I love to show you easy and inexpensive ways to create scrapbooks. Have you heard about Brown Paper-bag albums? You can buy those Brown-paper lunch-bags anywhere and they are only a buck or two like 50 of them…. I create them all the time, especially as gifts for family and friends to give to. They are simple and very cute and will hold a lot of memorabilia.

I created one as a “In memory of”  Album for my sister a few years back…. It is still my favorite album check it out and it was soo simple to put together and it holds up really well.

I also did a little research for you guys and found a great video on how to create one. I’m not the video type, so I can’t make one for you guys but Follow the Paper trail did a great job in showing you how to make an album… Believe me once you made one, you are hooked, they are soooooo soooo cool.

This is what you need:

• Brown Paper bags, as many as you like if you make a smaller album 4 bags will give you 16 scrapbook pages with 4 pockets and 4 flaps…. so a package of Brown Paper bags will go a long way.
• Some ribbon to bind your album
• Anything you like to decorate the album, stickers, scrapbook paper, ribbon, and of course your pictures….

How to make the Album:

1. Layout your paper bags by alternating the flaps.
   
2. Lay down the first bag with the opening on the left and the flap on the right, then with the second bag on top of the first have the flap on the left and the opening on the right and so on. This will help even out your album so the thicknesses of the flaps are not all on one side.
   
3. After you have your bags organized then fold them together like a book and bind them somehow. I always punch holes in them and tie ribbons around to hold it together.
   
4. Another option is to sew the bags down the middle to create a binding for your album, I do that sometimes, too and the books holds a lot better…but takes more time as well.
   
5. Once you have bound the book then you are ready to start decorating your pages.
   
6. Cut the scrapbook papers to the appropriate sizes to cover the pages.
   
7. You will want a base cover for the pages, then cut photo mats and add embellishments.
   
8. Finish the album by adding your photos and journaling to personalize the pages.