That could be easily said with one or two sentences: Because it’s my passion, my joy and I want to create keepsakes and preserve our precious pictures and memories.
But thinking about it a bit deeper it is more: A few years ago I got from my parents a photo album of myself. Captured my childhood.
1st page in my photo album
That’s priceless!
My husband also got such a photo book of his childhood. Sometimes we dig them up, then sitting side by side and talk and talk and laugh. Speaking about “that” time, about toys we both had the same. About our parents, friends, vacations we made as child, even about our Kindergarten time. These are amazing treasures.
Here is my husband’s 1st book; 1st page:
We both also have boxes with stacked photos of our ancestors. Some we know and some must have long lived before our time.
It is now 23 years ago as we got a couple, 3 years later our daughter was born. We took, of course, pictures of her. It was still the time of film photography and those film rolls were expensive and the progress of making them in a photo labor too. We then put the photos in an album and one day she will get that book filled with such special moments. The same with our two boys, of course.
That is my 1st reason why I scrapbook: creating keepsakes
Now, with the technology – thanks to digital cameras, smartphones … we have folders on our hard drive filled with 1000’s of photos. They can be easily shared via social media, Instagram, Facebook, Whats app, via email …. So why to sit down and make a photo book which takes hours over hours when all your friends, family, siblings, colleagues already saw each photo? You don’t need to say: Hey, come over … the photos of our last vacation are here now and I already made a book of it. Wanna see? You guess it, they already have seen them on social media, no need to come over to see the same pics again.
Me – learning to ride a bike / photo right: me and my Dad
I don’t know what will happen if I’ll one day not be here anymore. Then my kids come to my computer, open the images folder and find inside 1000’s of photos (if not more). How do they know which are important, which should be kept and which not? It would take them years to go through all the photos. And so I scrap all those special moments and I can hand them out to our kids one day.
I know … it takes a lot of time, but isn’t it worth? And if you think: who knows if they will ever appreciate the time and afford I invested? And if your friends starring at you and don’t really understand what you are doing, then you know you scrapbook for yourself.
Reason No. 2: For the Fun and Joy! It is your hobby. If you can make others happy with it, holiday gifts and so on, that’s a positive side-benefit.
Made this photo book for our Nick’s child care worker as the “big” school kids left the Kindergarten. She is a sea fan so I used on the front and back cover sea related embellishments; these were by Natali Design.
She was unbelievable happy and abrupt hugged me. I think it was the nicest farewell gift she got, treasured memories captured forever. I made her happy and for me it was such a fun to create this book.
Reason No. 3: Stress reliever/good for health! That is true. I know this from personal experience and also heard this a lot from others. Just last time as I sent out the new collection to the CT girls one of the girls sent me her page and wrote back to me this: ” …. just so much going on lately. However I love to sit and relax and do a page. ” For myself, when I worked the afternoon in the garden, it is so relaxing to scrap in the evening. The house is quite, I just take a deep breath and my creative process can start.
Then, if you go through older pics and try to remember: when was is exactly, how old were we at this vacation, whom do we got to know and how were their names or even more old pics – what was the name from this relative … this all helps to keep your mind fresh and sharp.
Positive side -benefit: Mostly you’ll scrap wonderful memories and see in the smiling faces of the people you scrap, which will bring happiness to you and it brings back so many joyful memories. Then, if you have a page done – believe me, your heart will be even more happy!
One more page of my Husband’s Photo Book. He was too cute and his Mom so beautiful!
One thing I mentioned is the time. I know it is worth but with all the hustle and bustle of our daily life time gets limited. For me too.
Right now I start to think about pocket scrapbook. Do you know? This is around now for several years. I always thought this is not my style, but meanwhile, when browsing through Pinterest or Instagram, I came across really beautiful pocket scrapbook pages. It looks quite interesting and I just ordered an album to give it a try! How can I know if I don’t try it out?
Will show you with what I come up soon.
I named just 3 reasons why I scrapbook, there are sure more.
I definitely know I’ll scrapbook forever, so that our special memories and photos not get out of sight out of mind in all our images folders.
