I was first introduced to scrapbooking in 2002 when my sister-in-law gave me a scrapbook kit as a gift for participating in her and my brother’s wedding. My son was only four months old at the time and after doing just 2 pages, I was hooked!

She gave me a Creative Memories already-made kit which included a scrapbook, stickers, paper, border strips, tape, and idea booklet. Of course, I had lots of pictures of the baby, so I was all set. After completing the first book, I wanted to do the layouts on my own. This allowed me to be more creative.

There are several reasons why I scrapbook:

You Can be an Artist

I am not an artist. I can’t draw, paint or sculpt. Anyone can be successful in scrapbooking, regardless of your artistic talent. You are the creator of your family’s history and your mediums are paper, stickers, tags, ribbon, buttons and pens.

Shopping

You get to go shopping! Who doesn’t love to shop? Last year, when a Michael’s store opened in my town, I was thrilled because it meant that I could shop for scrapbook supplies any time I wanted to. The big craft stores such as Michael’s, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby and even Wal Mart now have expanded scrapbook departments. Michael’s carries Martha Stewart brand scrapbook supplies.

(TIP – Michael’s and A.C. Moore usually have inserts in the Sunday newspapers and the ads have a coupon for either 40% or 50% off one item. This is a great way to stock up on scrapbook supplies for a low cost!)

Kids Love to Scrapbook

My kids love to both look at the scrapbooks and help me with creating the pages. This year, my son who was in kindergarten had two arts & crafts assignments and we made scrapbook pages both times.

The first project was to make a homemade Thanksgiving craft. I purchased a brown 12” by 12” piece of scrapbook paper and some dimensional Thanksgiving stickers and he made the page all by himself. In the middle of the page, we glued a family photo. The other project was to create a homemade Valentine. He also made a scrapbook page for this assignment.

You’re Creating a Documented Family History

Everyone in my family loves to look at my scrapbooks. My three year old daughter especially likes to look at pictures of her when she was a baby. It’s so fulfilling to me when my family members appreciate and enjoy my scrapbooks. When the kids grow up, I plan on moving around the pages I’ve made and giving each kids their own album to pass down to the next generation.

Scrapbooking Can be a Social Hobby

I have never joined a scrapbook club or attended a scrapbook weekend because the kids are still little and I don’t have too much extra time, but in the future, I plan on attending “scrapbook weekends” and joining a local scrapbook club. There are many croppers (slang for scrapbookers) who attend scrapbook weekends where you can stay up all night scrapbooking with other women and enjoying some company while you work.

There are countless other reasons why we scrapbook, but the main reason I do it is because I enjoy it!