How to Make Memory Books

Handmade memory books hold special childhood treasures

Recently my daughter asked me to get her a sticker book.  At doctor’s appointments, ballet lessons, and occasionally at other activities the kids are given stickers or stamps for a job well done.   She had noticed at ballet lessons that a couple of the little girls had a book to put their stickers in.  I thought this was a brilliant idea.  No more stickers stuck to clothes that end up going through the wash.

Of course this crafty mama can’t bring herself to go out and purchase a book; instead, a homemade one was in order.

These books are very simple to make.  I found a packet of chipboard at my local craft store for less than 50 cents.  There were 4 pieces in the pack which was perfect for this project; I could make two chipboard memory books out of it.

Chipboard books are inexpensive and a great way to make memory books

The chipboard was quite long though and I didn’t want such a large book for the kids to carry around, but did want something that they could add more pages to over time.

I measured out the size I wanted for each book and using an X-ACTO knife trimmed each piece of chipboard down to size.

Chipboard books are simple to cut through, save the excess for future projects.

Next up is to fill the book with pages for adding stamps, stickers, and any other special items the kids are given.  I have piles of scrap paper in my craft room.  Whenever I’ve worked on projects and have paper left over it all goes into a big tub to use later.   I trimmed the paper down to size to fit inside each book cover, and then punched a hole in the top corner.

Scrap paper is perfect for making scrapbooks, or drawing pads for the kids.

I then assembled each book, and popped a book ring through the hole in the top corner.  The front of each book was decorated with scrapbook embellishment banners and stamps.

Stickers were then added to the inside of the books, a date was stamped next to each, with a little snippet about why they received that sticker or stamp.

Preserve kids special stickers and stamps in a memory book

Do your kids collect special stickers and stamps in memory books? Let us know about them in the comments below!

Tonya
Zui Mom

Tonya Staab is a freelance writer, and the creative mind behind Create-Celebrate-Explore where she shares craft tutorials, recipes, party planning, decorating, and travel tips.  She has three kids (twin kindergarteners and a teen) and can often be found covered in flour and glitter.