Reasons Why I Scrapbook

Memories.  As many as we can hold in our mind, it is still something special to see a photo of a certain memory. I, as the mother to eight children (seven living) want to preserve those memories not just for myself and their dad but for them as well.  I have boxes of photos---boxes, I say!  As my children have grown into adulthood and beyond, I wanted to make sure that they had something tangible to take with them as they leave home to bring some of those memories to mind.

Many years ago, when our oldest was a Senior in high school, I wanted to make him something special that was from me.  About this time, I visited Utah and noticed these "scrapbook" stores.  Well, since it appeared to be along the crafty lines, I figured I should stop in one of those stores.  

I had died and gone to heaven!  This was the special gift I had been seeking--a scrapbook made for my son!  I spent a little bit of money (okay, more than a little bit) and viewed some of the sample pages in the stores and set out determined to make a masterpiece.

I was hooked!  I would start working on the pages later in the evening after the dishes were done and people were going to bed.  I would often find myself staying up til midnight or later (which probably wasn't the best idea given that I had to get up early with little ones and then head off to work myself but oh well)--I just couldn't stop the scrapin'!  I LOVED it!  I have always liked to craft but this seemed so much more to me.

One of the pages I made for our family scrapbook.  Our son Eric made a snow penguin because that's what little sister Ali wanted.

I have always been interested in my ancestors and family history--I remember writing my great-aunt's when I was a young married mom and gathered some family history information from them.  I also do family history and research through Family Search and have found other relatives by using that site.  You can sign up for your own account and make use of it, too!  I found that by making scrapbooks I was contributing to family history and hopefully future generations to know our current family better.  Yes, even more reason to spend money and time on scrapbook supplies lol.

I worked away almost daily on Joshua's scrapbook.  Then one day I had an awful thought--what if, as an almost grown man, Joshua didn't REALLY like this scrapbook?  Ugh!  Why do I have such thoughts?  I wanted it to be something he would enjoy looking through, maybe sharing with others, and certainly with his children.    The suspense had me doubting so one day, not too long before graduation, I showed the book to Joshua and he was surprised and very pleased with it.  Me and my brain--always causing me restless nights.

While I haven't been scrapbooking as much as I would like or even used to, I have made books for each of my seven children, a family scrapbook, and have now started making one with each of my grandkids (I supervise and give some direction, they choose photos, stickers and add hand-write the text).  It's a great way to spend time with them and they feel a sense of accomplishment.  Kate was the first one to get started this summer while she was visiting.

Kate working on her first scrapbook with Grandma.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you a little bit of what I have learned from my years of scrapbooking (my program doesn't believe that is an actual word but I say otherwise!).  While some have moved onto digital scrapbooks, which is fine, I still enjoy the physical and tactile senses that I get out of choosing photos, stickers, paper, arranging a layout and putting it all together.  Whatever you do, it is important to keep memories--through journals, scrapbooks, photo albums, handwritten letters, baby books, or online.
 

 Thanks for stopping by!