New research has revealed that baby scrapbooks are the most popular scrapbook theme in the UK. Scrapbooking experts Design Bundles conducted an analysis in October, November and December 2021 to find the average number of Google searches for various scrapbook designs. Baby scrapbooks proved to be the most popular with an average of 1,600 online searches each month.
Scrapbooking is a wonderful way of collecting and sharing memories. Many people put photos and memorabilia in their books as a way of keeping physical records of special events in their life. These books are a good way to create a story around a particular event or part of your life, especially if you write entries on each page.
Having a new baby is a particularly big milestone in someone’s life, so making a scrapbook is a fun way to store all of the photos and memories of their first few years. Along with photos, the book could include tokens such as the baby’s handprint, congratulatory cards and keepsakes from the birth such as a hospital bracelet.
Continue reading to find out which other popular scrapbook ideas have made it into the top ten list!
Most popular scrapbook ideas in the UK
After baby scrapbooks, couples and wedding scrapbooks are the next most popular themes in the UK. Both ideas were googled an average of 1,000 times between October and December 2021.
Most weddings feature a dedicated photographer who takes hundreds of photos of the special day. This means that the married couple will have lots of photos that they want to display, as well as mementoes from the event such as dried flowers and wedding cards. Not only will a scrapbook keep the photos and items safe, but it will also encourage you to relive the memories as you can easily flip through the book rather than look at digital files or through boxes of loose photos.
Scrapbooks tend to look better if they have a colour or sub-theme. The obvious choice for a colour scheme is the one from the wedding or the secondary theme could be the season that the wedding took place. However, there are no strict rules when it comes to creating scrapbooks, especially if you buy a blank book. Some people struggle to work out where they should put items, but luckily you can buy scrapbooks with templated pages that indicate where you should put specific photos and memorabilia.
Couples scrapbooks are the next most popular theme with an average of 1,000 online searches each month. These books don’t usually focus on a single event as wedding books do. They can instead be filled with pages that focus on holidays, dates and random photos that don’t follow a particular theme. It’s a good idea to label the photos and items on each page so that you or anyone you show the book to in the future will know what they are looking at.
The third most popular scrapbook idea is travel, with an average of 880 online searches per month. As with weddings, most people take hundreds of photos when they are on holiday or travelling for any length of time. You can also collect brochures and tickets from the places that you visit, along with an itinerary of things that you did each day.
Scrapbooks about best friends were found to have an average of 590 Google searches each month, whilst Harry Potter books have an average of 390 searches each month.
As with couples scrapbooks, best friend scrapbooks can feature any number of events and photos that you and your friend share. You can write down memories that the two of you have, as well as items that have special meaning to you both. Although you could keep the book for yourself, scrapbooks also make lovely presents.
Harry Potter is an unusual entry into the list because the theme is based on a franchise, rather than personal memories. The pages could be based around certain sections of the book or movies that you particularly like and feature relevant quotes and images. You could also include photos of yourself dressed in costumes that are inspired by the wizarding world or trips to the studios.
Another theme that is quite different to the others on the list is recipe scrapbooks. Books with this theme are usually a collection of favourite recipes, along with tips about how to improve the method or ingredients, as well as photos of the finished results. This method is a great way to organise your recipes so that they are easily accessible and kept in a safe place.
Recipe and pregnancy scrapbooks were googled an average of 320 times each month between October and December. Whilst baby scrapbooks tend to focus on the baby’s formative years, pregnancy scrapbooks focus on the parents’ journey. These books usually feature ultrasound photos, as well as photos of the mother’s growing bump and details about the pregnancy, such as check-up dates. You can also include personal information, such as any cravings that the mother may have and thoughts and feelings over the course of the journey.
Anniversary and birthday scrapbooks each had an average of 260 online searches from October to December 2021. These themes could be based around a single year, or they could record memories and photos from a number of anniversaries and birthdays. Scrapbooks don’t have to be made in a short space of time – they can be ongoing and show the progression of life over a number of years.
The table below shows the top ten most popular scrapbook themes in the UK, along with their average search volume in October, November and December 2021.
| Theme | Average volume of searches (Oct-Dec 2021) |
| Baby Scrapbook | 1,600 |
| Couples Scrapbook | 1,000 |
| Wedding Scrapbook | 1,000 |
| Travel Scrapbook | 880 |
| Best friend Scrapbook | 590 |
| Harry Potter Scrapbook | 390 |
| Pregnancy Scrapbook | 320 |
| Recipe Scrapbook | 320 |
| Anniversary Scrapbook | 260 |
| Birthday Scrapbook | 260 |
No matter what theme your scrapbook has, it’s always a good idea to plan out your pages first. Place your photos and memorabilia on each page and have a go at arranging them in a creative fashion before you glue them down. It can sometimes look better to include photos of different sizes rather than the standard 4 x 6 inches. This means that you can play around with the negative space on each page and think of creative ways to fill them so that they don’t look too uniform.
What materials should I use in a scrapbook?
Scrapbook paper is probably the best option for these books because it is strong enough to support whatever you glue onto it. However, you could add patterned paper to a normal notebook to make it sturdier.
Scrapbooks come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s a good idea to think of what you want to put in the book before you buy one. You may find yourself running out of pages if you have lots of photos to put in, or the book may be too small to fit memorabilia on without it getting creased.
Popular scrapbooking supplies include dried flowers, stamps and embellishments like gems and ribbons. You can use different coloured pens, along with strong glue and scissors to cut out and stick your items in. You could keep a box to collect scrapbook supplies in as and when you find them so that you have plenty of inspiration for future books.
Scrapbooks can look more professional if you base the materials you use around a theme. Have a look at scrapbooking ideas online to find inspiration and get your creative juices flowing. For example, you can place one photo on each scrapbook page or create a collage of images. You can also add visual interest to the pictures by adding stickers and patterned washi tape on the pages.
