Is “Scrapbooking” Too Scary For You?

  I have been talking to some ladies about the new Creative Memories company. And it has come to my attention that the word scrapboking is actually a scary word for some people that associate it with long hours, too costly, and too messy. I have introduced the new Ahni & Zoe product as being faster, easier, and more cost effective. It can be used in so many ways making it the best all-in-one product for scrappers of all degrees of interest and skills. I even found a way to use it with digital scrapbooking. As this new company continues to grow itself I am finding more and more possibilities for Scrap Happy Girls and Ahni & Zoe products. But I am also finding that I may need to update my approach to the subject. It is the goal of Ahni & Zoe to bring our photos off of our devices and into our life to be celebrated. I adore this concept! In truth the purpose of a scrapbook, even before the age of photographs, was to tell the story of its owner and to preserve those things most treasured by its creator. These could have been trinkets of affection, letters, notes, bits of papers or pictures the musings of the owner herself. Even men kept a scrapbook. It was seen as a way of recording your family history. For woman it was the only way they could preserve their own identities and history.

  Scrap Happy Girls has built itself on these foundational principles. I tell people that we all have a story to tell and that each one is unique. We may all be wives, mothers, and daughters, but our personal experience as such is different from any one else’s it is unique to only ourself. I once heard it said that you can have 20 people all looking at the same picture and everyone of them will walk away with his or her own take on it and no two will ever agree. It’s the same with a photo. You can have a box full of beautiful pictures but they will only be truly significant to you. This is why we include journaling in our album so we can tell the viewer exactly what that moment was about for you.  You are telling your story and telling those who come after you who you are and what you want to be remembered for. I want one made for me later in life so that it can be shown at my memorial service and people can remember me for who I really was.

  Scrapbooking has evolved over the years with all the extras that come with it. You can  walk into any craft store and quickly be overtaken with the multitudes of choices. There are stickers of every kind. Papers of every fiber, color, size and texture. Blank ones and patterned ones. Glitters and sparkles. Embossing tools and so much more. It is easy to see how one can be scared of scrapbooking. But I have also always told my groups to keep it simple. Decide on the story you are trying to convey and pick just a few embellishments to compliment your photos and help tell your story. I have explained the importance of a good layout or page composition so that the eye of the reader is not confused but gently led through the pages of your album as the pictures primarily tell the story. Remember from one of my earliest post, Your pictures are the stars of the show and your embellishments are the supporting actors. Perhaps we have been too caught up in the many options and newest latest gadget to appreciate the art of scrapbooking. What Ahni & Zoe has done is to give us a quality all-in-one product that returns us to this organic simplistic beginning of scrapbooking. I was trying to explain how I don’t want to sell another scrapbook tool. I want to be able to return to simplicity and the teaching of scrapbooking as an art form. I want to connect with people on a more personal level by experiencing their photos and hearing their stories. There are people who walk past us on the sidewalk daily that we have our presupposed ideas and opinions of without ever actually hearing their stories. I feel privileged when one of those people steps in from the sidewalk and shares their story at one of our crops and then even better, they see their own life in a different way than before.

  So going forward I will resolve to sharing more of these types of posts And less about the selling of product. I want to make this craft more accessible and less intimidating to people. You may have noticed that the blog now looks more like a website. I have done this to separate the blog about scrapbooking, photo tips, and story telling from the products. If you are interested in the shop associated with this site you can find it under the product tabs. Also for those who are local to the Nashville area, you will find a place for our classes and events posted on the homepage. I hope that you will continue to enjoy this site and find it helpful in whatever season of life you are in!

What Was the First Scrapbook You Ever Made?

  I remember the first time I sat down to create a scrapbook. I was nineteen and panic-stricken. I was the new event coördinator for Michael’s Arts & Crafts and I had to give a scrapbook workshop. What did I know about scrapbooking? Why in God’s name would anyone want to sit around cutting scraps of paper and gluing odds and ends to their photos. Or worse yet, cut the photos up and glue them to the scraps of paper. The whole Idea was very absurd to me. I did not know anything about the subject and yet I was the event coördinator. It was my responsibility to learn as much as I could about the subject, produce a sample, and at least sound like I knew what I was talking about in the next forty-eight hours. Did I mention I was panicked? I Studied every resource I could find, played with the various tools we had on the shelf, compared albums and page protectors, and then glue vs tape runner vs glue stick vs mounting spray. Then it was time to cut up scraps of paper and a few photos and figure out how to glue them to the paper in a sensible way. After an hour or so I had produced my first page. The panic was replaced by tears of joy! I had done it! I could scrapbook and I made it with two hours to spare before the wave of eager students arrived to cut up their photos.

   By the end of the evening I found that not only could I scrapbook , but that I rather enjoyed it. What could be more relaxing and gratifying than cutting up scraps of paper and chit chatting with other woman who all had great stories to tell about their photos. Photos that  were now sliced and glued and embellished into  pretty little albums forever. Well, At the end of the evening I felt that I  knew these woman on a more  personal level than I could have ever  of achieved teaching any other art form. I realized that scrapbooking truly is a personal form of story telling. in those few short hours in what was to become the first of many scrapbook events, we had shared our proudest moments, laughed together at some of the funnier things in life, and cried over the memories of loved ones who had gone on to better things. All these and more tied this group of former strangers together as life long companions, all because of a few snipped photos some tape runners and lots of scraps of paper. This run in with a project I never would have picked up on my own has become a passion for me and has developed into Scrap Happy Girls. I hope you will be inspired to share your stories with the people around you and for the future generations to come. Every life has a story to tell, what’s yours? I love to hear from my readers so leave a comment or message me on our Facebook pg. What was your first scrapbook that you ever made?

