Paper Bag Scrapbook--with Personality

This scrapbook really is made from scraps
by Kathy Ross
for Real Families, Real Fun
Wednesday: Hands at Home

Take a step back in time, and try making scrapbooks that use scraps rather than purchased materials. "This project is super," one mom reports. "It gives the kids their own project so they aren't constantly asking for acid free paper (which can get very expensive when one wrong cut means they are on to the next sheet). Also, with this project, they each have a book so conflicts over 'a' page will be minimal."

Here is what you'll need:

  • Five or more brown grocery bags
  • Scissors
  • Ribbon, about 2 feet for each scrapbook
  • Yarn in your hair color
  • 9-inch uncoated paper plate
  • Markers
  • White glue

    • An upstate New York Mom reported, "When I was at the store all I had to do was ask, and I got a big pile of brown paper bags."

    Here's what you do:

    • Remove the bottom of the bag by cutting down the seam and around the bottom of each bag.
    • Flatten out the brown strips of paper you have left, and stack them.
    • Fold the stack of paper in half to form a book. Five grocery bags will give you a book with ten pages.
    • Cut two small pieces out of the fold of the bag about six inches apart.
    • Cut a 2-foot piece of ribbon. String one end of the ribbon in through one hole and out through the other hole. Tie the ends of the ribbon together in a pretty bow to hold the pages together.
    • Use the markers to draw your own face on the "eating" side of the paper plate.

    • Cut yarn bits and glue them around the face for hair.
    • Add any collage materials to the face you wish. You might want to include a hair ribbon or a paper baseball cap or a collar.
    • Glue the plate face to the center of the front of the scrapbook.
    • Use the markers or letters cut from printed material to write your name and whatever else you wish on the front of the scrapbook.

      • Rachel LaClair (9) completed her cover and one page on the first day of the project and "couldn't wait to get going on some more" the next day.

      Beth Wells says, "I often have extra photos I won't use in the family books and will pass them along to the kids (three children, ages 7 to 14 years old). I think that as their book grows, it will be its own incentive. Their pride will fuel their enthusiasm."

      Tips:

      • If you are making one scrapbook for the children to share, make the plate faces from smaller paper plates.
      • If you want the scrapbook to have some colorful pages, cover some pages with old wrapping paper in a bright pattern.
      • If you'd like to have a special page in your scrapbook for keeping stickers, glue on the backings from such self-stick items as the backings of postage stamp sheets and address labels. You can stick your stickers on the backings and peel them off to use or move whenever you want.
      • If you want a page for keeping items to save that you don't want glued in, make a pocket page with a quart-size zip-to-close plastic bag. Cut a sheet of construction paper to fit inside the plastic bag . Put strips of masking tape on the back of the bag to create a better gluing surface. Glue the bag to the page. You can also glue in open envelopes to use as page pockets.
      • I love Beth's idea for a page for the upcoming fall season. "We have the world's largest leaf pile each fall, and I have taken pictures a couple times. The kids can either use dried colorful leaves as they are turning this fall or cut them out of colored paper. Not only can they frame the photo, but they add texture, and if the kids use the colored paper, a place to write."

      TAKE IT FROM ME:
      "To have pretty frames to use with photographs, cut the tops from square tissue boxes with colorful prints."

      This article © 2001-2007 Studio One Networks.

      Comments

      Comment viewing options

      Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
      Guest's picture

      A picture is worth a 1000 words...

      by Guest (not verified) - 10/24/2007 - 4:38pm

      Love these projects! What would be extra special and helpful for sure is if we could see pictures of AT LEAST the finished project. Pictures taken during various phases of the project would be helpful, too. Smiling Thanks!

      Post new comment

      The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
      Smileys
      :);):(:D}:):P:O:?8):jawdrop::sick::grin:
      • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
      • Link to Amazon products with: [amazon product_id inline|full|thumbnail|datadescriptor]. Example: [amazon 1590597559 thumbnail] or [amazon 1590597559 author]. Details are on the Amazon module handbook page.
      • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
      • You may quote other posts using [quote] tags.
      • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

      More information about formatting options

      CAPTCHA
      This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

      Newest Recipes