Blessed Girlhood: Scrapbooking

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Scrapbooking is one of my family's favourite pastimes. Mother Dear started scrapbooking several years ago and, when my sisters and I were older enough, she let us do our own albums. Staying up late at night to scrapbook with Mother and the girls was and is something I've always enjoyed.

A lot of people scrapbook while others think it's a big hassle and don't even think they could do it. Let me tell you that it is an easy task to scrapbook. Just think of it as another craft such as stamping, basket-weaving, sewing, or jewelry-making.

Like the crafts mentioned above, scrapbooking is something every girl, at any age, can do with her Mother. Not only is it a time to spend together and bond, but also a time to preserve memories. I mean who doesn't have fun putting together pretty pages with funky paper, stickers, and memories you've captured through photos?

How We Scrapbook:
When we scrapbook we usually set-up a couple of our six-foot long tables in a room, which we can leave "out" for a few days until we've completed our projects. After we get the tables set-up everyone picks a spot they will be using and be able to layout their supplies. Make sure you have somewhere to throw the scraps. We have used tissue-boxes, sand-pails, and other containers to set on the tables to throw scraps in.

We use scrapbooking supplies from a direct sales company called Creative Memories, which means it's not sold in store but through a consultant. You can purchase scrapbooking supplies from hobby stores or even Wal-mart, but we have found that they don't have the same safe quality that Creative Memories does for your photos. So I would discourage you from buying supplies from just any store.

Basic Supplies:
Here are some of the basic supplies you'll want to purchase to get started for your scrapbooking projects. For any of the below supplies please check the "made with" materials for lignin. If it does, you don't want to buy it.

"Lignin is a natural substance found in wood pulp that gives wood its rigidity. Without lignin, a tree would not stand upright but would bend like rubber. Lignin causes paper products, such as old newspaper, to turn yellow or become brittle over time." - Creative Memories


Pack of photos
When you're getting ready to scrapbook it's easiest to start an album if you have a pack of photos of something specific, like a family vacation, a birthday party, graduation, etc.

A photo album
Like I said we use Creative Memories, and they have a wide variety of albums in several different sizes, styles, and colours, depending on how many photos you have. Of course, now with everything being digital, you can do a digital scrapbook, which Creative Memories also offers. I have not personally done this because I prefer to do the traditional album, but it looks really neat.

Photo paper and mats
Once you have your photos, you can easily pick out paper that will go well with them. If you're doing a family vacation to the beach, paper that is bright and printed in beach themes will do great! Never use construction paper or printer paper for photo albums!

Stickers
Ah, stickers! Stickers are so much fun, aren't they? You can find stickers in almost any theme or design, but not all are safe for your photos, and some will eat right through the photos, paper, and album pages.

Adhesives (sticky stuff)
First thing about adhesives is never use glue, wet or stick. That is not safe for your photos and will eventually eat through them. I wouldn't recommend Scotch-tape either, but an adhesive that is sticky on both sides so you can stick it to the photo/paper and then to the album page. Creative Memories has a safe adhesive called a tape-runner, which is very ideal and safe for your photos.

Tools
Some basic tools are scissors, decorative hole punches, and photo/paper trimmer. Because your tools aren't something you're actually going to stick in your albums, purchasing them at a hobby store is perfectly safe.

Journaling Pens
When you've completed a page in your album, and added the last sticker, you'll want to either title or caption photos, so you'll need some journaling pens. Don't use a regular ink or office pen. You'll need to get pens made specifically for scrapbook journaling.

Once you've acquired all of your supplies and have set up your tables, you should be ready to go. You'll have so much fun getting all your stuff out and making beautiful layouts to go with your photos. Say goodbye to shuffling through photos and shoeboxes, and say hello to fun organization and memory making with your Mother, sisters, and - hey - boys can scrapbook too!

Last year I asked my Great Grandparents, who are in their 80s, if I could have all their old photos that were sitting in boxes. My Great Grandmother gave them all to me and I put together a very nice and elegant album for them. They were so surprised and enjoyed it so much to look through the pages and remember the memories the photos brought. It was simply a treasure. When you open a completed scrapbook, you are opening a history book.

Food:
When we scrapbook we usually set up a small card table just for food and drinks. You always get hungry when you're working. When we sit down to scrapbook, we usually get some snack foods like chips-n-dip, chili, party mix, etc. Don't forget the drinks, but remember to never set any food or drinks on the scrapbooking tables. You don't want to accidentally spill anything and ruin all of your supplies!

