I love to scrapbook, which is a hobby most of us are familiar with. At its most basic element, scrapbooks are collections of photographs and mementos. A scrapbooker selects photos that are displayed in albums, folios, and/or journals. Photo pages are often then embellished to enhance the story to help bring back those memories. Unlike traditional photo albums, each page of a scrapbook or folio is decorated around a theme, enhanced by color, texture, and journaling entries to describe the story. The result is a beautiful book that can be passed down from generation to generation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!People who scrapbook come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. It is all inclusive, multi-generational and is for anyone who wants to document their family’s stories. Most anyone can assemble scrapbooks to tell stories of great achievements or small but precious moments. They are tangible products that can be shared time and time again. And they are accessible to most everyone with just a few basic supplies and printed photographs you want to preserve.
We all believe we have memories that we’ll never forget; a loved one, a trip of a lifetime, or celebration. But unfortunately, as we age, memories fade. Fortunately, scrapbooks, memory books, and photographs have even been shown to jog the memory of Alzheimer or dementia patients (study review). Also, children can use scrapbooks and photographs to learn the rich history of their family. It is just so important to create ways to preserve those memories so they can be passed along.
Yes, there are digital ways to preserve scrapbooks and photographs that won’t take up physical space. But sometimes technology leaves me wanting more. Wanting the joy of creating, of using my imagination, of flipping pages with a grandchild, of relating a story to be passed on to future generations. That is why I enjoy preserving photographs in hardcopy form using scrapbooks. It is a way I unwind, switch-off and digitally detox from social media. You can purchase scrapbooks that are factory made with paper, leather, and more. But I prefer handcrafted scrapbooks with specially selected paper collections to create themes.
With only a few basic supplies and printed photographs, you too can put together a scrapbook to tell a story of an adventure of a lifetime or a passage through time. Adding themes, colors, and textures around the photo pages can help bring a story to life, to capture the mood, feelings, and essence of the story being told.
There are two basic rules for scrapbooking: Rule #1 is that all materials used need to be acid-free for preservation purposes. That includes paper, adhesives, and ink. Acid can, over time, degrade the photographs and paper. Fortunately, there is a multitude of affordable scrapbooking supplies that are acid-free to preserve the scrapbook and the photographs. If you don’t have basic scrapbooking supplies, check your big box stores, specialty stores, online and dollar stores for scrapbooking materials that are not too costly. Rule #2 is to have fun. So get creative and let your imagination run wild while you are composing your page layouts that tell your story.
To get started, download my free Scrapbooking Checklist or purchase the eBook, that will get you started on your journey. Warning – IT’S ADDICTIVE!