“Sadly it seems to be a thing of the past”

Do you keep a scrapbook? Have you ever kept a scrapbook? The answer to the first one is probably ‘No.’ The answer to the second depends on your age. I can even hear you ask: “What is a scrapbook?”

A scrapbook is simply a decorated photo album that also preserves the stories behind the photos (called journaling). It can also hold memorabilia (tickets, certificates, letters, etc.).

Not only does a well-made scrapbook protect and preserve your photos, it also makes the photos themselves more fun to look at. Most people would much rather thumb through a scrapbook with its extra fun touches than a plain photo album. By using acid-free and lignin-free papers and adhesives, photos can be preserved beautifully and safely. The papers and accessories available now give us lots of creative options for doing more than just filing photos in an album—scrapbooking is a creative hobby!

When I was a lot younger it was the norm for kids to keep a scrapbook. It was encouraged at school and it was with pride we would bring our scrapbooks to be shared with our classmates.

Sadly it seems to be a thing of the past but maybe this article might stir up a little interest in the subject. It’s easy to do. No experience or expertise is required—it’s as simple as cutting and gluing.

You must still have some photographs lying around. You know. The ones actually printed in gloss on stiff paper. Ones your parents and grand parents gave you. Your wedding photographs. Ones when you were a baby – a young child. So get those photos out of shoeboxes and attics and into albums where they can be seen and shared. Where to start? It’s best to begin with your most recent photos. It’s not a monumental task.

Scrapbooks also make great gifts for loved ones on a special day, e.g. weddings, anniversaries, milestone birthdays, graduations, retirement parties, etc. They show you have put a lot of time and thought into your gift and therefore a wonderful keepsake for the receiver.

Scrapbooking is a creative outlet with its colours, themes, cutting and pasting, writing, and arranging. It is so enjoyable and so much fun! If you think you’re not creative – you’re wrong. Even the most un-artistic person can copy a page layout that they found somewhere and really liked. Besides, it’s hard not to be inspired when you have some great photos and some fun scrapbooking materials in front of you. After a while you’ll be adding your own personal touches to your pages, and soon you’ll be creating your own completely unique layouts that you can be proud of. I promise.

Nothing will help you make new friends faster than sharing a hobby with someone! Scrapbooking is an especially great hobby for sharing with friends. If you don’t believe me – go on-line. Here are just a few websites:

www.scrapbookingtop50.com (lists 50 sites), www.scrapbookfinds.com (chat rooms and online forums), www.scrapvillage.com (supplies, ideas, information, community). If you want more use one of the search engines. You will be amazed.

You might even find someone near you who scrapbooks and then start your own scrapbook club. If you don’t have some other scrapbookers in your life, you’re missing out.

Scrapbooking captures precious moments and memories and this is the most wonderful thing about scrapbooking. When I first started scrapbooking, my grandma was the person in my family most interested in my layouts. Every time she came over we would look through them together and she would point out the things she liked the most. She was so interested that I finally decided to make a scrapbook with her. We put in photos of us together along with mementos of all the special times we could think of. It took a few weeks to finish, but we had a great time. Two short months later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and quickly slipped away. I’m so thankful that we were able to make that scrapbook together. Because now, whenever I miss her, I can just look through that scrapbook and smile at all the precious memories.