So, you found your family crest. Congrats! You now have your own version of a family logo, but with way more history and personality. Instead of letting it sit in a folder or gather dust in your downloads, why not give it a proper home?
A scrapbook is the perfect place to showcase your crest. Scrapbooking your family crest or coat of arms is a great way to preserve your family history. It’s totally easy, even if your artistic skills peaked at stick figures!
Why Add a Family Crest To Your Scrapbook?
Having a family crest in a scrapbook album doesn't just make it look nicer. It gives more context, personality, and heart.
It also:
-
Brings your family history to another level
-
Adds a meaningful centerpiece to your layout
-
Gives more context to your lineage
-
Turns your scrapbook into a multi-generational storytelling tool
Think of making a scrapbook with your family crest like a museum (but with glitter).
What You’ll Need
You don't need to go to the craft store to get the materials needed for a family crest scrapbook. Check your art supplies and a few tools in your craft boxes and get started!
Family Crest or Coat of Arms
This is the star of the show. If you already have a digital or printed version of your family crest, great! If your family crest is displayed in your home as decor, you can print a photo of it.
But if you don’t have one yet, you can start by finding your family coat of arms by researching your surname on genealogy websites. See if you can track your crest. It can be difficult to find your real family crest, but our team can help with that if needed!
Photos
Old photos can bring your scrapbook design to life. Find photos of ancestors, like your grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and anyone in your family lineage with a story to tell (or a killer mustache).
Tip: Use color copies of the original photos, especially if you plan on cropping, gluing, or cutting them into fun shapes for your album.
Mementos and Keepsakes
You’ll know it’s a great scrapbook if it’s a chunky one.
You can do this by adding:
-
Old letters, postcards, or notes you found in your grandparent’s old trunk
-
Family recipes (a.k.a. the real heirlooms)
-
Fabric swatches from your ancestors’ favorite clothing pieces. These will add great texture to your layout.
-
Small trinkets like a broken pocket watch or old pins (they won’t haunt you, don’t worry!)
Family Tree Printout
This is optional, but it will add more structure to your design! By adding a family tree, the readers will have more insights about the family members in your lineage. Here’s a guide to get you started.
Art Materials and Tools
-
Scrapbook album (store-bought or DIY using ring binders)
-
Markers, colored pens
-
Glue sticks and double-sided tape
-
Phototape
-
Tools (scissors, cutters, punchers, stamps, stencils)
-
Colored and patterned sheets
Pro Tip: Print photos of ancestral locations, favorite hometown restaurants, or your family’s country of origin. Use them as background paper to add another layer of storytelling to your album!
How To Make a Scrapbook With Your Family Crest
1. Plan your scrapbook content
Before you start gluing, plan what goes where. You can organize your album by:
-
Generation (start with the oldest ancestors you know and go down)
-
Branch (mom’s side, then dad’s side)
-
Event (marriage, immigration, significant milestones)
To highlight your family crest, place it on the title page or in the center spread. You can even use the elements of your crest (like the symbols, animals, and patterns) throughout the album for consistency!
2. Choose your design/theme
Color palette: Keeping things visually cohesive by choosing a color palette will make the scrapbook look polished (even if you’re just winging it).
Some color palette ideas:
-
Deep greens and burgundies for a vintage vibe
-
Navy and gold for something regal
-
Earthy browns and creams for a warm and rustic look
Motif: This could be florals, vintage borders, and medieval-inspired elements. But you are free to add modern elements like washi tape, stickers, bold typography, or even subtle pop culture nods! (Taylor Swift lyrics as captions, anyone?)
Find layout inspiration here and here!
3. Fill in information
Scrapbooks aren’t just visual. They’re narrative too!
You can add:
-
Captions for the family crest: “Our family crest features a lion for courage and oak trees for strength and endurance,” and other stories that reflect your family crest’s symbols!
-
Names, birth/death dates, and hometowns
-
Brief bios or fun facts: “Grandpa Ed loved cherry pies and bad puns.”
-
Descriptions of objects: “This button came from Nana’s wedding dress.”
Tip: Handwritten notes add a personal and warm touch to your design.
4. Lay Out All Your Materials
This is where you start deciding what will go on each page. Play around with the layering and positioning of your design elements. Then, you can sketch your arrangements and see how you feel about them before you finalize your layout.
5. Put it all together
Now for the fun part. You've got your crest, your scanned old photos, and your carefully hoarded washi tape and stickers.
-
Anchor your family crest. Frame it in the center of the first spread and dedicate a whole section to explaining its history, symbols, and motto. Surround it with key family members who embodied its heraldic charges or a timeline for extra storytelling flair.
-
Start with one two-page spread at a time to keep the layout balanced and the story flowing in every flip
-
Photos + background paper + mementos + handwritten notes = a layered look that is visually interesting and rich. (Don’t go overboard in layering so it doesn’t look like a scrapbook lasagna!)
-
Add captions and titles
What’s the Best Way to Preserve My Family Scrapbook?
The key to a lasting album is applying preservation-savvy techniques.
Use archival-safe materials, like:
-
Acid-free paper
-
Photo-safe glue
-
Plastic sleeves for storing fragile or 3D items
To protect the whole scrapbook:
-
Purchase slipcovers to protect the scrapbook from dust
-
Don’t put it in an area with too much humidity to avoid molding (especially if you used organic materials like dried flowers)
-
Keep it flat and not upright to protect the spine
Can I Keep Adding to My Scrapbook Over Time?
Absolutely! If you enjoyed the process of scrapbooking your family story, it’s likely you’ll add more to it as the years go by. If you used ring binders, it’s easy to add more pages to accommodate your growing family. Plus, you always have more ancestors to discover as your genealogy research progresses.
You can also add:
-
Pages for new grandchildren, nieces, or nephews
-
Updates as you discover more ancestors while you trace your family history
-
Family milestones like weddings and reunions
Treat your scrapbook like a fun history book!
Should I Go Physical or Digital?
Here’s a breakdown of the two:
Physical Scrapbooks
-
Great for sharing at family gatherings
-
Tactile and nostalgic (smells like childhood and glue sticks)
-
Wonderful bonding activity with your kids
-
But: Prone to wear, tear, coffee spills, and toddler fingerprints
Digital Scrapbook
-
Easy to duplicate and share with relatives who live far away
-
Can be easily made using tools like Canva
-
Less risk of damage
-
Update the pages and details with just a few clicks
-
But: It lacks the charming scrapbook feel. Plus, you can’t hot-glue a vintage button onto a PDF!
Our advice? Get the best of both worlds. Create a physical version for your home and scan each page for a digital backup!
Final Scrapbooking Tips to Remember
-
Avoid gluing trinkets directly over or under photos to avoid scratching them!
-
Use pockets or sleeves for storing thick items, like coins, medals, or jewelry
Turning Family History Into Art
Your family crest deserves more than a quiet corner of your home or an unopened folder in your drive. Turning it into a scrapbook centerpiece is a heartfelt way to transform your ancestry into art.