Scrapbooking? I don't get it.

[kitten18]

Thank you so much. I really don't mean that in a snooty way, but a person grows up being good at certain things and really bad at certain things.

 

I was the person no one picked to be on their team in sports. I tried to play the guitar, but it wasn't my forte. The idea of drawing something invokes fear. I feel like there's a list a mile long of things I do not excel at. I was rather shy growing up, and my parents did not broaden my horizons.

 

I found something that excites me. I found something that makes me think about design, color, texture, lines, and above all, the great things that have happened to me and the ones I love in this life.

 

For me, it is an expression of me. It is art.

 

Your pages are... WOW, beautiful. I love how you use beautiful paper but still get a lot of pictures on a page. You have certainly found your gift, that is awesome.

 

I haven't scrapbooked for a long time (before DS was born, I think). I haven't introduced DD to scrapbooking yet but she is going to love it and hopefully we can do it together soon.

[LibraryLover]

I don't know any scrapbookers who are 'obsessed' or who have thousands of dollars worth of supplies. However, I do know someone with an $800 dollar sea kayack, and it's sweeeet. ;)

 

Ah. Hobbies. What about golf fees? Or the upkeep on a 'little' sailboat? An awesome couple of surfboard? Tatoos?

 

My bil, a very sweet soul, has a gazillion dollars worth of winter climbing gear. Maybe you haven't priced a sub zero sleeping bag lately? ;) Its more than acid-free pens or a cutting machine. lol I also have several friends who are fab knitters-- and really, we don't want to discuss the cost of good yarns...

 

People sometimes spend money on their hobbies. So? If they are not borrowing the money from us, or taking it out of their children's mouths while we drop off baskets of food at their door, who are we to question what they should or should not spend on harmless personal pleasures?

'

[mammaruss]

I don't like to use the word--obsession--I prefer to say that I am "passionate" about scrapbooking!! ;)

[Rhonda in TX]

I don't relate to the fascination with scrapbooking, but I don't think the amount of time, energy and money women spend on it is all that different than any other hobby.

Pick one: knitting, sewing, painting...

Each one calls for a basic set of tools, has a learning curve that requires an investment of time and attention and can be taken to an extreme when it comes to buying supplies.

 

My sister would roll her eyes at someone who has a closet full of scrapbooking materials, but thinks her closet full of fabric and fancy thread is perfectly normal. My aunt has a similar closet full of rubber stamping supplies.

 

My closet? It's full of various rolls of media for my large-format inkjet printer. ;)

 

Any hobby can be time and money consuming. Anybody not involved in that hobby is not going to understand. I've heard of knitters that have more yarn than they could use in a lifetime, and they continue to buy more. You can find that for any hobby.

 

I've been scrapbooking for 12 years. My kids love to get their scrapbooks down and look through them. I think they especially love to read the story behind the photos. :)

[LisaKinVA]

I don't see why a person would need or want to spend thousands of dollars on making photo albums, when you could use that money making memories. I do think it's crazy to spend over three hundred dollars on a machine that cuts out little pieces of paper. And I also think it's strange to spend hours every day doing it when you have littles at home. I guess I'm not so confused about why people do it as an ordinary hobby, but I don't understand how people can turn it into an obsession.

 

And I don't understand why anyone would need a $3000 sewing machine, when a needle and thread work just fine? And why would anyone spend $500 on a bowling ball, the ones on the rack are free? ...;)

 

We get that you don't understand it... maybe you don't have a passion or a hobby. I do know that the vast majority of men and women who scrapbook don't have hoards of supplies. Most scrapbookers nationwide AVERAGE about $50 a month. There are people on the high end, and people on the low end.

 

Moreover, you're going to get into difficulty defining what an "ordinary hobby" is. Is $600 a year on a hobby all that awful? Is $1000 a year horrible? The only people I know who spent more than $200 a month were using the supplies as part of their business (scrapping for hire, custom wedding/birth announcements, etc.), or they purchased a new tool.

 

In defense of tools...my husband has a ton of power tools. Can he cut all the pieces of wood he needed for the 6 underbed drawers he was making without a table saw? Yes, but it takes 2-3x the amount of time. The right tools make doing the job easier.

