Scrapbooking Your Memories

by Abigail Vint

Two aspects of my personality drew me to scrapbooking: I'm a pack rat and I'm an obsessive organized freak.

After travelling Europe for a year, I had collected over 2000 digital photos. I've narrowed it down to 300. For Christmas, I was given a book, lovely stickers and perfect plastic inserts with the cardstock to frame and background the pages. I just needed the push in the right direction.

A little research taught me a lot. Although the term "scrapbook" did not enter popular vocabulary until 1870s, its origins began in the 17th century. Commonplace books, Granger Books and Friendship books all helped to form what we know today as the scrapbook.  The word "'scrapbook" appeared around 1840, after the "pieces of scrap coloured paper" that were used to decorate the books. Poems, writings, artwork,  and even woven pieces of hair were compiled together in books. The books were used as presents for family and friends, historical reference or simply enjoyment--similar to modern day motives.

With so much history behind scrapbooking, I must admit that I was a little overwhelmed--where should I start?

The basics are these: you need a book either with pages or plastic inserts. This can cost as little as $10 or as much as $100. Most albums, however, average between $35 and $50. You need pictures--either photography or art -- as they tend to be the focal point of the page. If you're using digital photos, printing them can cost between 50 cents to $2 per photo. It's free if you already have your pictures. You need phrases or a storyline to go along with your images. These come from your imagination but supplies-- stencils or letter stickers--can range from $10 to $50, depending on the quality. And you need a little creativity to make the pages all yours.

If you're not the type to shop around, you can purchase starter scrapbook kits (usually ranging form $10 to $40). If you want to dive in head first, beginner scrapbooking courses range from $10 to $25.

Simply using the Internet, however, I found there are various techniques that you can use to make your scrapbook look a bit less like a Grade Two project with construction paper and a picture.

Chalking--simply decorating with chalk--adds artistic flare to the page. Some people will use pre-packageds letter stickers to create headings such as "My Fishing Vacation." Stencilling is another great way to make your work unique. There are also shapes that come in stencils for those who aren't the artistic type. Rubberstamping is just another way to display lettering. This technique also allows you to use a variety of colours.

Punch art allows you to cut your pictures into various shapes -- hearts, circles, ovals--instead of using the ordinary 4"-by-6" photograph. You can also add simple frames--either around photos or around the page - -to create a more colourful space.

3-D effects will make any page stand out. Grab some embroidery floss and cross- stitch titles or phrases. Leftover beads from friendship bracelets? You can thread beads onto wire and shape them into images, words or letters.

Your pages become stories if they have a theme attached to them -- seasonal, family, friends, holidays, special occasions, baby or children to name a few. Check out the scrapbooking community websites below for some good examples.

Today, scrapbooking has followed everything else in the technology trend and gone digital. You can purchase software that allows you to create the entire page on your computer -- all you need to do is print it off and place it in your book. But what is catching on even more is digital scrapbooking. Essentially, this involves creating pages and KEEPING them online as opposed to printing them out for a hard copy book. For those of you who were never really good at crafts, this is an excellent way to showcase your artistic talent without having to use your drawing hands.

Inspired by my travels, I thought, "what better way to start my scrapbooking off than with a simple opening page?"  For "My European Vacation," I used sticker letters for the title, choosing a very classic lettering that goes along with the theme. I had a great picture of my boyfriend, Dave, sitting on a train, reading our travel guide, Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring.  I outlined a black-and-white print of the picture with a simple beige frame and scattered text--the names of all the cities we visited--across the travel-themed background.  I think it's a great way to begin our story.

There are so many options for scrapbooking that almost anyone can get into this hobby. Especially someone as dysfunctional as me--ever heard of a junk- hoarding neat freak?

 Finally I have the perfect way to organize my junk.