The Art of Memory Collecting: 15 Scrapbook, Collage, Trinket and Zine Projects For Crafting Treasured Moments

by Martina Calvi

15 creative projects that will inspire you to preserve memories and indulge your sentimental, crafty side!

Memory-collector Martina shares techniques and inspiration to show how fun and simple collaging and scrapbooking is, with 15 projects to inspire personal, one-of-a-kind creations to use up those old photos, tokens and memories you have stuffed in your drawer.

Projects Scrapbooking Journal, Framed Memory Wall Art, Memory Box, Holiday Journal, Tiny Trinket Tin, Pressed Floral Bookmark, Memory Magnets, Accordion Friendship Zine, Memory Locket, Miniature Travel Zine, Time Capsule, Secret Pocket Card, Map Collage, Scrap Wall Hanging and Martina's famous Snail Mail Art.

No special skills or equipment needed, just go out and collect memories to create treasured keepsakes for life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Art, Reference, Design, Creative

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2024

Reviews

[xiaoyun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book, as I am very sentimental and would love to keep memories in other ways than just my journals and boxes, but I was a little disappointed. It didn't feel like the projects were unique or even very different from each other (framing paper memories was one project idea... and so was making and framing a collage of paper memories). A lot of the tips or how tos seemed like they were there just to fill in space, and not to actually contribute to the project. A lot of them were repetitive as well, multiple "giftable" projects were suggested to have the same title "Us" (along with some others). I feel like there's a lot more phrases you could use!

Also, small complaint, there were a few spelling and grammar errors (ex. "uses ticky tape" instead of "use sticky tape" on page 136) that were jarring to see in a print book. The author is from social media so I'm not sure if she had a separate editor but I wish those errors would have been caught before print.

3.5 stars though because I did like a lot of the ideas and I'm glad to see a new published papercrafty book in stores!

[Mia Caven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Screams in craft girl

[JulienneReads ✧.* ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! Really inspiring to browse through :)))

[madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

gonna go make all my friends little zines now 🫶🏻

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is perfect for beginners who are not current memory collectors. As someone who has been journaling and memory collecting for years, these 15 projects were things I have already done. The visuals in the book are great, but the book is definitely for a beginner just starting out!

[LX · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐

Different from my other reviews as this is arts & crafts. And I adore it!!!

I love memory/ junk journaling. If I'm not reading or thinking about what a mess I am, I'm journaling about it both of those things.

This just helps myself make my own creative memories. I can use all sorts of things I've collected from days out that don't seem like much but make a memorable page out of it and I'm able to just express my creativity and make memories in a unique way.

This book has the most aesthetic pleasing pictures for memory/junk journaling ever.

There's all sorts of information & photos here for inspiration, 15 project are also in the book to help inspire! And pages giving descriptions on what to do / what you can do or use rather than many how to do pages. This might seem not as helpful as some people prefer more how to pages so there's a heads up 😊

Happy to finally find a copy and how it's give me some new ideas of what I can do with things I have handy or what to look out for and collect next!

[Gala :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 I think, not life changing but definitely also kind of life changing and fun and lovely.
Mostly single handedly reignited the creative in my brain. Few projects to try, few projects that inspired othe things,,,, it was a good step to take following from my purchase of Calvi's junk journal that I've started to fill up pretty quickly. I can't wait to see what else this does to my work !!!
Some of the layouts were a bit meh but that's okay !!
Would've been good to include a lot more personal experience things intertwined within it all - I really liked reading the time capsule story.

[McKenna Munden · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
This book is absolutely beautiful! It was a fun dive into the creative, multi-media mind of Martina! I will say though that I wish there were more “how to” photos rather than just the text describing what to do. I’m a very visual person so seeing these crafts in person would really help and inspire me! I would have also enjoyed a few different varieties of crafts - after a bit, things started to feel a bit repetitive. It was a lovely book though and great for those just getting into crafting!

[Maggie Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute and inspiring book! Makes me excited to do some crafty projects 🥰

[Hadewych · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book for crafty people x

[ary · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an artsy and sentimental person, this book is exactly what I look for when in need of inspiration!

(bonus points for the zine templates)

[Beckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love looking at craft books. This one would be a good resource for somebody who needs inspiration for a junk journal or scrapbooking. I started scrapbooking my concert tickets many years ago and I really need to finish what I started; this book gave me some fun ideas.

[vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book, and as a crafty/creative person who always collects things but doesn’t know what to do with them, this book is perfect for me. I love all the project ideas and eventually want to complete them all. The projects are all small and easy enough to do, meaning they are not overwhelming for people that are new to crafting or don’t have a lot of time for it. This book has given me a lot of inspiration for what I can do with all of the sentimental keepsakes I collect, and how to use them in meaningful and creative ways instead of just keeping them in a box. The book is also beautifully designed and has the perfect ratio of text to imagery. It is really in keeping with the author’s personal style and I haven’t seen any books similar to this one. I will definitely be using and referring back to this book a lot in future, and recommend it to anyone remotely creative who likes to collect sentimental things.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I’m so thankful for Libby — this was a 3 star read and if I paid for it, it probably would’ve been 2 stars lmao.

