When you’re younger, everything is new and every “scoop” is written or saved. But as we age, our lives are filled with memories that shape who we are, memories that mean even more than our first haircut or first bike. however, we document less and less. why not collect our adult milestones in a beautiful memory book? go beyond the simple family album or vacation photo book. it could be the most memorable gift you’ve ever given, either to yourself or someone else.
You are reading: Memory books for adults
16 ideas for a unique scrapbook
important people in your life
A meaningful memory book tells the story of you and the people you care about most. start by making a list of loved ones to include and gather the memories that capture your unique bond. You can divide your book into sections dedicated to each friend or family member, group your photos by season or special event, or treat each page as a collage of moments. Don’t forget to add funny quotes and captions.
book of happiness
Seeing things you love and your favorite things to do is an instant mood boost. whenever you feel lonely, discouraged, or uninspired, you can flip through to find a new place to start. this doesn’t even have to be your own photograph. It can be quotes, magazine clippings, images you find on unsplash, anything that makes you happy to see it. simply creating is a happy activity, and even less so when it lives in your line of sight.
children’s toys
This is a great baby book idea. As kids outgrow the toys, stuffed animals, even costumes, shoes, and capes they love, take a picture of them. It may not be practical to keep every item forever, but you can keep all the memories between the covers of a scrapbook.
favorite songs and albums
This type of scrapbook works for any age. create an autobiography from songs and albums. find the cover, maybe even photograph your physical cd and vinyl copies. write a short note about the memories related to that song or album, or how they shaped you. Author Nick Hornby did this brilliantly with his book songbook, but you don’t have to be a bestselling author to “arrange his record collection” in the pages of a book.
quotes and inspiration
we get inspiration on how to live from so many places. Whether it’s family wisdom passed down, favorite authors, or instagram forwards, creating your own scrapbook means you can collect it all in one volume to revisit and remember. Pair quotes with photos of the family member who made them famous, or with photos and illustrations that also inspire you. it’s like making a mixed tape of all the wisdom you carry with you. The best part about doing it yourself is that it’s yours! your collection will be as unique as you are, and that’s its beauty!
scribbles and drawings
digitize those sketches and make them into something more permanent. this also makes a great gift for the artist or doodler in your life. Photograph the best pages in sketchbooks, notebooks, journals, and create a personal body of work in a professionally printed volume. this protects your ideas and inspirations and practice sketches from being lost or scattered.
common memory book
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This is one for the readers. One way to remember what you read is to write excerpts in notebooks for future use. It is a practice that dates back to the 18th century. but many people now take notes of what they read without even knowing the tradition. Your scrapbook doesn’t have to be visual. it may be a compilation of your reading notes in a single volume. As you collect them, you can sort them into different categories: love, success, faith, money, etc., and organize your book according to those sections. will create a volume that will be an heirloom for years to come.
pet album
It is increasingly common to see instagram accounts dedicated exclusively to pets. there is something special about our furry friends that bring so much joy and love into our lives. our pets are members of the family! why relegate those photos to a phone? place them on pages so your pets can live with the rest of the family and take their place in your family scrapbook collection.
review of the year
Speaking of getting your photos off your phone, why not make an annual photo book? print those special moments so they don’t get buried forever in a font. You can have your photos automatically flow right from your phone and Facebook account, and in a matter of minutes, you have a printed version of your year. don’t leave your memories to ever-changing technology. you took those photos for a special reason, keep them in a scrapbook so they stand the test of time.
annual events
It’s easy to miss them because they happen every year. But making a scrapbook about an annual event is easy because the theme is already there! Gather all the photos from the pumpkin patch, or shots from the sisters’ annual road trip, or from Thanksgiving over the years. maybe you always attend the opening day of baseball. having the photos in a book means you can revisit those annual events throughout the year.
the whole trip
Is there something you’ve done that has taken you months or years to achieve? a goal you finally reached? a project that finally came to an end? maybe you lost 100 pounds and have your gym selfies to show your progress. maybe you finished a mural. Have you been raising funds for an important cause? Gather the memories of how you got there because sometimes it’s as much about what it took to get somewhere as it is about getting there. If you haven’t started your journey yet, considering making a scrapbook will encourage you to document yourself along the way!
where am i from
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This can be a meaningful gift to yourself as a tool for self-discovery, but it can also be a comforting gift to someone who is about to set sail for a new place. Gather photos that represent family heritage, images and artifacts from a hometown or neighborhood, stories of local landmarks, family traditions, etc. Taking a good look at your roots, holding them in your hand in the form of a scrapbook, can give you wings to reach the next place in your life journey.
weekend getaways
Just because it’s not a great vacation doesn’t mean it’s not worth posting. bachelorette weekends, family visits, local adventures, short visits: they make great volumes of memories. plan ahead a little and you can collect everyone else’s travel photos and have plenty of material to create a travel photo book.
personalized abc scrapbook
You may not be a world-class illustrator, but you can make a special children’s book for the little ones in your life. gather photos for each letter of the alphabet that are personal and meaningful. is a fun creative challenge for you that has a built-in structure and theme, and is fun for your little one to learn as you pore over it for years to come.
note cards
Exchanging written letters is already rare, but we have a burst of email. Some of our most poignant cultural memories come from letters from writers and artists that were originally “off the record.” what written treasures do you have hidden in a folder in your inbox? pull out those first day romantic emails, or those study abroad stories, or the daily get-togethers between friends. clear clutter and organize the collection like a conversation. Years from now, you’ll be glad you don’t have to find a way to read them.
See how Kathleen Monahan turned her father’s handwritten letters into a wonderful family keepsake: Dear Mom, Love Johnny.
vision scrapbook
what about the memories you still want to make? You’ve heard of vision boards, where you keep visual reminders of goals, hopes, and dreams. what about a vision book? put those future plans and thoughts in writing on real pages. where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? How do you want your life to be? what is your plan to get there? Gather images, quotes, detailed descriptions, and reflections for your vision book. make it beautiful keep it around. when you hold one of these in your hands, you can ponder how to create a life that inspires the most important audience: yourself!
We already have a library of memories in our heads. they return in an instant, triggered by a certain smell, song, or time of year. maybe there are some that we don’t want to see again, but others, when we remember them, it means that we can experience that love and joy again. Instead of waiting for the weather or a particular combination of scents, put the best ones on the pages so you can pull them off the shelf whenever you want. make that inner library real and you can have it with personal scrapbooks.
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