Think

Ok. . .so I am going to totally steal this from Cathy Zielske and her Clean & Simple Scrapbooking book, but she is much more well spoken then me and so much of what she said made so much sense.

She wrote: " Do you really think about Scrapbooking? I mean really, really think about it. About the whys, the whats, and the what ifs? To me, this hobby is more than just photos. It's more than just paper flowers and mini-brads. And it's so much more than beautiful, completed albums all in a row. It's simply life, preserved with a little bit of adhesive and whole lot of heart. Don't you think that is a nice way to put it? Let's discuss. And. . . .think."

I know I get so wrapped up in how many photos I have, which should relate to how many I have to scrapbook. But this thinking is so wrong! When I read this in Cathy's book, I was like. . .yes! Scrapbooking is no longer just about the photos! Now don't get me wrong. . . I love taking pictures and I take A LOT of them! But scrapbooking is about capturing the memories and the stories and the pictures are just a nice way to illustrate the story! It is about understanding the drive behind why we scrapbook. . .to tell a story.

I originally started scrapbooking because I liked the paper. I am not kidding. I thought scrapbooking was kind of silly. . .then I saw my cousin, Nicci's, scrapbook. (Yes, I still blame you for my addiction!!) I was blown away. I had no idea that was what scrapbooking would be like. So along with my Sister in tow ( I don't go many places without her) I made my first scrapbooking purchases. I don't think I ever used that first paper I bought, but I was hooked. I realized I was a prime candidate to become a scrapbooker. I was a teacher, unmarried, with no kids, but I loved paper and trinkets and it looked like fun. I thought, oh how cute. . .I will make scrapbooks for each year with all our events documented and they will be so nice. WRONG! It has taken me several years and a lot of thinking to realize why I really want to scrapbook. Not because I feel I have to, not because of the cute paper (though that is a very compelling reason), but because I want to tell my story. (this must be the history teacher in me!)

We all have a story to tell wheter we have ten kids, no kids, are married, divorced or any or none of the above. I have heard lots of people say. . .well I don't have kids. . .or I am not married. . . what would I scrapbook? Well, first of all if you are going to have kids the number one thing they will want to see is what their parents were like prior to kids!!! What did you do? What did you look like?? And if you don't have kids and don't plan on having any. . .you still have a story to tell! Kids are not the only reason to scrapbook. I believe so many of us scrapbook our kids lives. . .which I think is important. . .but we forget that we have lives too!! It is so super important to remember to scrapbook your life, your interests, purely for your enjoyment or so future generations can understand what you were like. If you don't tell your story, who will??

So this is a little bit of the rambling I was talking about. I have so much to say and I start on one topic only to change to ten others. I have a hard time staying focused. I guess the reason I will never have a career as a writer!

My main goal is to hopefully, above all, make you THINK. To think about your life, to think about scrapbooking, and to think how to put the two together. I know there are so many of us who want to scrapbook, have started scrapbooking, and don't know where else to go. I hope to free you from some of the guilt associated with scrapbooking and let you enjoy your endeavors. Scrapbook because you want to, not because you think you have to. But in order to scrapbook you are going to have to. . .think.