Spending quality time with loved ones is not just a priority for many of us, but a way of life. Time never stops for anyone, and so shouldn't you to collect the wonderful moments you spend with them. A scrapbook album is an amazing way to keep those moments alive forever. Plus, it can be passed on to your kids, grandkids, and other relatives for more photos and delightful stories. But before you start making a scrapbook album of yours, you need to purchase the album. And if you're new to the scrapbooking world, the following tips on how to choose a scrapbook album will pose as a guide. 1. Theme for the Album Is the album based on your family, friends, special events, or is it about you? Once you have the theme sorted out, you can easily find an album that will suit your needs. Also, will the album contain a lot of photos and memorabilia, or will you be using it as a journal as well? It is important to know what you want from an album. 2. Size of the Scrapbook There are two main sizes a scrapbook album comes in: 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12". Of course, there are a few craft stores that have scrapbooks in smaller sizes. However, we will urge you not to purchase any of them as the display of photos may not be as appealing as the ones on larger scrapbooks. Now, even though many people select the 8.5" x 11" sized scrapbooks, there is one drawback here―you get very limited space to work with. In case you wish to write something about a photo, an incident, or funny fact, you may not be able to fit it all in here. Or let's say, if you want to paste multiple photos on a page, the space crunch will really make it difficult. As far as the 12" x 12" sized scrapbooks are concerned, you can really embellish the pages with creative layouts. 3. Different Scrapbook Styles If the selection of themes and sizes was tough to handle, you're not going to be too happy to learn that there are typically 4 different types of scrapbook albums available.

• 3-ring albums - As the name suggests, these albums use the standard 3-ring notebook style hinges for support. The pages are secured via D-rings or O-rings. So, when you close the album, the pages will stay flat like the pages in a book, keeping all your precious memories secure. The best part about having a 3-ring album is that you can expand it by adding more and more pages to it.
• Book-bound albums - Resembling a traditional hardcover book, book-bound albums are best when you wish to paste bulkier items. Apart from having pages where you can stick the photos in, the sewn and glued binding provides ample room for decorative elements, stickers, buttons, ribbons, or any other embellishment you may wish to include in your scrapbook.
• Post-bound albums - With machine screws and page protectors securing all your pages inside the scrapbook, a post-bound album is a good choice when you wish to utilize both sides of a page. One of the best things about these albums is that you have the flexibility to add as many pages as you like. By using the page extenders, all you need to do is open the screws, add the extenders, and include extra pages.
• Strap-hinge albums - Also known as a spiral album, there are flexible plastic straps that help secure the pages. The plastic wire loops run all the through the edges of each page. Since the straps have already been slid over the pages to cover them, it's a tedious task to remove the straps in order to add or remove pages from the album.

Now that you're aware of what to look for in a scrapbook album, shopping for one will be a much easier task. Consult with a salesperson as to which manufacturer provides the best scrapbook album for your needs.