 

The Cricuit (or substitute Wishblade, Pazzle Inspiration, new Sizzix, etc. here) machine is a tool that allows me to quickly piece together titles, special little embellishments that I use for my pages. It makes it "special." Sure, I could take a Sharpie marker and scrawl "Joshua Lost a Tooth." It gets the point across... but it looks a LOT better cut out of an interesting font (or 2). And, it's more FUN for me. No, I didn't "have" to create that pieced dinosaur skeleton for the pages I did on our trip to the Museum of Natural History, but did it EVER make the layout COOL and Unique.

 

Of course, I could print it out from the printer, and use scissors or a craft knife to cut it out... but that would be like my husband trying to make a handle in the underbed drawers he just made with a key-hole saw. Sure, it will work, but he's going to be spending a LOT of time cutting that thing out.

 

Other people use sticker letters to make their titles. When I used sticker letters I felt it was wasteful, because I never used up all of the stickers. But, if I used my machine I only cut out what I needed, and it was always in the color(s) I wanted. Plus, stickers were $1.50 a sheet -- and cardstock was 50 cents!

 

Most women I know don't spend hours every day doing it, either. The only ones I know who do that don't have small children, or homeschool, and they don't scrapbook every day either. Many of them are grandmothers. They also quilt, knit, and do other things. Scrapbooking is just one of the things they do.

 

I don't understand a lot of hobbies out there, but I don't denegrate those who have them... or "wonder" how they became so obsessed with (golf, miniatures, collections of little ceramic houses, Christmas decor, sewing, needlework, deocrative painting, wood-working, knitting/crochet, or even house thousands of books that get read once and then sit on a shelf, when they could borrow them instead).

 

No one is asking you to understand us either -- but we aren't some kind of weird, raging, zombie-crafters who ignore real life for the sake of their craft either.

 

Now, I have to get off the computer, so I can go organize my stuff to go to the first scrapbooking weekend I've had since January 2008. I'd say I was way past due!:D

[teamturner]

I am not good at any other art, but without bragging too much, I am very good at this.

 

 

 

I don't remember where you posted some of your layouts, but I printed some of the them and have used them. They are sitting on my scrapbook table right now. You are very talented.

 

To the OP, scrapbooking is a hobby, as many have pointed out. It's a creative outlet that allows me to tell the story of my family. I don't have that much time or money to spend scrapbooking, but I do enjoy it when I get the time to. And my kids take them out and look at them all the time.

 

Edit to add: I hope you realize not everyone that scrapbooks, ignores their dc to do so.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Michelle in TX

[CAMom]

 

I happen to love scrapbooking and making cards. It is the only think I indulge in. I have thousands of dollars worth of supplies accumulated over the last 15 years. I make wonderful layouts that are an artistic expression of mine. There is a creative outlet that I cannot explain -- probably akin to what a painter or musician feels when creating. I am not good at any other art, but without bragging too much, I am very good at this.

 

 

 

Wow! What beautiful work, Dawn!:)

[Renee in NC]

Could somebody please explain why some women get so excited over this? I'm not trying to be snarky at all, I just honestly don't get it. I mean, you glue some pictures and some paper cutouts into a book and then it sits there collecting dust. Why do people spend thousands of dollars and have entire rooms devoted to this? Am I missing something here? I have friends on fb that actually take scrapbooking vacations with other women. One woman I know spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars on it and then ignores her children when she's not working because she spends every minute scrapbooking.

 

I just don't get it.

 

ETA: And I just looked at the Sizzix website, because someone I know is freaking out because she bought some of their die or whatever for ONLY a hundred dollars, and their machine, which costs $350.00, is sold out! People are crazy.

 

I think some people have a need for a creative outlet and others don't. I am not a creative person - it just isn't in my makeup. I don't have any hobbies per se, but I have lots of interests. If I am going to buy something, I buy books. Even so, I have gotten better about getting them from the library and not buying him - there are not many I really need to own.

 

In my downtime, I read and research whatever my recent topic of interest might be. Others cut out paper and make beautiful albums of pictures. Others knit, sew, play games, etc. Still more write. I outline!:lol:

[Nestof3]

Again, though I have no need to defend myself, I will let you see into my life a little:

 

I most likely scrapbook much less than most people watch television. I don't have anything against TV watching, but 99 percent of my movie watching is done while exercising.

