Monday, October 7, 2013

I STILL LOVE TO SCRAPBOOK.... and here is why!


 
  Scrapbooking is still my favorite hobby for so many reasons.   Although I may not scrapbook as much as I used to ,  I still scrapbook and celebrate the small things!   I have never been one to “have to scrapbook” a certain way or in a certain order.  This makes it easier for me to just sit down and scrapbook (without the overwhelming feeling of being behind).  I am thankful for each and every layout I am able to complete for our family.

Here are just a few of the reasons I scrapbook:

1.       Preserving Memories – I think scrapbooking is an amazing way to preserve our memories.  Life is going by so fast that sometimes it is hard to remember details and facts.  I love looking through my scrapbooks with my children and remembering special memories.   The journaling  helps us remember some of the details that we may forget over time.

2.       It is fun  There is nothing better than sitting down and playing with paper, embellishments and photos!  It is so fun to make each layout unique.  I don’t get hung up on it being perfect.  It will never be perfect.  With digital pictures, it makes it so much easier  for people to “cut” pictures.  I do love digital books but it doesn’t have the creative and personal touch that a scrapbook does.  I love that my kids will see my handwriting and special notes, even after I am gone someday.

3.     Therapeutic – I think scrapbooking can be very therapeutic.  Especially when you have lost a loved one.  I remember when we lost my uncle unexpectedly.  We decided to have a scrapbook at his memorial.  The great part is that his family all came together with photos and together we made that scrapbook.  It was a great time to remember him, laugh and cry together and put together a beautiful book.  I also think it is therapeutic for anyone going through a tough situation.  It takes your mind off of the stress and onto something fun and meaningful.

4.      Healthy We can spend hours in front of the TV and computer.  It may be have been fun for awhile but we have nothing to show.  When we sit down to scrapbook and create memories, it is a healthy way to use our time and preserve memories.  At the end we have something to show for our time and energy.

5.      The Most amazing gifts – You can’t beat a scrapbook for a gift for someone else.  A scrapbook is a very personal way to share memories with others.  You can also make a blank book (recipe book, pre-made scrapbook, etc.).  Just taking the time to make a personal gift will touch someone’s heart.   I recently had a customer share a story with me.  A friend of hers was going to an Amy Grant concert and wanted to give her something.  My customer helped her create an amazing scrapbook documenting the impact Amy Grant had made on her life.  Through different connections she was able to personally had that scrapbook to Amy Grant.  Amy Grant was touched and looked at every single page.  It was one of the best gifts she had ever received from a fan.

6.       Joy – Scrapbooking brings me joy and joy to my family.  Every year when my boys have birthdays we usually get out their hospital scrapbooks and go through them together.  As we take special trips and document school years, it is so fun to see how they have grown over the years. 

I have learned over the years, that even when others look at my scrapbooks, they are not concerned with whether I put the embellishment in the right spot but rather the memory itself being documented.

I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING and I have no plans on switching to digital!

Please share with me what you love about scrapbooking  (even if you no longer do it or have never done it).  I would love to hear your comments!  Are there reasons you scrapbook that I forgot to mention?  I will be randomly giving a prize to one of the comments :)
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Where Has All The Scrapbooking Gone?

     I started my scrapbooking journey in 1997. I was fresh out of college and we had just lived in Dallas, Texas for 3 months. I wanted to document our Texas adventures in a “pretty” way. Michaels had just started carrying a few scrapbooking items. I bought a spiral bound black album, some sticker letters, papers and I was hooked!
 
     In the past 16 years I have watched the scrapbooking industry rise to the top and then come back down. What is happening to the industry? Why aren't people scrapbooking? I think I know some of the reasons.

Top 4 Reasons why people don't scrapbook as much

TIME - Scrapbooking takes time. Time to get the supplies out. Time to print pictures. Time to work on layouts. We are all so busy now. Whether it is school schedules, work, home, other hobbies.
PICTURES – As the smart phones have emerged, people starting taking more pictures with their phones and less with their cameras. They also stopped printing photos as much with the digital age. Therefore, when it was time to scrapbook, many people did not have the photos or know where to begin.

SOCIAL MEDIA / TECHNOLOGY – With the Internet, social media has taken over. People are spending more and more time on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter,  and YouTube. They are spending more time looking at inspiration then actually creating and crafting.

OVERWHELMED – I think people tend to get overwhelmed by scrapbooking. They sit down to scrapbook and feel so overwhelmed by the amount of pictures they have, they feel behind on chronological scrabooking, and don't know where to begin.

Tomorrow, I am going to write and remind you of all the reasons TO KEEP SCRAPBOOKING!

In the mean time, please leave a comment on what stops you from scrapbooking and what you love or loved about scrapbooking? I have a great scrapbooking kit to give one lucky winner. I will draw a random name on 10/9/2013.


Erica