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Scrapbooking: A creative way to preserve memories
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Laura Primeau applies decorative tape to a page. A scrapbooker can be as fancy or as basic as she wants to be.
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Samantha Dyck shows her case containing jars of embellishments. The case costs about $10 and hold lots of jars.
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Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Somebody in Kim McInnis’ family will one day receive a treasure, thanks to her scrap- booking talent and efforts.
McInnis’ mother- in-law in Prince Edward Island sends her photos from family events.
After the photos have been scrapbooked, Mc- Innis sends the page back to her mother- in-law, who adds it to a scrapbook.
“That book will be willed (to a family member),” McInnis said at a recent scrapbooking retreat in Slave Lake.
Although that is definitely an honour, it’s not the only reason McInnis is involved in scrap- booking.
“Scrapbooking is like telling the storybook of your life,” she said.
“It’s sharing, it’s friendship, it’s momentous, it’s timeless.”
Other reasons for scrapbooking – elicited from McInnis’ cohorts Laura Primeau, Saman- tha Dyck and Toni Gellings – include the ability to be creative, the socialization involved, the chance to get away from it all, and – perhaps most importantly – the opportunity to preserve some family history for future generations.
“You tell the story behind the pictures,” said Dyck.
Quite often, said McInnis, families will be unsure of who is in a picture, or will share stories that aren’t written down, leading to more questions for members of the younger set.
“I want to have those questions answered for my kids,” Dyck added.
Each scrapbooker brings her own supplies, which are available to other participants.
“You just need to bring the basics and somebody will have more,” said Gellings.
Scrapbookers also help one another by sharing ideas on what looks good on a page.
“Any page you do basically isn’t done by itself,” said Primeau, adding it isn’t done instantly, either. This necessitates keeping supplies separate from children.
“It’s definitely something you need to pay attention to and not have little fingers helping,” added Dyck.
The basic supplies are photos, paper, adhesive and scissors, but a person can get as elaborate or as fundamental as she wishes.
“You can go with a budget or you can go crazy,” said Primeau.
“It’s all so beautiful that you want to buy it all.”
Items can be bought singly, or together, she said.
“You can buy a scrapbook kit that has all the elements of paper co-ordination.”
The first step is to pick the photos, then choose the paper, and then pick the embellishments.
“It’s like picking out an outfit – (you) bring people’s attention to what’s important,” said Primeau. “There are the shapes, then the styles, then you add the jewelry (via embellishments on the page).”
Many supplies are available online but some scrapbookers prefer to shop in person.
“I want to see it and touch it so I know how I’m going to use it,” which is harder to do on computer, explained Dyck.
Embellishments – including fasteners, eyelets, word art, signs and tags – are easy to buy in person, said Dyck, opening a case which holds jars full of them. The case retails for about $10, and the jars are less expensive.
“It’s amazing what you can have,” she said.
The Cricut – a computerized machine which cuts out letters and other shapes upon command – is another important scrapbooking tool, as it helps provide variety on the page.
Materials, have been produced with preservation in mind, said Primeau.
“Scrapbooking stuff is acid-free, so pictures are protected and don’t yellow.”
The four agreed that while sometimes a scrap booker has to leave the page and come back to it later, scrap-booking in general is a relaxing activity.
“It’s entertainment,” said Primeau.
It is also growing in popularity.
“It’s a way for people to document their lives and pass it down to the next generation. This is a way to pass it on while we can,” said Primeau.
Dyck said she suspects that in this fast-paced technological age, people enjoy having the chance to do something where they can slow down a bit.
She recalled that when she began scrap- booking 14 years ago, paper and markers were the only supplies available, and that has greatly expanded over the years.
“My skills have progressed. My albums have changed dramatically,” Dyck said.
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