Scrapbook Recipe Book Ideas…Give the Gift of Culinary Creativity!
Scrapbook recipe book ideas – Do you love to cook or know somebody who does? This is a GREAT way to condense all of that culinary knowledge and put it into a beautiful book that could one day become a family heirloom.
Have you accumulated gazillions of recipes over the years in the form of a box crammed full of 3 by 5 index cards? This could be your lucky day to take it up a notch and put all those awesome recipes in your very own scrapbook album
Better yet, this would be such a great idea for a wedding or housewarming gift, your family’s culinary traditions thoughtfully arranged with love and creativity. Fabulous!
MCS MBI 3-Ring Bound Scrapbook Kit – Family Recipes
Materials Needed To Get Started
To create a one of a kind recipe scrapbook you pretty much need the same type of supplies as with other scrapbook niches. First things first is the album.
Choose a photo album with clear pockets, or a more traditional scrapbook album. You can select any size or style you prefer . I remember way back when I had a cute little photo album made for standard 4 by 6 snapshots in which I would happily insert all my favorite jell-o desserts.
It doesn’t have to be super fancy; as long as it has pockets inside that will hold 3 by 5 index cards and has enough space for all your elements.
For a majority of this post, I’m going to show my recipe scrapbook made from an “art journal” style book – You could also use that style, instead of an album. I started on it ten years ago and as time goes by, I add a new dish. It uses a combination of cards, magazine clippings, photos and journal tidbits.
You’ll also need:
Glue or adhesive (I recommend the glue stick, dots, or tape runner
Scissors
Various embellishments – e.g., some stick-on bling or rolls of washi tape
Last but not least – your recipe collection!
Consider Decorating the Cover!
If your album or notebook has a plain cover, you may want to decorate your recipe book’s front cover too! I took a collage approach with food and dish images arranged together – of course that’s up to you.
Other ideas for the cover could include:
A family photo – a great approach if this is to be a family recipe book.
A premade template – If you have access to a good graphic tool, you can customize your own cover. You can find plenty of layouts with culinary themes on them, all you would have to do is choose one and add your details to it, or swap out a few of the elements for different ones.
Custom printable – A printable page with kitchen theme elements would work great.
Create an Intro Page For Your Recipe Book
Consider making an introduction or “dedication” page for the very beginning that captures the person (or people) beyond the recipes. Most books have a “foreword” or “dedication” page at the start – this is a great way to welcome the future recipient and let them know what’s in store!
Above is my “intro” welcome page. It’s kind of basic; no dedication or anything like that, just a synopsis of what inspired my recipe book.
Project Life Recipe Pages, 6 by 8″
Organizing Your Recipes
Depending on how many recipes you have on hand that you want to include, you want to have a system of organization for the various dish types. Main dishes, side dishes, soups and stews, bread related, and desserts are some good examples.
This will help you, or the future recipient, know which section to look in to find a certain dish.To the left are a good set of cooking-themed divide pages with tabs. These were actually kind of hard to find.
You can create tabs out of cardstock, and arrange them so they stick out on the side and show each meal genre, so you will know where to look.
I created a table of contents…and my book didn’t have numbered pages so I had to do that tedious job of numbering them, but hey, if I want to find a good soup recipe I know what page I started them on!
Include Notes, Measurements and Other Contributions
A handy measurement chart or reference guide in the back is a great idea. Show teaspoon to tablespoon equivalents, and cup, quart, and liter exchanges too – it’ll definitely come in handy one day.
Don’t forget to add important notes – for example, I made a quick note on one page of what fruits are good for, and which should not be dropped into gelatin 🙂
Consider adding contributor bios too, you can mention the family member whose recipe you are including and a little insider info just for fun or to honor them.
Journaling In Your Recipe Scrapbook
Cooking is a nuanced art, so don’t be afraid to add your own tidbits, tips, extra hints and personal musings to your recipe scrapbook, in between more ordinary things like ingredient lists and steps involved. This is not just another cookbook, let it have your voice too.
What are some unique ways to do this?
- Add a little backstory about certain recipes (like who shared it with you, its origins, etc.)
- Your first experience when you made this dish – how well did it turn out?
- If this is a generational recipe – how far back? Recipes are often a sacred thing passed down 🙂
Pictures, Cards, or Both?
If you’re using more than index cards -meaning you’ve got recipes written on scrap paper or other places, pictures are a nice way to add appeal. I have a good amount of recipes from magazines and when I cut them out, I also made sure I got the picture in them too.
Here are a few examples of cards that would be great for showcasing your recipes, and clear protectors to preserve those you’ve already pre-written.
What’s Cooking Double-sided Recipe Cards 4Project Life 97716 Theme Cards-Recipe (40 Piece)MBI 5×7 Inch Recipe 2-Up Refill Pages, 10pk, 20 Pockets (899860)
Journaling cards with cooking themes would be a great tool to use. Try to add photos and pictures whenever you can as it will add more appeal visually to your book.
👉 Pro Tip: Always remember that even if you glue down the cards making them permanently stationed on paper, you can always use your phone and take a picture of the recipe before going to the store for the ingredients!
Summary
This recipe book is sure to be treasured by an adult child going off to college or getting their first apartment, Or a bride-to-be will love this as a wedding gift. Or someone in your family who has got a passion for home cooking!
Or you might just decide to keep it. So don’t delay, ditch the boring filing box and immortalize all those recipes into one amazing scrapbook instead!
Post Updated: May 31st 2019
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