Thursday Thirteen - Scrapbooking

When this whole scrapbooking fad first swept the nation, I laughed at the notion of spending time with all that "frilly" stuff and gasped at the idea of CUTTING my pictures.

Then I got invited to a scrapbooking party for Creative Memories. Yeah. I was hooked. I now spend on average about 20-30 minutes a day scrapbooking. I love it. And here's why.

1. Creative Outlet - Now that I can't do as much theatre as I did before the kids came along, this is a good creative outlet for me. I've never been very good at art and I do better with crafts that come with a set of directions, and I can get that a lot of times when I'm scrapping. It has also really increased my desire to learn more about photography.


2. "Frilly" stuff - Fine, I'll admit it. I like the products. Just today I spent over an hour at the craft store trying to find the "perfect" embellishments for a new album I started. Good thing I brought a snack for Emma.


3. Scraplifting - Like I said, I like directions. And stealing being inspired by someone else's design takes a lot of the pressure. What do they say? Imitation is the highest form of flattery, or something like that.


4. Pay attention to the little things - I look at things differently now. I am starting to pay more attention to how the kids look when they make certain expressions, or noticing the way a leaf is hanging on a tree. It's really helped me appreciate the little things.


5. Just for me - I scrapbook very early in the morning (and I'm not a morning person) so I consider it my time. Jake will join me occasionally if I'm really close to finishing a layout and don't want to stop. I keep a stash of paper and stickers on hand and he goes to town. But for the most part, it's my quiet way of starting the day.


6. Accomplishment - It really is satisfying to finish a layout. I like knowing that's one more page on my way to a completed album. I had a goal to finish 1 layout a week for the whole year (52 total layouts) and I have a check list in my scrapbooking space that I get to check off when I get one done. I love lists so that is really quite satisfying for me.


7. Gifts - It's a nice way for me to remember to send pictures to Grandma and Grandpa who live out of town. They only get to see the kids 2 or 3 times a year, so I make a scrapbook calendar for them. Every month, they get a new layout with current pictures of the kids. I think they really like it.


8. Magazines - This one is silly, but I love magazines and there are so many scrapbooking mags out there. I don't subscribe to any, but I have asked for a subscription for the last 2 years for Christmas. No dice.


9. Reactions - There is no better payoff then seeing Jake sit down with one of the completed albums. He loves looking at them!!


10. Challenging - If I don't scraplift, sometimes it can be really hard to come up with a design. When that happens, scrapbooking keeps my mind working. I figure it was good if that happened every once in a while.


11. Passing it down - I'd really like to create an album about myself so that when they are older, Jake and Emma can learn more about me as a person instead of just thinking of me as their mom.


12. Organizing - This is just one more thing I get to organize and containerize. I LOVE IT! I love labeling my pictures as soon as they get back from the printer with the date and event. And then sorting them into whether they are for scrapbooking or non-scrapbooking. And then putting them away. It sounds crazy, but I love that part.


13. IT'S FUN! - And this is probably the most important reason why I do it. And it needs no further explanation!

Visit other Thursday Thirteen lists!