Recipe box,book or what????

Let me preface this- I am NOT a cook at all. I am JUST starting to learn how to bake and cook certain things because I tend to ruin everything I touch.
My mom came over a few weeks ago and taught me how to make her famous popcorn balls. I ended up making them with her and then another time ALL by myself and they actually turned out perfect which was almost shocking to me and everyone else! So I want to start making some kind of "thing" to put recipes in. Since I really only have ONE recipe so far (chuckles)I can't figure out what I want to do. I want to be able to decorate the pages scrapbook style and maybe even put somethings on this one that will be reminescent of my mom coming to help. So what do you recommend? What do you use? Should I just make a box? (does anyone have a cut file for a cute little recipe box?)Should I make a mini album style or a big album? I really can't figure out what to do. I am sort of leaning toward making a box (only because I am really into making things lately), but that's about as far as I have gotten. I was thinking about using the Cricut recipe cart to decorate. Any suggestions are Greatly appreciated! Thanks

I have a 3x5 index card box from the dollar store. Everytime i try a new recipe that i like i will write it down on an index card and put it in the box.

Eventually I will alter the box so that it's more attractive.

there is a recipe box that my MIL has made in a class but I can't seem to find it in the sb.com store. I will keep searching and let you know if I find it.

Here are a few items you could use. Not exactly what i was looking for. If you search under recipe there are tons of papers, embellishments and recipe cards. Makes me want to buy something and use it.
Start now while you only have 1 recipe!

Cooooool thanks for all the links!

Cooooool thanks for all the links!

I wouldn't make a 12 x 12 album because you aren't going to want to lay it in the kitchen when you're cooking (it might get wet or dirty) and may not have room to anyway (because the album is so big).

You could buy a smaller D-ring album though. American Crafts sells bare ones and you could decorate the outside and of course the inner pages like you would a scrapbook album. You could modge podge the outside.

If you just want to collect a few (dozen or so) favorite recipes, you could make a small chipboard book. You can find them raw at M's in the dollar bin. Then you can decorate each page and include the recipe. Then modge podge the whole thing so it can't get wet or dirty or ruined in the kitchen.

The easiest thing to do though would be to decorate a file box as mentioned upthread and just use index cards to write your fav recipes. A box will hold a lot of recipes though so you may not like that option if you're only going to do a dozen or so recipes. All your cards will fall over in the box if you don't have a lot of cards inside. Of course, you could leave blank ones inside to solve that.

I received an email last week of the recipe album that Jill made. It uses the new collection "Restoration" from Crate Paper. It has a vintage look and feel. Went straight into my favorites!

Jill's Recipe Album


Jill's Recipe Album 2

Jill's Recipe Album 3

I buy the recipe card boxes from the dollar section at Michael's...just one dollar. Then I alter them with paper and mod podge and embellish them.

I have a 3" 3 ring binder for my recipes. I put the recipe pages in page protectors so they are protected when I need to take them out and use them. I've not done anything with it yet, but my plan is to decorate the cover, spine, and back scrapbook style. I tabbed it out by type of dish. The cover pages for each section will also be decorated scrapbook style. Either J's or HL recently got in some really cute kitchen themed loose 12x12 paper. And HL has good kitchen themed flat stickers. I think they'll work great. I like the idea of the index card boxes, but I have too many recipes. I also like to include a photo of the dish on the recipe page and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to neatly fit it all on one card. Hope this helps you get started. Have you tried a recipe swap to bulk up your collection?

If you do a small album you could put the recipe and a picture of what it looks like. You could even give stars or thumbs up or down. Write the recipe in your handwriting...gives a special touch when years later you or loved ones look back on it. I still have my grandmothers recipes that she wrote...i love them.

I'd be happy to share a few simple recipes with you!

I've got a recipe book that I made in 8x8 -- everything's in page protectors for safety, and I use it all the time. When the cover wears out, I can move the recipe layouts to another book. Some recipes I have pictures on, some I don't And I have food quotes sprinkled throughout, like "Forget love; I'd rather fall in chocolate!" on the page for Vintage Chocolate Pie. And for cooking with your mom, could you get a picture of the two of you the next time you cook together. Will make a treasured keepsake, I'm sure.

Keep practicing your cooking skills! Watch cooking shows on TV! You'll be a wonderful cook in no time

But FIRST - you should post your popcorn ball recipe!

• SunnyAB Said:

I second that!!! Sounds very yummy!!!!

I recently started a cookbook project. I have THOUSANDS of recipes, and a lot of cookbooks ... but I'm a really adventurous cook so there are only a few recipes that I actually follow AND have actually used more than once.

What I'm doing for these is making 8x8 pages, just like regular scrapbook pages with pics, embellies, etc., as fits the recipe. Plus I hate the standard method of recipe-writing so this allows me to format them to my own specifications. And I'm laminating them - I got a craft laminator at CostCo - so I can use them in the kitchen without fear of messing them up. Haven't decided if I'm going to put them in a binder or a box, but I've only got a couple of them actually laminated so far, so I've got time to decide.

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I'll try and remember to post the recipe tomorrow.