I remember my daughter’s first scrapbook. It was her 10th birthday, and she and all of her friends had been to church camp. They all brought their pictures from camp, and by the end of the evening, they each had a mini-album of their adventures at camp! Now over twice that age, my daughter still treasures that first album she made at her birthday party.
Isn’t that what scrapbooking is all about? We all take photos of special occasions, but then often just store them in shoe boxes in the closet. We haul the boxes out, looking for pictures for “Star of the Week” posters. Then, we haul them out again to find the best baby picture for the senior year annual.
The next time you look at those pictures may be when the first grandchild is born, and you are comparing pictures to prove the new baby really is a clone of his daddy.
But you don’t have to settle for this! With scrapbooks, you can have those pictures in an easy to view format. With the variety of albums available, they can be a valuable addition to your bookshelf, adding color and texture to your decorating, and there’s something special about the kids knowing that that one is theirs.
One of my favorite scrapbooks is from my daughter’s teen years. She was about 13, and I signed us up for an “All About Me” scrapbooking workshop. She was somewhat reluctant to participate, thinking it may not be “cool” enough, but once she got into it, she realized that she really liked talking about herself. It’s really nice to have, in her own handwriting, a documentation of all of her “favorites”. On the pages she was willing to answer honestly, I can see her plans for the future, best memories from the past, and things she likes about life in general. There are also amusing lists of her pet peeves.
Years ago, when she was born, I found a Grandmother’s book. Mom filled it out as a keepsake for my daughter. I only wish she had put photos in it. My children will have photos, and stories, and recipes.
Now that my kids are grown, I’m reduced to scrapbooking my dogs and flowers. But, you know what? It gives me joy. These may be the albums the kids show no interest in when I’m gone, but they enrich my life right now. My husband pours over these albums, as well, commenting on “how much that tree has grown” and “do you remember when we had no grass in the yard?” We look at the dogs’ puppy pictures and comment on how much they look like their father or mother.
I don’t mind scrapbooking my dogs and flowers. Not only does it keep me involved with scrapbooking, it also keeps me in practice for …someday…in the DISTANT future…I get to start scrapping pictures and mementos of grandkids
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