Scrapbook baby page layouts are fun to do, as noted in Part 1 of this article. Scrapbook baby page layouts can be humorous, charming, or beautiful. They can portray many different human emotions. The goal for every scrapbook baby page layout is that it capture your emotions and memories.

In Part 1, we presented 3 different scrapbook baby page layouts. Here are additional ideas to try. Again, the layouts are done for 12″ x 12″ paper. If you change the size, try to reduce everything while keeping a square shape. Otherwise, your layout will change - probably for the worse.

Scrapbook Baby Page Layouts

1. Sick Time: Every child gets sick at some time. You may have photos of the child when he or she was not feeling well. Capture those memories with a scrapbook baby page layout. Use scrapbooking paper that resembles a woven blanket. Or use a square of an actual blanket. Position one large photo to fill the left or right two thirds of the page. Photo should be 8″ x 12″. If your photo is too small, have it enlarged. Cover the remaining third of the page with journaling about the illness. Lay a strip of ribbon over the seam between photo and journaling paper. Twist the ribbon in the middle and attach a small charm or other embellishment.

2. Christmas/Hanukkah: Begin this scrapbook baby page layout with shining blue scrapbooking paper. Gradient blues are good, changing back and forth from deeper to lighter shades. Lay gold rickrack along each side of the page layout, almost touching the edge. Overlap ends at each corner. In the upper left and lower right corners, place ornaments to fit your holiday. Make the upper ornament about 2″ x 3″. The lower ornament should be about 3″ x 4″. In the horizontal center of your page layout, about 4.5″ from the page top, place a frame tilted 15 degrees to the right. Your frame should measure about 4″ x 5″ on the outside and hold a photo of about 2.5″ x 3.5″. The frame color should be lighter blue than the scrapbooking paper, with a geometric pattern. Place a second frame in the upper right corner of your page layout, almost touching the rickrack. For this frame, choose one that features gold and silver. Slide photos into the frames, and scatter silver or gold stars on the page. Attach a brief caption below the upper ornament and your page layout is done.

3. Discovery Time: An amusing scrapbook baby page layout is one that shows baby discovering his or her feet. Use gingham scrapbooking paper and no frames for this page layout. Select your best photo of baby playing with his or her bare feet. Enlarge the photo, if necessary, so the baby will measure about 2.5″ x 3.5″. Cut out around the baby, discarding the photo background. Position the baby’s photo at the lower right of the page layout, about 1.5″ from each edge. Note the date below the photo in about 14 point type. On the left side of the page layout, about 0.5″ from the edge, run the baby’s name in block characters from bottom to top (sideways). In a darker color, run the name in script characters, overlapping the bottom of the block lettering. Complete your page layout with a poem or long journaling note in the space above the baby.

Part 3 of this article will present more scrapbook baby page layouts. Ideas include bath time, time to walk, and adoption time.

Scrapbook baby page layouts are fun to do, especially for a first-time mother. A first-time grandmother will also have fun with scrapbook baby page layouts. The trick is to be selective.

Scrapbook baby page layouts should preserve memories, but not EVERY memory. A new baby makes memories every day, but if you attempt to preserve them all, you will have no time to care for and enjoy your baby. You also will soon have a large library of scrapbooks! You may want to make duplicate scrapbooks so that baby can take one when leaving home, but not a duplicate library.

Scrapbook baby page layouts should capture your feelings. Do you feel loving? Show it in the page layout. Let each page layout capture a part of what life with the baby means to you.

Here are a few ideas to try. Each page layout was done on 12″ x 12″ paper. Be careful to lay out each piece before gluing any. When you are satisfied with the layout, add photos and glue pieces in place.

Scrapbook Baby Page Layouts

1. Sleep Time: Use scrapbooking paper the color of baby’s blanket for this page layout. Or use a dreamy photo of a crib in sky blue hues. Position 3 small slide mounts along the left side, 1″ from each edge of your page layout. Place a real or paper lace border along the left edge, slightly overlapping the slide mounts. Use an oval frame in the right lower corner. Add a bow to the bottom of that frame. Place a “sleeping” photo in each frame. In the upper right corner, use a small cloud for journaling a memory about sleep time.

