Unique Handmade Albums

Beautiful photo albums are treasured keepsakes enjoyed by every generation. Here we feature several designs you can create for nearly every occasion.

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Heart-Shape Album

Heart-Shape Album Page 1

Heart-Shape Album Page 2

Calendar Album Made in a Weekend

Calendar Album Contents Page

Monthly Design Page

Spinning Album

Understated Wedding Album

Unique Double-Bound Cover

Easy Does It

Covering Spiral Albums

Birthday Album

Balanced Layouts

Grandparent Gift

Craft in Circles

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Heart-Shape Album

Brag about your loved ones with this easy-to-make album. Cut a scalloped-edge paper into four heart shapes. Cut heart-shaped pieces from cardstock and attach to the back of each scalloped-edge paper piece to make each page. Stack the finished pages, punch two holes on one side, and join them with key rings. The album is a blast to embellish and makes a great gift.

Find Baby Album Ideas

Heart-Shape Album Page 1

Shaped paper cut into fourths works as a quick album. Shop for scalloped edges, stars, and other shapes.

See Vacation Album Ideas

Heart-Shape Album Page 2

Each page carries the same basic design, color palette and similar embellishments to give it a cohesive look.

See Vacation Album Ideas

Calendar Album Made in a Weekend

Track your annual memories using a handful of supplies and a basic template. This album features a consistent design that brings it together quickly. The album includes a cover, a contents page, and monthly designs that celebrate the year in review.

Use a purchased spiral album or make your own by cutting cardboard, punching holes along one edge, and inserting spiral binding. Layer card stock and stitch pieces together; mount on the front of the album. Print the title and date on a piece of colored paper, stitch around the edges, add eyelets and adhere to the front cover. Embellish as desired.

Check out a Kids' Artwork Calendar

Calendar Album Contents Page

To create a contents page, crop the images with a square punch, add small tags printed with the abbreviated month, and mount in a grid format.

See a Year-in-Review Calendar

Monthly Design Page

For the inner pages, print the month (page title) and list of activities (journaling) on white card stock. Arrange the elements on patterned paper in the same composition, rotating or flopping elements for variety. Repeat a few embellishments throughout the album for consistency.

Make a Personalized Calendar

Spinning Album

Incorporate an array of unrelated -- but meaningful -- photos into one memento. This spinning album features more than 100 photos. Fill it with a year's worth of unforgettable moments, everything from baseball games to piano recitals.

Lighten up: Opt for embellishments that are not bulky. Use paper punches to create layered designs, such as paper flowers and tags.

Make an impression: When you create the album, pull colors and designs that complement your decor.

Take a Class on Rolodex Albums

Understated Wedding Album

A classic color scheme and simple accents make building this wedding and reception album a snap.

See More Wedding Album Ideas

Unique Double-Bound Cover

Look for albums with surprising features, like this one that opens in the middle and has post-bound bindings on two sides. Enjoy photos of the wedding right side up, then flip the book to see photos of the reception.

Make an Easy Wedding Album

Easy Does It

Keep the design simple and consistent. For this album the bride matted each photo with white card stock and slid it into the protector sheet on the left-hand page. She reserved the right-hand page for quotes and notes.

See More Wedding Ideas

Covering Spiral Albums

Learn to cover a spiral album with these easy steps: Measure the distance from the album cover's left-hand edge to its holes. Use this measurement to draw a vertical line down the back of your patterned paper. Lay the paper next to the album, mark where the spirals fall along the vertical line, and punch small holes at the marks. Finally, make a horizontal cut from each hole to the edge of the paper. Spray the back of the paper with adhesive and line up the paper and spirals. Use the back of curved tweezers (they won't dent your paper) to smooth the paper between spirals. Trim any access.

Make a Spiral Baby Nickname Album

Birthday Album

Create a mini album to celebrate a special birthday. Despite its size -- the pages are 4x3 -- there's plenty of space to include multiple photos and lots of journaling.

See More Birthday Ideas

Balanced Layouts

To keep a small album from becoming too busy, place full-page photos only on the left-hand pages and keep the right-hand pages open for journaling.

See Easy Birthday Thank You Cards

Grandparent Gift

Using 6x6-inch chipboard, you can create this fabulous mini album as a gift for a special person in your life.

See More Grandparent Albums

Craft in Circles

For a masculine touch, raid a toolbox for mini washers to loop onto the binder rings. Work the circle theme throughout your album with round tags, hole reinforcers -- even pages. Re-create a grid pattern on the inside cover with rows of chipboard and felt circles.

Find Family Album Ideas

Unique Handmade Albums

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