(Inter)National Scrapbook Day Date in the current year: May 4, 2024

Scrapbooking is a popular hobby where people collect and preserve various memorabilia (photos, postcards, notes, artwork, quotes, poems, postal stamps, playbills, ticket stubs, etc.) by compiling them into albums. These albums, called scrapbooks, are often elaborately decorated and may include handwritten captions or even journal entries.

Modern scrapbooking emerged in the United Kingdom in the 19th century. Its popularity declined during the 20th century until the revival of scrapbooking in the 1980s. The person credited with reviving scrapbooking and turning it from a relatively obscure hobby into a thriving industry dedicated to the manufacturing and sale of scrapbooking supplies is Marielen Wadley Christensen from Utah, United States. The first official scrapbooking store, Keeping Memories Alive, was opened in 1981 in Spanish Folk, Utah.

Early scrapbooks were almost literally made from scraps, hence the name, but today there are plenty of materials and tools that allow scrapbook enthusiasts to create impressive journals and postcards. Essential scrapbooking supplies include a scrapbooking album, cardstock, page protectors, patterned paper, scissors and paper trimmers, hole and paper punchers, rulers, stamps and ink, scrapbook tape, acid-free adhesives, pencils and pens, and various embellishments (stickers, lace and ribbons, dried of faux flowers, rhinestones, beads, sequins, etc.). If scrapbooking supplies are not readily accessible or you don’t have the money to purchase everything you need, you can try digital scrapbooking.

National Scrapbook Day was launched in 1994 by Creative Memories, a US-based retailer of scrapbooking products founded in 1987. Today, the holiday is supported and promoted by many craft stores and scrapbook supplies retailers and manufacturers that offer special promotions and activities, such as discounts, contests, and workshops. Despite the word “national” it its name, Scrapbook Day is celebrated in many countries; because of this, it is also referred to as International Scrapbook Day.

There are many ways to celebrate National Scrapbook Day. If you’re an experienced scrapbook enthusiast, you can splurge on some new materials and tools, learn a new scrapbooking technique, create a Pinterest board with creative scrapbook ideas, start a new scrapbook, revisit some of your old scrapbooks, teach someone the basics of scrapbooking, attend or even organize a scrapbooking event, and post about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalScrapbookDay and #ScrapbookDay. If you’ve been thinking about trying scrapbooking, National Scrapbook Day is the perfect day to finally do it!

National Scrapbook Day should not be confused with International Scrapbooking Industry Day. The latter is celebrated on March 4 to recognize all manufacturers and sellers of scrapbooking supplies.