 

I have always maintained a clean, organized home, taken care of all of our personal finances, keep the books for my husband's business, make 75 percent of our meals from scratch, and have graduated one son who is on dean's list at college and am currently homeschooling well my younger two sons.

 

Life was chaotic for me. I got married, began homeschooling my stepson and gave birth to Nathan two months later. I still managed to do all of that listed above and find time to scrapbook.

 

Now, my children are older, so I have more time. I also make time to work out nearly every day. I have a very supportive husband who supports my hobby both financially and in terms of time. I have never sacrificed the well-being of my family for my hobby.

 

We are also out of debt including our home. We have chosen to stay in a smaller home so that we have spending money. My husband has his jet ski which he bought used, and I have my hobby. My husband used to be really into model railroading. He has now taken it up again because Nathan wanted to make one. They worked on it together today.

 

I also make many cards for people, host card parties (I pay for all supplies and lunch), and give many scrapbooking and stamping gifts away to people. Like my book collection, I am always asking people to use my supplies. I absolutely love sharing what I am blessed to have with others.

 

 

so much as the financial aspect of it, and the extent to which people take it. I don't see why a person would need or want to spend thousands of dollars on making photo albums, when you could use that money making memories. I do think it's crazy to spend over three hundred dollars on a machine that cuts out little pieces of paper. And I also think it's strange to spend hours every day doing it when you have littles at home. I guess I'm not so confused about why people do it as an ordinary hobby, but I don't understand how people can turn it into an obsession.

 

Once again, sorry if my post seemed harsh, I honestly didn't mean any rudeness.

[Mergath]

Again, though I have no need to defend myself, I will let you see into my life a little:

 

I most likely scrapbook much less than most people watch television. I don't have anything against TV watching, but 99 percent of my movie watching is done while exercising.

 

I have always maintained a clean, organized home, taken care of all of our personal finances, keep the books for my husband's business, make 75 percent of our meals from scratch, and have graduated one son who is on dean's list at college and am currently homeschooling well my younger two sons.

 

Life was chaotic for me. I got married, began homeschooling my stepson and gave birth to Nathan two months later. I still managed to do all of that listed above and find time to scrapbook.

 

Now, my children are older, so I have more time. I also make time to work out nearly every day. I have a very supportive husband who supports my hobby both financially and in terms of time. I have never sacrificed the well-being of my family for my hobby.

 

We are also out of debt including our home. We have chosen to stay in a smaller home so that we have spending money. My husband has his jet ski which he bought used, and I have my hobby. My husband used to be really into model railroading. He has now taken it up again because Nathan wanted to make one. They worked on it together today.

 

I also make many cards for people, host card parties (I pay for all supplies and lunch), and give many scrapbooking and stamping gifts away to people. Like my book collection, I am always asking people to use my supplies. I absolutely love sharing what I am blessed to have with others.

:confused:

 

I certainly wasn't criticizing the overall lifestyles or parenting abilities of any specific person on this board, and I'm not sure why you seem to think I was. All the women I've met on this board seem to me to be wonderful mothers, without exception. The people I'm thinking of are a few women I know on fb who have taken the scrapbooking thing to unhealthy extremes, in my opinion.

 

I collect books. If someone said to me, "Thousands of books? That's nuts! I don't get it at all," I'd laugh, explain it, and go about my life. I wouldn't find it offensive.

[Rosie_0801]

I wish I was the scrapbooking type, but a blog without pictures is the best anyone is going to get out of me. I really hate doing the finishing touches on any project and an entire craft that is nothing but finishing touches boggles my mind. It's definitely not for me!

 

Anyway, I am here to argue that a fabric stash is so much more sensible than a paper stash. I'm cool with paper stashes if they are in book format. I can read books. I can't read blank pieces of paper. I can wear fabric. If I wore paper, I would get cold.

 

So there :tongue_smilie:

 

Rosie

[Crissy]

If someone said to me, "Thousands of books? That's nuts! I don't get it at all," I'd laugh, explain it, and go about my life.

Ah, yes. Besides fancy inkjet media, books are my other hobby.

