The Art of the Scrap

Kittysmum, an ex-illustrator and graphic designer living in Cheshire, England, has a way of looking at “stuff” that changes everything. She calls herself a simple living enthusiast and a camper, but above all, she’s a scrap-booker who believes the magic isn’t in spending money. It’s not about buying fancy stickers to frame a print. It is about seeing potential in the ordinary-making embellishments out of cereal boxes and using the everyday snaps taken on your phone as the foundation.

For her, the photos are the “bricks and mortar” of the house you are building. The pictures just need to tell a story or offer a bit of eye candy. If you start a layout with a dud, the whole thing falls flat, but when you have that one interesting image, the rest follows naturally.

There is a distinct freedom in this process. You can layer everything up on a panel of cardboard or stamp all over your paper in paint-covered boots. It feels like playtime where you get to choose the game.

Take that picture of her kid drinking a strawberry milkshake. The immediate thought is “sugary,” and that becomes the starting point. You notice the coral color on her t-shirt and the pink in the milk, so you dig into the box of collected bits and bobs. You pull out things that remind you of pink milk and children’s parties, creating a layout that tastes just like that memory.

It really doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. There are almost no limits to what can be made rather than bought-flowers, bunting, little flags, or heart shapes. With just a few scraps of wrapping paper and a glue stick, you are off to the races.

The joy is found in losing all track of time because the process is simply too much fun. But beyond the craft, it is a brilliant way of recording a family’s history. Kittysmum jokes about how much she will enjoy telling her daughter’s future boyfriend that, at age five, she used to put bath foam on her face and pretend to be Santa Claus.

There is something deeply restorative in this act of preservation. As a first-time mom, she found the experience overwhelming, but looking back at layouts featuring a smiling baby forces a shift in perspective. It might have been tough, but those photos are proof of the better times, making them incredibly valuable.

So much therapeutic value comes from such simple things: oddments of paper, pretty buttons, and a wallet of photos. It is an unassuming package that arrives in the mail, ready to release a floor-glittering torrent of messy experiments.

Even without the glue and scissors, modern tools can help bridge the gap for those who want that handmade look without the mess. You can photograph your physical creations to put on canvas, or use digital layouts that retain that authentic scrapbook feel.

Open photo book showing a family photo layout

With specific fonts and themed embellishments, you can capture the spirit of a traditional book. It’s about keeping the “handmade” aesthetic even in a modern format.

Travel themed digital embellishments including stamps and maps

For travel memories, using stamps, city names, and landmarks can make a travel book truly stunning. It allows you to reminisce about the sights and sounds of family adventures on a single page.

Instead of just grouping faces, marrying those memories with scenic snaps of the surroundings adds context. It tells the viewer not just who was there, but what it felt like to be there.

Collages serve as a great tool for photographic storytelling, allowing you to group images chronologically to tell a tale from start to finish. Whether it is repurposing old prints or designing a new book, the goal is to create something that warms the heart.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, but the result is always a reflection of the creator. It’s about documenting those “Santa foam” moments and the pink milkshakes so they aren’t lost to time.