Scrapbook page examples, described element by element
Each example below names the photos, where they sit, the keepsake and the words. Rebuild the structure with your own material, then open the public sample to see a finished digital book.
A picture of someone else's page shows their photos, not yours. A described page tells you what kind of photo goes where, so you can rebuild it with what you have.
The paper examples assume a 12-inch square page unless they say otherwise. On a digital page of any size, keep the same proportions.
Make a digital scrapbook
Add your photos and keepsakes in tbf scrapbook, then arrange them on the pages.
Labels and patterns for the example pages
Page titles
- First day, [year]
- [Name] at [age]
- [Town], [season] [year]
- The day we [did what]
- Then and now
- From the ticket stub
- Inside the letter
- [Number] [street]
- [Name]'s recipe
Small labels beside photos
- [Name], [age]
- Arrived [time]
- Taken by [name]
- Year only: [year]
- Actual size
- Clip from [name]
Caption patterns with blanks
- [What] before [what]
- The first time [what happened]
- Who: [ ] Where: [ ] When: [ ]
- What happened next: [ ]
- Kept because [reason]
- Ask [name] about this
Pages about one day
These hold one event from start to finish. Choosing the photos matters more than any decoration.
- First day at school: a full-length photo at the front door across the left two thirds, the uniform name label on the right, the date and teacher's name below.
- Beach day: three photos in a strip across the top showing arrival, the sea and the walk back, the car park ticket bottom left, the tide time in your own words.
- Birthday tea: the cake photo large in the centre, the number of candles beside it, the guest names in small type down the right edge, one card in a pocket.
- Wedding spread: the ceremony photo large on the left page, the order of service flat on the right, four small guest photos in a row beneath it.
Pages about a person
These fold years into one page. Order the photos by age so the eye reads the change.
- A grandparent: five photos from childhood to now in a diagonal line from top left to bottom right, each with the year only, and a recipe card in their handwriting.
- A friend: a photo from the year you met and one from this year side by side at the same size, with a short list of places you have been together beneath.
- A pet: one head-and-shoulders portrait, the collar tag photographed at actual size, and a column of their habits written as short labels.
Pages built around a keepsake
Here the object comes first and the photos explain it. Place the keepsake before cropping anything.
- A concert: the ticket at actual size top right, a crowd photo filling the left half, the setlist as a typed list, the venue and date under the ticket.
- A letter from a relative: a scan of the letter filling most of the page, the postmark cropped as a small square, and a photo of the writer at that age.
- A new home: the front door with its number, the key photographed on plain paper, and the estate agent's floor plan folded into a pocket.
Digital page examples
A digital page can hold what paper cannot: a recording, a short video, or more photos than fit at print size.
In tbf scrapbook, people you invite can send audio and video for the owner to place. These play only in digital formats, so give each one a still photo for any printed copy.
- A birthday message page: a grid of six friends' photos, each beside the clip they sent, with the date in large type at the top.
- A holiday video page: one still from the video as the main image, the clip beside it, and the route as a list of towns.
- A remembering page: one portrait, a recording of a story told by a relative, and the dates in plain type.
Steps
A school sports day
One action photo across the full width, the race number laid flat beneath it, and the result as a short label.
A garden through a year
Four photos of the same flower bed taken in March, June, September and December, in a square grid, each labelled with its month.
A cooking page
The finished dish large, two small photos of the method, and the handwritten recipe card scanned across the lower third.
A family gathering
The whole-group photo across the top, a numbered key of names beneath it, and four close portraits in the corners.
Questions
What should a scrapbook page include?
A main photo, the date and place, and your own words about what happened. A keepsake or a second photo is optional.
How many photos go on a scrapbook page?
The examples here use one to six. Let the main subject decide: one important photo can fill most of a page on its own.
Where can I see a finished digital scrapbook?
The public sample linked on this page opens without an account.