I’m in a creativity slump right now and this book just reminded me of the many ways we can be creative. Nothing revolutionary, but it served its purpose of reminding me of what I already have and what I can make. Also, it’s aesthetically pleasing <3

[Prince William Public Libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Art of Memory Collecting: 15 Scrapbook, Collage, Trinket and Zine Projects For Crafting Treasured Moments
Author: Martina Calvi
Visual artist Martina Calvi shares her tips and tricks for making meaningful keepsakes that romanticize everyday life through 15 projects, including scrapbooking, collage, memory and trinket boxes, and zines.

Calvi emphasizes thrifting frames and boxes and repurposing everyday items like a mint tin to use as decorations or storage for your memory collecting. Memory collecting, as Calvi tells it, is about setting time aside to appreciate and experience gratitude for our everyday lives by creating a dedicated time and place to do any number of these projects. Not only does she include lists of items that can be used for decoration, she also includes prompts and writing exercises to help inspire your projects and get your creativity flowing. 

I grabbed this title because I really wanted to spend time this year creating more, and I thought an excellent way to do that would be to romanticize my everyday life in a tangible way that I can see every day in my home. There are quite a few projects in here that I'm looking forward to trying. In particular,  I found collaging and framing memories as wall art, creating a memory box, and repurposing an empty gum tin into a trinket box to be some really creative and inspiring projects to try. If you're like me and want to spend more time being creative and making tangible memories, this title is a good place to start!

- Review by Montclair Library Staff

Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.

[Martyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

zauważyłam w bibliotece tę książkę i jako osoba, która robi kolaże i ziny, zbiera wszystkie sentymentalne głupoty, a na każdą okazję przygotowuje dla przyjaciół ręcznie robione kartki, musiałam ją przeczytać. niestety bardzo mnie rozczarowała, opis książki był wspaniały, a była powtarzalna i ani mnie nie zainspirowała ani niczego nowego się z niej nie dowiedziałam. możliwe, że spodobałaby się komuś kto dopiero chce zacząć zbierać sentymentalne głupotki, ale nie ma pomysłu, jak się za to zabrać.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6⭐️📚

This book is like a warm hug. It was so fun to get to see inside Maria’s creative process and there were some really great crafting ideas! The cover is so beautiful and it makes a great bookshelf or table piece. My biggest issues with the book: I wish there was more visual aid on actually creating the crafts and by the end the crafts did start to feel a decent bit repetitive.

[Erin Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful as a coffee table book or as an art teaching resource, especially with the supply lists in there! I'd love to give my future students a travel journal before taking them on an exchange trip or some other big trip; there are so many good ideas for inspiration!
I would have marked it higher, but I already do 95% of the activities in this book, so I looked more at the beautiful flat lays.

[Hounds of Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visually beautiful, but it feels rushed and pretty introductory. There are typos and I feel like it should have been a smaller book, or more time should have been spent on it. While I found some of the ideas inspiring, this feels like a book for absolute beginners at journaling or crafting. The collages repeated items. I just wish it had more substance.

[Cali Beverlyann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um how am I supposed to not make every single thing in this book!?! I’m very much inspired to create, I’ve had stacks of “junk” since my birthday (in July) so I now feel inclined to put it to good craft use). So glad I was able to get this on Libby as it is so expensive online (I also couldn’t even find it online). Looking forward to using some of what I read in my crafting!

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

His is a beautifully crafted book. The graphics and design, the weight of it, the colors—it’s a great book to add to your collection. I think it would be an especially good resource if you’re about to take a big trip or if you’re entering a new relationship. I’m excited to get my hands on the author’s junk journaling book next!

[marinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE CRAFTSSSS
I LOVE BEING SENTIMENTAL
I LOVE MARTINA

this book is so visually beautiful and gave me some good crafty inspo. I can’t wait to have my own coffee table in an apartment to place it for all to see.

[Kalista · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute coffee table book with the PRETTIEST pictures ever. Love the tips about crafting, I even remember to apply it when I junk journaled yesterday. Interesting crafts project ideas. However, I don't like the small fonts and the amount of columns in two pages, they make it hard to read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was very attention to detail, with the pages designated to be backdrops for photos, and lots of great memory keeping ideas! a great book for beginners who are looking for creative ways to treasure their memories!

[Katie Paolillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished my coffee table book :) I really enjoyed this. As someone who loves to collect trinkets, I knew I had to buy this book. This book gave me lots of creative project ideas that I would have never thought of. Feeling inspired to create :)

[Jess Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book review of course had to be the queen of craft. This book is pure perfection!

[Korina Ruffino · Rating 4 out of 5]

great for someone just getting into crafting 💌

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Val~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cure for my shattered soul 💕