2. Playtime: Begin this page layout with pastel rainbow scrapbooking paper. In the top inch of the page, stretch a length of satin ribbon with a twist just left of the page layout center. Place a heart or other charm on the twist. Directly below the charm, add a tag for a note. Top it with a small cord bow. On the left side of the page layout, position 2 slide mounts about 0.5″ from the paper’s edge. Make slide mounts match in color, but not pattern. Try to leave about 3″ of page below these. Glue a bit of knotted grosgrain ribbon at the top of each, knot in the middle. On the right side of the page layout, fit a larger frame in the same space as the slide mounts. Tilt the top of this frame about 15 degrees to the right. Let it overlap the tag’s bottom right corner. Glue more grosgrain ribbon on the frame’s left upper part, tied like an award ribbon. Directly below the tag, and about 7″ from the page layout top, Place a round frame. Ours was 2.5″ x 2.5″. Place another round frame of the same size slightly lower and to the right. Add a diaper pin embellishment to the top of each round frame. Complete your playtime page layout with a picture of a toy in the lower left corner.

3. Mealtime: This is among my favorite scrapbook baby page layouts. Begin by choosing 2 dominant colors that complement your photos. Lay 2 sheets of scrapbooking paper in these colors one atop the other. Cut at the center, top to bottom, in a curving free form. Lay one half of each side by side to form a complete page. Place a strip of 0.5″ ribbon matching one of the colors (or strips of paper) 0.5″ from the left edge of your page layout. Add a matching strip 1.5″ from the left edge. Do the same on each of the other 3 sides. Place a tilted baby bottle sticker at each page layout corner, overlapping the ribbons. At the bottom edge of the paper, use a “baby” font to spell out a title, such as “Baby’s Mealtime”. On the right half of the page layout, place two thin, rectangular frames, both tilted about 15 degrees to the right at the top. The upper frame should be no higher than 2″ from the page layout top. The lower frame no more than 1″ from the page layout bottom. Let the upper frame overlap the lower one. On the left side of the page, use 1 heavier rectangular frame. Tilt it to match the others, with its highest corner about 1″ from the page layout top. Add photos and embellish your page with eating utensils or food items baby loves.

Look for our next entry for more scrapbook baby page layouts.

Where can I find free scrapbooking paper to print? It’s a common question. The cost of Scrapbooking Supplies adds up over time, and frugal scrapbookers look for bargains - like free scrapbooking paper to print.

If you are hunting free scrapbooking paper to print, you will want to check various sources, and not be content with one. Some offer samples, meant to urge you to purchase Digital Scrapbooking supplies. Others offer free scrapbooking paper out of good will - a thank you to visitors. Most of these downloads are large files, so you may have trouble if you are using a dial-up connection to the Internet.

Sources of Free Scrapbooking Paper to Print

One way to zero in on free scrapbooking paper to print is to make a quick list of possible phrases for your search engine. Search engines can be both fussy and marvelous. In a search such as this, do not use quotation marks (”) around the words. You want the search engine to look more broadly.

Words can be rearranged and tried several ways until you get the results you want. For example, “free scrapbooking paper to print” could be twisted around to be “paper to print free scrapbooking” or “print free scrapbooking paper”. You might start with a phrase such as “printable scrapbook paper free” and twist it to “free printable scrapbook paper”. Or leave off a word or two. Try “free scrapbooking printable” and see if the results include the word paper.

Another way to find free scrapbooking paper to print is to use the word “sample” in place of the word “print” in your search.

Free scrapbooking paper to print can be found on websites that do not at all major in scrapbooking. For example:

Character-in-Action.com has free scrapbooking paper to print. They also have a few free scrapbooking pre-made pages. Their website expresses intent to add to the ideas and patterns they offer as free downloads. The layouts of their pages sometimes includes a character trait, making them great for calling attention to the character of people in your photos.

DIY Free Scrapbooking Paper to Print

You can design your own free scrapbooking paper to print out for your scrapbooks. If you are comfortable with a graphics software program such as PhotoShop, open a new page, and apply a background color. Use a gradient, if you wish, for more interest in the background. Import a small clipart image or photo and repeat it as often as you wish on top of your background. Or use the software’s own “shape tool” to create a pattern. Add texture or noise.

There are many things you can do on the computer to create interesting, free scrapbooking paper to print on your printer.

Printing Your Free Scrapbooking Paper

Wherever you find your free scrapbooking paper, be aware that it will not print at 12″ x 12″ scrapbook album size unless you have a special printer. Most printers are designed for letter or legal size paper: 8.5″ x 11″ or 8.5″ x 14″ only. You can solve this problem by saving your free scrapbooking paper to a CD or disk and taking it to a copy store such as Kinko’s. They can print on larger paper for you.

Be sure, too, that your free scrapbooking paper is printed on acid free paper to protect your photos.