The craft of scrapbooking allows us to record our experiences in an attractive format, not just for our own enjoyment but for other people as well. It saves information that might otherwise be lost. The artistic presentation makes it more appealing to others; few people will show more than casual interest in someone else’s photo album, but a scrapbook beckons the viewer to keep turning pages. Scrapbooks may be handed down through a family, a coven, or group to maintain its history and traditions.
I got into scrapbooking some years ago, when someone suggested that I print up some of my poetry on nice paper as a present for my mother (who had previously presented me with a fairly decorative cookbook of family recipes). That quickly ballooned into a full-blown scrapbook of poetry, which is very different from the way most people come into scrapbooking. Since then I have experimented with a general scrapbook (which includes photos), a Pagan scrapbook (mostly copies of interesting information), and a genealogical scrapbook (made as a gift for a relative). Things written in first person (using “I”) are written from my perspective.
Michelle Benedicta lives in the Chicago area. She enjoys reading, writing, singing, playing with her dog and had been scrapbooking for over four years at the time the article was written. Michelle has many opinions and ideas, and loves sharing them with new (and not so new) scrappers. Anything marked “Lecture” was written from Michelle’s perspective; shorter bits are marked with her name.
Objectives:
Learn what a scrapbook is.
Discover what scrapbooks are good for.
Explore some common tools and supplies used to make scrapbooks.