FREE Scrapbook Planning Printables

My younger son looking at his toddler album.

I have been scrapbooking for almost 15 years now and have completed many albums that my family and I enjoy flipping through to revisit stories, memories and moments. We love having those albums nearby to share whenever the urge to reminisce strikes!

When friends or new scrapbookers see all my albums they often say to me, "There's no way I have the time to scrapbook all those! How did you do it?". I usually respond that it didn't happen overnight, but it DID happen because I planned what I wanted to do and then worked on it a little bit at a time. As clichéd as it sounds, I'm a big believer in eating the elephant one bite at a time, and I figure you can't finish something if you never start it in the first place. So today I've got a couple of FREE planning printables to help YOU get started attaining your memory-keeping goals for 2016.

Now, I'm the type of person that seems to always have 10,00 ideas floating around in my mind - I'll be lying in bed and suddenly think "I have to make a layout using that great close-up picture of the boys next to Old Faithful". Or, I'll be driving to work and "Wouldn't it be cool to make a whole album about all the schools I've taught at!" just pops into my head. Does anybody else have this problem, or is it just me?

In any case, I know myself well enough to know that if I don't write those ideas down, they will never come to life. I'd often jot down ideas on whatever scrap of paper was nearby, but they would get misplaced - probably ending up in the recycling bin! I knew I had to come up with more systemic approach to organizing and planning the albums and pages I wanted to make. So, I recently designed two pages that have been helping me do just that, and I want to share them with you!

Sit down with a cup of coffee and brainstorm the types of pages and albums you want to create!

The Album Planner printable features space to plan two albums per page. Jot down the idea or theme of the album you want to create, the materials you hope to use (such as a particular color of coverset or Fast 2 Fab album set) and then list the ideas for individual pages or memorabilia that you want to include. You can refer back to this document as needed, and even check off the pages as you complete them!

Gathering ideas, supplies and memorabilia for a Disney trip album.

I use the Scrapbook Page Planner printable to record ideas for specific pages. I'm free to plan based on any of the aspects of the page...I might have specific photos in mind that I want to use, or know that I want to tell a story about an event. I may have some yummy new papers that I just HAVE to use or have seen a sketch or idea on pinterest that I want to duplicate. In any case, these planner pages are the perfect place to start when I'm ready to scrap...I choose one of the pages I've planned out ahead of time and just get started. No need to think - I've already done that part, so now I can just DO!

Gathering supplies for some Cars themed album pages for the Disney Album.

These planner pages are also great to use before you attend a crop or retreat - you can figure out exactly what you want to work on and use them as a checklist of the albums, photos and materials you need to pack to bring with you. You could even make page kits to take with you - simply include the photos and materials you plan to use on a particular layout, pop them into a Craft Keeper or XL zip-loc bag along with the Scrapbook Page Planner to refer to, and you'll have what you need to complete pages easily and quickly once you are at your event!

My guess is that by using these documents (or coming up with your own way to plan albums and pages) you will be more productive and use your precious scrapbooking time more efficiently! I hope you print a few of these pages out, pop them in a binder or clipboard and then spend a little time brainstorming what type of albums and pages you want to complete in 2016.

You can download the Album Planner here.
You can download the Scrapbook Page Planner here.

I'd love to get your feedback on these pages - Do they work for you? Do you have other planners that you use? What would you like to see in any future printables that I post? Feel free to share your comments below - I love hearing from you!

Happy Scrapping!

(PS...As you can probably tell, working on our Disney trip album will be one of my projects in the near future. Later this month I'll have a blog post with more tips and step-by-step instructions on how to plan out an entire album and actually complete it!)