Discussion (replace my answers and post in comment):
Have you ever scrapbooked? Yes!
Do you scrapbook regularly? Not as regularly as I would like.
What brand of supplies do you use? Creative Memories
What's your favourite part about completing a page? Adding the stickers onto the paper
Would you consider making a scrapbook for someone as a gift? Yes, it's very fun, especially if it's a secret.
What are some different themes you could do a scrapbook for? Hmmm.... a few I'd do would be: wedding, trip across the USA or to Europe, and one of our farm.


I look forward to your replies on this article!
Blessings to you as you Grow in the Grace of our Lord!

National Scrapbooking Day

NSD is always the first Saturday in May. Our family knows it well, because I was a Creative Memories consultant for the past five years. In that time and a few years before, my children and I have enjoyed creating beautiful and fun page layouts with our family photographs. We have also made and given away several albums as gifts, too, which is a fun idea!

National Scrapbooking Day, created by Creative Memories Inc. was made to gather scrapbookers together in the spirit of their mission to teach the importance of preserving the past, enriching the present, and inspiring hope for the future. Most families take pictures, and most people store them in a shoe box, a drawer or the photo packets they came in! I even have many rolls of the film canisters, just waiting to be put in print and into an album.

Scrapbooking has come a long way with the new digital age. Many scrapbookers are opting to create digital scrapbooks and/or store their photos online or on discs and hard drives. For me, personally, I love to get out those albums and look at them with our children, with the event recorded in mine or their handwriting!

Interesting Scrapbooking Facts*:

• Over 25 million people in the United States alone consider themselves to be scrapbookers.
• Almost 30% of all U.S. households have at least one family member who scrapbooks.
• Scrapbooking is the fastest growing sector of the craft and hobby industry and now considered to be the third most popular craft in the nation. From 2002 to 2004, sales of scrapbooking products increased by over 27% across the United States.
• As of 2003, there were over 4,000 independent scrapbook stores in the United States. Most major craft stores, such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels Crafts, also have extensive selections of scrapbooking supplies.
  
• 98% of scrapbookers are women
• The average scrapbooker spends almost three hours per week working on layouts and other related projects.
• Over a six month period, most scrapbookers will work on three different albums.
• The average scrapbooker owns nearly $2,000 in tools and supplies.
• In a typical month, at least 75% of scrapbookers read Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, or other popular scrapbooking magazines.
• Over 75% of scrapbookers have a space in their home devoted to the hobby.

*information from Love to Know Scrapbooking

NSD is a fun time to go to an event and work on albums with other scrapbookers. There are usually awesome prizes given away, and snacks or meals are served. As a matter of fact, sometimes, NSD events take place on an entire weekend! I have taken the girls many times to crops and NSDs, and we always get a lot accomplished and have fun in the process. A couple of other benefits to going to a NSD event or any crop is that you get to use the consultant's tools, and there is always new products and old favorites available for purchase.

Why have we personally, as a family, invested so much time and money in scrapbooking? Because of the delight we have in looking at our albums. Because of the fun we have remembering. Because I love to look at their projects and handwriting and will continue to love it!

National Scrapbook Day is May 3rd. Find out if there is an event in your area. If there isn't, get together with your daughters, a few friends, your mom.... Get out your supplies and have fun!

To give all of you jump-started on your scrapbooking, we have contest for you!

To Be Entered:
Leave a comment, telling what would be your first project in creating a scrapbook.
Announce it on your blog - including links to this article on GGM.
Put the icon on your sidebar.

Grab the Code and Tell a friend!

<a href="http://www.growingingraceonline.com/2008/05/blessed-girlhood-scrapbooking.html"><img border="0" src="http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm244/ggmstaff/Buttons/scrapgiveaway.png" /><a><center><br /> </center></a></a>

The Prize Package:

Picfolio album
Action pack
2 Mini picfolio albums
Petal multi-maker punch
Storybox mats/journaling boxes
Scissors
Photo organizer
Photo splits

This prize package sure is full of a lot of goodies, and it's worth over a $100 so make sure you enter for your chance to win it. The contest is rather easy so I hope you all enter and tell your friends!

We want to thank Misty Brown for donating this WONDERFUL prize package. What a blessing this was! You're welcome to contact her if you wish to inquire about scrapbooking supplies.

Misty Brown, Scrapbooking Consultant
Email: fancythismarble AT embarqmail DOT com
Location: North-East, Indiana

This giveaway ends on Friday, May 16th! Please be sure to all three rules to participate before then!