you come up against this year and how did they help you grow?

13. What’s in my…. Purse, medicine cabinet, car, office, etc. Give a glimpse into your everyday life, what you carry with you, and what you surround yourself with.

14. New purchases. What are you super excited to be adding to your wardrobe/home/life? Add it to your scrapbook and tell why you love it so much, why you’re happy to have it

15. Larger paper memorabilia. Many scrapbooking brands sell envelope pages to house greeting cards, programs, art, and other large memorabilia that won’t fit on your standard pages. Rather than stuff these items away in a box, add them to your scrapbook! Try these 6×6″ or 12×12″ envelope pages depending on your album size.

Get Scrapbooking!

Until now, you may have thought your life was way too boring to document. My goal with this list of 15 unique things to put in a scrapbook was to prove you wrong! If you’re looking for another boost to get you started, head to my post 6 Reasons to Start Scrapbooking.

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