Alyice on April 18th, 2008

The Scrapbook Phase

For as long as I can remember I’ve been an avid picture taker. There’s just something wonderful about recording history as its happening and something remarkable about being able to jog one’s memory with a photograph—and it doesn’t even matter if the photograph is in focus or not.

In the beginning, I placed my photos into photo albums with sticky backings but as the photos began to yellow I realized those albums weren’t such a good idea after all so one by one I pulled my photos out of those albums and stored them in boxes according to date. Of course I ruined a few photos in the process but it was better than leaving them and watching them all deteriorate.

Then one day I discovered the art of scrapbooking and I was hooked.

There was nothing like cutting out the best part of the photo and gluing it to a page with other complimentary photos. My mother hated to see me cutting up photos because it was like I was leaving part of history (our life’s story) behind—but I didn’t care. I wasn’t interested in the backgrounds or scenery. I wanted to see the people. I wanted to focus in on their facial expressions, the way they stood or moved, and the clothes they wore. I was positive that would be enough to keep my memories alive.

But as time passed I began to understand my mom’s point of view. Sometimes, photos of a person aren’t enough to hold onto the memories. Sometimes you need a little bit more—an object, a wall, the landscape, something…

Yes, my mom was right. Sometimes the background or scenery sparks memories you’d otherwise forget. And sometimes it’s fun to see the different phases in our lives which help define us—styles, trends, cultures, and even financial status based upon what we owned.

My scrapbooking style is simple: lots of photos, a few embellishments, and little text. And that’s okay.

I don’t need to spend $20 on materials or three hours of my life designing a layout for a single scrapbook page. As beautiful as those pages are, I know that what I enjoy most about my scrapbooks are the photos—the records that tell my children (and future grandchildren) about our family history.

And if I choose to be more elaborate with a few pages then that’s okay, too. The important thing that I try to remember when I scrapbook is that there are NO RULES.

Scrapbooking techniques and styles vary from person to person based upon creative talents, time factors, finances, and personal history. When I sit down to create my scrapbook pages I try to remember to let loose and go with my feelings because in the end scrapbooking is an extension of who I am as a person. And if the scrapbook is being created as a gift it becomes a reflection of who that person is.