Girl, I was scrolling through my phone the other day, looking at literally thousands of photos just sitting there, and it hit me: when’s the last time I actually held a memory? Scrapbooks are having their main character moment right now, and for good reason. Something feels so beautifully intentional about putting together a scrapbook for your bestie that makes my heart all warm and fuzzy.
I’ve been diving deep into this whole scrapbooking world lately (thanks, TikTok), and it’s become my new obsession. The cutting, pasting, and creating something that screams “I love you” in the most personal way possible feels incredible. So grab your coffee, babe, because I’m about to spill all my favorite ideas for creating a scrapbook that’ll make your best friend ugly cry in the best way.
Layer Up with Mixed Media
Some people are minimalists. Yeah, this isn’t for them. I’m talking about going wild with textures, colors, and materials until your pages look like a celebration exploded all over them. Think washi tape layered over patterned paper, fabric scraps mixed with magazine cutouts, maybe even some pressed flowers thrown in for good measure.
I saw this girl at the craft store last week who had her cart loaded with every single type of paper they sold. When I asked her what she was making, she said, “A friendship scrapbook that’s gonna be louder than we are when we’re together.” That energy is everything. Use those foam stickers, metallic pens, ribbons, buttons, literally whatever makes you think of your bestie. The messier and more chaotic, the better, because that’s what real friendship looks like anyway.
Create a Friendship Soundtrack
Stop everything and think about this for a second: what song immediately makes you think of your best friend? I bet you just smiled thinking about it. Music is like the soundtrack to our friendships, and creating a whole page dedicated to “your songs” is pure genius.
Make it like those old mixtape covers we used to obsess over, but better. Write out the lyrics to the song that was playing during your first road trip together, or list all those random TikTok sounds that became inside jokes between you two. My friend Maya and I heard “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo during the most dramatic night of our lives, and now every time it comes on, we look at each other and just start laughing. Those moments belong in a scrapbook.
Picture Perfect Scrapbook Pages
Here’s where it gets real: the photos. But not just any photos, the good ones. The blurry selfies, the unflattering candids, the ones where you’re both mid-laugh and look ridiculous. Those Polaroid and Instax pictures hit different because they’re imperfect and real, just like your friendship.
I love handwriting little notes around the photos too. Like that picture of you guys attempting to make homemade pizza and failing spectacularly? Write “Gordon Ramsay could never” in your messiest handwriting right next to it. Or that photo from your bestie’s 25th birthday where you’re both wearing those ridiculous tiaras? “Queens supporting queens” in fancy calligraphy. These little touches make the whole thing feel like a love letter to your friendship.
Bridal Shower or Wedding Scrapbook
Oh my gosh, if your bestie is getting married or just got married, this is your moment to shine. Wedding scrapbooks are next-level emotional, and I’m here for every tear they’ll cause. Collect letters from everyone who loves her: family, friends, coworkers, that barista who knows her coffee order by heart.
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But here’s what made me sob when my friend did this for me, she pressed flowers from my bridal shower centerpieces and glued them right into the pages. She even saved those little name cards from the tables and those cocktail napkins with our names on them. It’s like she captured the whole day and made it immortal. Your bestie’s gonna lose it when she sees how much thought you put into preserving her special moments.
Travel Buddy Scrapbook
This one’s especially close to my heart because my bestie lives across the country now, and our travel memories are literally what keep our friendship alive. Whether you’ve traveled together or you’re documenting all the places she’s been without you (tear), this is such a beautiful way to celebrate adventure.
Save everything: boarding passes, hotel key cards, that receipt from the weird little café where you had the best conversation of your lives. Draw little maps showing your routes, paste in photos from different cities, maybe even include pressed leaves from that park you wandered through in Portland. I have this friend who makes little pockets in her travel pages where she stores ticket stubs and foreign coins, and every time I see it, I’m like, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Old School Collage Style
Can we bring back the chaotic energy of middle school collages? The beautiful mess of magazine cutouts, random stickers, movie ticket stubs, and quotes that made no sense to anyone but you and your bestie.
Cut out words and phrases that remind you of inside jokes, paste in pictures of celebrities you used to obsess over together, add stickers that have zero relevance but somehow feel perfect. It should look like your teenage bedroom wall had a baby with a Pinterest board. The more random and personal, the better. This style is pure nostalgia in scrapbook form.
Diagonal Page Designs and Shapes
Okay, geometry class finally has a purpose. Using diagonal cuts and geometric shapes adds this fresh, modern vibe that makes your pages look like they belong in a trendy coffee shop art gallery. Cut your patterned paper into triangles, arrange photos in diamond shapes, or create these cool layered circle designs.
I learned this trick from watching way too many scrapbooking YouTube videos at 2 AM: if you cut your paper diagonally and layer it, it creates amazing depth that photographs beautifully. Plus, it’s a fun way to use up all those paper scraps you’ve been hoarding because “you might need them someday.” Spoiler alert: someday is now.
Scrapbook Cards and Decorative Borders
Little embellishment cards are like the jewelry of scrapbooking, they’re not necessary, but they make everything look more polished and intentional. Create these cute little cards with stickers or die cuts, then use them to point out special details or add extra journaling space.
And borders? Game changers. Instead of just slapping photos on plain pages, create gorgeous custom borders with washi tape, decorative paper strips, or even hand-drawn doodles. I once spent an entire afternoon drawing tiny hearts around every photo in a friendship scrapbook, and it was simultaneously the most tedious and most therapeutic thing I’d ever done.
Colorful Titles and Journaling Tags
This is where you get to be extra, and I mean extra extra. Rainbow titles, stamps in every color imaginable, die cuts that spell out inside jokes, go completely overboard with your page headings. Make them impossible to ignore and perfect for your bestie’s personality.
The journaling tags are my secret weapon though. Cut paper into cute shapes like stars, hearts, speech bubbles, and write your thoughts on them. Tie them with ribbons or attach them with fun brads. It’s like leaving little love notes throughout the entire scrapbook. Your bestie will find herself reading these tags over and over again, trust me.
Photo Collages and Timeline Layouts
Here’s where things get really sentimental: creating visual timelines of your friendship journey. Start with that awkward first photo together and work your way to the present, showing how you’ve both grown and changed while your friendship stayed strong.
Or go the collage route for big events and milestones. That epic 30th birthday celebration? Make a whole spread with photos from the planning stages to the aftermath. Your friend’s graduation, her first apartment, that random Tuesday when you decided to dye your hair together, all of it deserves to be celebrated and remembered.
Final Thoughts
The beautiful thing about scrapbooking for your bestie is that there are literally no rules. It’s just you, your memories, and all the love you have for this person who’s been by your side through everything. Whether you’re a crafting goddess or someone who can barely cut in a straight line, what matters is the intention behind every page.
Your bestie is going to flip when she sees how much time and love you put into capturing your friendship. And you’re probably going to get a little emotional making it too. Going through old photos and reliving all those moments reminds you just how lucky you are to have found your person.
So go ahead, buy all the supplies, make the mess, and create something beautiful. Your friendship deserves to be celebrated in the most extra, heartfelt way possible.
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