More on Creative Memories Products

   I recently shared with you that I would not be able to sell Creative Memories products for a time. I also promised to share news with you as It became available to me. I am glad to say that traditional products will be available in the future Creative Memories company. I have to say I was getting depressed by the idea that it was going completely away. Not only because it is my business, but because of the quality of their albums,page protectors, and tape runners as well as various other tools. The company will be completely transformed and because of this they will be offering a new consultant program. The current contracts will be cancelled and those who wish to work in the new company may sign the new consultant agreement. So, still  a lot of details not yet available as they are continuing to work through these changes but I will try to keep everyone informed the best I can. August 31st will be my last day as a consultant with Creative Memories. I also promised that Scrap Happy Girls is prepared to carry on no matter what happens with my contract with them. I am waiting and watching anxiously to see what the company will look like and what the contracts have to offer. I have enjoyed my time with them and would look forward to many more years with them. So for now I will continue to host events and crops but we will be bringing our own materials. I am applying this week for the necessary papers to buy material in bulk quantities to sell for our scrapbook projects. If I decide that Scrap Happy Girls no longer has a future with Creative Memories then I will, as I mentioned earlier, begin the process of finding a shop location in town. Thank you for continuing to support Scrap Happy Girls and Creative Memories we are moving forward into the future and hopefully we will be able to remain affiliated with Creative Memories under the new independent consultant contract. Happy Scrap’n and have a great weekend!

An Update on Creative Memories Products.

  I am sad to say that, for the time being at least, I will not be able to sell Creative Memories products. They are undergoing a restructuring of their company and they are eliminating most, if not all of their traditional scrapbook materials. They are also making changes to their digital products so if you have purchased these from them in the past then please visit their sight for updates on these materials to see how you will be affected. If you have any questions concerning traditional or digital product let me know and I will try to get an answer for you. I did message them today to see if they could elaborate at all concerning the future of traditional products and I will share my findings here and on my Facebook pg as well once I have heard back from them. They are still taking last chance orders till August 2nd so If there is a particular item you are in need of please order it right away. Be aware however that there is a long waiting period for those orders. How will this affect Scrap Happy Girls? For obvious reasons I cannot sell other products so long as my contract with Creative Memories is active, however we will continue to have crop nights and other events, but you will need to bring supplies with you for these events as I will be unable to provide them right now. I still believe in the Creative Memories mission so I am holding on to see what the future holds for them. If in fact they drop their traditional products then I will begin offering product from other sources and open a shop in town. It will always be the goal of Scrap Happy Girls to help people to share and preserve their stories and to share, learn, and grow our craft together. In short please continue to follow Scrap Happy Girls as we continue to plot our course and Creative Memories moves forward into a new day.

Why We Scrapbook part 2

  A lot of time and thought goes into creating a scrapbook. It is important to set the stage for your story just right. Unlike a novel, which has the entire English language at its disposal, we have only a few prized photos and props to lead our reader into the scene and to the small piece of journaling highlighting key points. One misplaced photo could ruin the whole album and the reader will be left with a few nice, but meaningless photos. So how do you  create an album you will be proud to show off and pass down? Well first we need to decide what your story will be. A birthday, wedding, summer vacation, whatever it is we need to decide what we want to convey to the reader. The next thing you must decide is the length of the album you wish to make. Will you devote an entire album to a single subject or will a page or two touching off those key moments suffice. Once you have decided on your topic and it’s length you will want to lay your photos out in front of you and choose the ones that best get your message across. Organize them so that they are arranged in the order they will appear on the page and have each page separated so you have your story in the order it will be seen by your reader. Now with the organizing finished its time to play! 

  To really tell your story well you need to set your stage with purposeful intent. Your choice of papers will set your backdrop and there are many to choose from. Just walk into any craft supply store and you will be blown away by the many options available. Two things to keep in mind here are will you use themed papers or a solid papers to just set off the photo. The next thing you will want to look at are your stage props. These would be boarders, stickers, page accents, overlays, and anything else you want to place in your album to help your story come alive. I like to use the napkins and birthday cards in my albums and the little extras from the party that helped make it memorable. Be sure however if you choose to use something not specifically made for scrapbooking that you spray it with an acid free archival spray. These items have chemicals that can actually cause damage to your photos over time.Now you can go home to your table and lay everything in front of you and really get down to business.

   Once home and ready to work take out your photos which should already be organized for you and decide on paper background and props that work best for each group. Secure them to the page where you want them. I like to use re positional tape runners so if I don’t quite get my placement right I can remove it and try again. Think of your photos as the players on the stage. Remember, your eye should travel from the intro photo through the page from one photo to the next so the story flows. Just remember to have fun and enjoy your project you don’t have to complete the whole album in a day. If you are choosing to highlight special moments in time like a child’s book of firsts then your  story is still unfolding and these take more time to put together.