Ill show you how to make a cute scrapbook with month dividers. Get creative with the dividers. They could be days of a vacation (day 1, day 2, day 3...) or the seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn) or events.(birthday, anniversary, vacation, Christmas) Whatever you want! This instructable will be shown using month dividers. You will need at least 6 sheets of card stock or paper. The paper works fine and ends up using less space on the rings because it is thinner but the card stock will be more durable. As long as you are gentle, paper will work fine.

(I'm using 12 sheets in the photos because I want a different pattern for each divider. Using 6 sheets will have the same pattern for two of the dividers. I'm using the left overs to make a scrapbook for a friend.)

Materials:

Minimum 6 pieces of 12x12 card stock or paper
Hole punch
Scissors
Pencil and eraser
12 inch ruler
2 binder rings
Clear Tape (optional)
Letter stickers (optional)
Paper clips (optional)
Binder clips (optional)
Gift tags (optional)

Step 1: Choose Paper, Cut, and Fold

Choose 6 pieces of card stock or paper for the month dividers. Draw a line down the centre of the sheet 6 inches up from bottom to top and 9.5 inches from bottom to top the other way. Do this for all 6 papers. Cut along the lines. The skinny strip on the end will be scrap. You can use this for scrap booking in the future or throw it away.

Fold all the sheets in half. Stack the papers together and give the a squeeze on the crease. This will help you get a crisp fold and make the next step easier.

Step 2: Cut Out the Dividers

Decide what order you would like the dividers to be in. Draw the outline for the dividers. Draw the dividers on the folded edge of the paper, NOT the open edge. This will give them added durability. My dividers stick out 3/4" and are 2" long. Depending on how many dividers you are making you may want to change how long they are.

Start at the top of your stack of papers and work your way through so you can keep track if you are drawing a divider on the top, middle or bottom of the paper. After you have the measurements marked out draw rounded corners on the dividers. Use anything that has the right circumference. I used a lip gloss tube. A dime works well. Now cut out the dividers.

Step 3: Add the Months and Punch Holes

Erase any left over pencil marks. You can write the names of the months or use stickers. I use stickers because my handwriting is atrocious.

Punch holes in the dividers. Use a test sheet to make sure you know where your hole punch is going to land. My hole punch has a metal guide that can be pushed in or out. When I pushed it in the hole punch landed exactly where I wanted my holes to be. Hopefully your hole punch will be this easy to use. Do not try to free hand the hole punch. The holes will be slightly off, giving the scrap book a messy look.

Step 4: Assemble!

Assemble the dividers on to the binder rings!! You can buy binder rings in different sizes. These are 1.5 inch rings. Depending on how many pictures you put into your scrap book you may need bigger rings. The nice thing about this scrapbook is you can swap the rings out at any time for bigger ones.

That is it for the basic scrapbook. The next steps will be showing you how to make extra pages and pockets for ticket stubs, brochures, smaller pictures, and whatever else you collect over the year.

Step 5: Simple Page Insert (optional)

To make a simple page insert mark a 12x12 sheet with a line 6 inches from bottom to top and 8 inches from bottom to top the other way. One 12x12 sheet will make 3 page inserts. Cut along the lines and fold. Hole punch on the open side of the sheet, NOT the folded edge. Place this page into the scrapbook.

The longer piece can be made into a simple page or a page with a pocket (next step). For the simple page put some tape on the open edges and insert into the scrapbook.

Step 6: Pocket Page (optional)

For the pocket page fold in half the long piece then tape one long edge and one short edge. Leave one long edge open. Hole punch the taped edge.

To keep the things in the pocket from falling out you can either use a paper clip, binder clip or punch holes and tie it closed with a string or gift tag. If you want to use the string to hold it close mark a dot along the open edge at 2.5" and 3.5" and hole punch.

Print off some pictures and hole punch them!! There are some really great photo editing apps that have lots of filters, stickers, frames and the ability to add text to photos. Dress up your photos how ever you would like! You can hole punch maps, brochures, tickets or whatever else you find to put into your scrapbook.

Enjoy!