DIY Recipe Scrapbook: Give the Gift of a Treasured Keepsake

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Have you been wondering what to give your loved ones this holiday season? How about a made-from-scratch recipe box? Photo By Amanda Mackey

Scrapbooking isn’t just for preserving memories with photos. It’s also a great way to organize and keep favorite family recipes close at hand — and to showcase the history and love of those recipes.

Have you been wondering what to give your loved ones this holiday season? How about a made-from-scratch recipe box? Your friends and relatives will treasure it not only because of the family history within its pages, but also because it’s a heartfelt, handmade gift made just for them.

Who would enjoy such a scrapbook? The better question is, who wouldn’t? It’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t love to receive a beautifully designed collection of tried-and-true family recipes that have been prepared, enjoyed, and passed down by many generations through the years.

So, figure out who will be getting a recipe scrapbook, then start thinking about each person’s individual taste. Is the kitchen done in modern, vintage or country décor? Is there a color scheme? Does the wallpaper, canisters or wall decorations have a theme, such as tractors, roosters, birdhouses or flowers? By taking these things into consideration, you can be sure that each recipe book is as one-of-a-kind as its recipient.

Now that you have a plan, you’re ready to get started.

Pick Out Recipes

The first step is choosing the recipes you want to include in your scrapbook. Next decide if you want to type or write them out on recipe cards. A third option is to scan the original recipes for a more nostalgic look. This is a great addition to a heritage book, and seeing a loved one’s handwriting while you’re preparing a signature dish makes it even more special.

If you want to add more history to your scrapbook, gather notes about each recipe to use as journaling — a way to tell a story. For example, “Mom made this for my birthday every year when I was a child,” “This was Dad’s favorite,” or “Grandma fixed this dessert every Christmas Eve.” These notes are nice to type up or write out on journaling strips or tags to include on the page.

Once the recipes have been typed, written or scanned, arrange them in the order you want them to appear in the scrapbook.

Choose Your Photos

If you plan to use photographs, sort through your albums or boxes and find the ones you want to use — or make the dishes and take photos of them. Now determine which photo will go with which recipe. While it’s not necessary to include a photo with each recipe, the scrapbook will look more balanced if there is at least one photo per two-page spread — the two pages that face each other when the book is open.