SubscribeA passion for scrapbooking
It was nearly 1 a.m. and I could barely keep my eyes open but I didn’t want to stop scrapbooking. So I finished cutting and pasting decorative papers on a small cardboard-like page, checked on my daughter and her friend, who were asleep on an airbed, and went to bed. My good buddy and scrap booker extraordinaire didn’t budge. She didn’t stop until 3 a.m.
And that was after we had been scrapbooking all day, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., during classes at a scrapbooking convention here in Charlotte.
I’ll admit it. I’m hooked on scrapbooking and have been doing it since my 15-year-old daughter was an infant. My scrapbooking buddy, who came to visit from Maryland with her 15-year-old daughter, introduced me to the hobby. Obviously, it was no accident that she scheduled a visit to coincide with the scrapbooking convention. We have been attending one together for many years, to learn new techniques for creating attractive pages, find interesting decorative paper and lettering, and get ideas from other scrap bookers.
It’s hard to explain this passion to folks who don’t want to sit for hours, mulling over pictures and scraps of paper, figuring out how to turn them into personal works of art that showcase special moments of a life. It’s a unique form of storytelling, far more powerful than leafing through pictures mindlessly tucked into a photo album or tossed in a shoe box. Ultimately, the scrapbooks become a treasured part of family history.
Over the years, I’ve captured the traditional celebratory events –birthday parties, Christmas, vacations. But I also have pictures of my daughter giggling and dancing and primping in front of the mirror. I’ve captured my mother in her favorite hat, making homemade biscuits (a dying art), rolling her hair. And I journal, sharing the significance of what’s happening in the pictures.
I’m planning a special scrapbook for my daughter’s 16th birthday and have started the one I’m going to give my mother on her 80th. There’s immense joy and satisfaction in creating scrapbook stories.
Are you a scrap booker? Do share your scrapbooking tips and experiences.
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I am a member of the Sandwich Generation, a Baby Boomer raising a teenage daughter and dealing with the needs of an aging mother. I am a veteran journalist, having worked for more than three decades as a reporter and editor. Mostly recently, I was an editor with the Metro section of The Washington Post.
My name is Melanie. And I, too, am a scrapaholic. My girlfriend Pat introduced me to scrapbooking about five years ago and I haven’t stopped! It is my favorite pasttime. I have been on retreats and weekend getaways. I could scrap for 24 hours straight if my body would allow! I love it.
I have made scrapbooks for family members and friends and documented my own life story through photos and memories. Because I am a writer, I try to always include journaling to tell a story. It’s not enough to put photos and pretty paper in a book.
One of my favorite scrapbooks is a collection of my Grandmother’s favorite sayings, such as “You never miss your water until your well runs dry.” Or “It’s your little red wagon, you can pull it or push it.” My grandmother (age 91) is so proud of her book. She pulls it out to show every new visitor.
I also made scrapbooks for my sisters — each had a child with challenging health conditions. One book chronicled the premature birth of my nephew Christopher who weighed only 2 1/2 pounds when he was born. I titled the book “Prayers for Christopher.” The book began with his first photo taken in a neonatal unit surrounded by machines and gadgets to keep him alive. Over the next 5 months, I created an email prayer list and people from around the country prayed for my nephew. I saved the emails and included them in the book along with the photo of the person who sent it. The last page was a photo taken 5 months later on his way home. Today, Christopher is a happy 4 1/2 year old.
The other scrapbook was for my 12-year-old niece Marissa, who died in December 2009 after a 2 1/2 year battle with brain cancer. The book follows Marissa’s journey as she underwent treatment including chemotheraphy and radiation. I also included photos taken prior to her illness. I didn’t want to just show her at her darkest hour. I included quotes from Marissa. My favorite saying was “Don’t give up until life gives you what you want.”
I knew that the Marissa scrapbook would be a keepsake passed on to my sister Roz after Marissa’s death. I didn’t know the impact that it would have until I received the message below from Roz that made me realize that scrapbooking is more than a hobby. Here’s what Roz wrote:
“I took the album to show a friend’s dad who is in the hospital with colon cancer. He is refusing to eat. The family called me in. I went and showed him page by page the photos of Marissa in the book. She
was doing blood transfusions, chemo and often while doing visits from friends, therapy dogs and playing cards with Grandpa. By the time I left, he had eaten chicken, mash potatoes and green beens. It was the first time in 3 weeks! Thanks for giving me the gift that has kept on giving. I keep this scrapbook and
refer to it often as a photographic documentary on Marissa’s journey — a
snapshot of her life.”