Yes, I scrapbook for all the reasons you mention. Our children and grandchildren remember the times I have saved in books for them with great joy. They have stayed closer to family who are far away because they remember these times together. Also, it is an art form for me and meditative. And fun! I love to look at and use the beautiful elements and papers, play with digital tools & see the results. I have also done a few memory albums of family history which made our older family cry and our little ones know those who have passed on. Some pages are just pretty to look at, some are very meaningful. I love them all.
Great Peggy, that’s it exactly. Loved to hear your story. And I can imagine that your older family was crying. Even our older son has to cry when he is looking at their children photos. He is 17. So important to create those precious keepsakes.
Thank you!
All of the above that Manu mentioned. It help to keep my mind alert as I continue to learn more techniques and try new styles using my photo editing program combined with using digital scrapbook kits. It seems that no matter how much you know there is more to learn. The true joy of seeing my Granddaughters giggle, point and remember as they look at the photo albums that I have made. Also seeing my loved ones each month shinning back at me through my calendars toppers. I think that an overlooked aspect of digital scrapbooking is how we can use it to create art to decorate our walls and homes. Imagine the thrill of creating a piece of art with whatever color scheme and topic with use of digital scrapbook kits! As mentioned before, an amazing outlet for one’s creativity.
Exactly Janet! Yes, there is always something new to learn which helps us to keep our minds sharp. And what a GREAT idea to create art to decorate our walls and homes. Really … something new to discover. I just imagine it, seeing such art on my wall. What an inspiration.
Thank you!
This is such a beautiful thing you have shared with us. I also love pictures and have been called a pictureaholic–a name I love and so true. I know I drive everyone nuts with having to have all of these pictures but now, finally, my daughter is seeing just how precious all of these pictures I have of her two children are as I continue to bring them out in a pretty layout with a little story about the occasion. I can’t afford to purchase a lot of books so now I am trying to keep little notebooks of the kids events–one for them and another for their mother. I just finished one of my 11-year-old grandson’s basketball games and practice for a four year period and he loves it. I insert the 8×8 pages into acid free sheet protectors. I am working on a special notebook of dancing and singing recitals and special class photos of my 8-year-old granddaughter for a five year span. My daughter is loving just seeing how her babies have grown throughout all these years. I have 5 1/2 years of my granddaughter’s photos. Next I’ll do their combined photos of their piano classes and another one of the beginning photos of Mom, Dad and kids as family. I am so happy my daughter no longer gets in a twit because I have to have so many photos. She now sees them as the treasures that I believe they are.
Pictureaholic – what a great word, Carol! Love that.
I too ask everyone for pictures. So far I need more from my Father’s childhood and from that Family side. There are rare photos.
That’s also a great idea to use little notebooks. Isn’t it amazing to see the growing process through photos? It always makes my crying when looking at our kids baby photos.
It is so awesome that your daughter treasures your amazing work.
Thank you, Carol!
I find it so relaxing to come home after a long day of work and just get creative!
Living alone and right across the country from the rest of my totally-not-having-an-affinity-for-photography family, I don’t have many photos to scrap.
But since scrapbooking isn’t limited to making layouts with lots of photos in them, I am constantly creating calendars, planners (already working on next year’s), desktop backgrounds, greeting cards, recipe books, gift cards etc. for each and ervery occasion – and, since it was brought up by Janet, I do have a couple of coordinated artsy pictures of the different places I’ve lived in hanging in my hallway.
Also, happy belated birthday to you and your hubby!
Gruß aus München
Yes Britta, you are so right. It is just relaxing. When I sit down and scrap I forget everything, I mean really everything around me. It is like jumping in another world. And yes, it is not just scrapping photos, there is so much more. I also love making bookmarks, though more and more are reading e-books and have their e-bookmarks included. Lately I also made for our youngest a new notebook (Hausaufgabenheft) for the school. His old one got busted. This was more kind of a planner, but still fun. And he loves it. Pretty easy to make with the bind it all.
I too love the idea Janet brought up and already see my next project in my eyes.
Herzlichen Dank für die Geburtstagswünsche. Viele liebe Grüße nach München