I recently had the mother of my son's friend stop by. She made mention of all our shelved books and said, "I don't know what I'd do with so many of them. We had enough trouble just getting through Things Fall Apart for Junior's English class."

 

:001_huh:

[Renee in NC]

I wish I was the scrapbooking type, but a blog without pictures is the best anyone is going to get out of me. I really hate doing the finishing touches on any project and an entire craft that is nothing but finishing touches boggles my mind. It's definitely not for me!

 

Anyway, I am here to argue that a fabric stash is so much more sensible than a paper stash. I'm cool with paper stashes if they are in book format. I can read books. I can't read blank pieces of paper. I can wear fabric. If I wore paper, I would get cold.

 

So there :tongue_smilie:

 

Rosie

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[TravelingChris]

I am not creative. I don't blog, journal, scrapbook, paint, or anything else like that. I read a lot, watch some tv and movies, love to cook and bake, and garden. Although we have an income above average, I don't spend money on hobbies beyond about $300 a year for new plants and bulbs. But although I have no need to be creative beyond making pleasing color arrangements in my garden doesn't mean others don't. My dh has a woodworking hobby and he makes very creative things. My son paints and draws. My older dd writes. Younger dd and I don't do anything creative.

 

I do understand the op's question. I don't mind anyone having a hobby but what i have found in certain groups is that it is sort of assumed that you do scrapbook. Well, I don't and don't want to. I never had very good fine motor skills and arthritis hasn't made them any better.

 

Happy scrapbooking to those who do and happy other hobby times for all the others.

[Peela]

Im frightened of scrapbooking. I keep away from it. I am afraid that it would take over my life if I went too near it. It would suck me in and my family would see even less of me as I played with pictures of them, instead of them.

 

I have been to scrapbooking shops and I can completely understand why women go crazy over scrapbooking. It is a creative outlet and you get to play with stationary. Many of us have secret love affairs with stationary. And its a creative outlet that you dont need to be able to draw well to do. You can make somethng pretty decent straight up. And, it feels useful to make something creative of your photos. I can understand it.

 

But I haven't gone there. The photos are still sitting in boxes mostly- a few simple books. Because I know myself- once I got started...I would probably get obsessed.

 

ETA- for all those people who think they are not creative because they dont paint or make sculptures, yet they cook and garden? You are creative. We are all creative. Its takes creativity not to put the same meal on the table every night, and it takes creativity to design and maintain a garden. Not to mention organise kids' lives and hoemschool. You are creative- you just channel it into different areas. If we all painted, it would be boring.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Peela

[Guest Katia]

I have never understood the need to spend so much money putting pictures and stories together into an album either. Scrapbooking get-togethers and weekends away? Wow. To me, that seems obsessive as well. I can see where OP is questioning why, but I guess people spend their money on what they love.

 

However, I'm not artistic or creative in any way. That may be why I don't do the scrapbooking thing with all the fancy paper and stickers and all, but I still make memory albums with our pictures and captions, titles, dates, times, places, etc. The kids and I love to look through these and they are just pictures with titles. Works for us.

 

I like the idea of digital scrapbooking, but I think I'd need someone to actually show me how, kwim? Does anyone have any links to super-easy-to-understand tutorials?

[IsabelC]

I can totally see the attraction of it. But what astounds me is the amount of money that changes hands. I mean, as wonderful as some scrapbooks are, they are not exactly cutting edge. They're pretty much just photo albums with a few added decorations and captions to fancy them up. You could do it with free and cheap resources such as cuttings from old magazines or used recycled gift wrap. So why is it such a massive industry? Also, if you want to express your individual creativity, why buy a load of premade stuff that's the same as everyone else buys? It seems to me that hobbies have a tendency to lose their individuality due to becoming commercialized. When I was a kid, stamp collecting was very popular. We eagerly scoured the mail to see whether there were any unusual stamps. Now it seems that people simply buy a first day cover of every stamp that is produced. Where is the excitement in that? You just get more stamp variety the more money you're prepared to spend. It's the same with many hobby activities: the thing they have in common is that they're huge money black holes.

[sbgrace]

I don't find it puzzling at all and I don't see why anyone would.

 

It's a hobby and creative outlet. I don't see it as different than knitting or painting or anything else. It's cheaper than many hobbies really. Sure, small portion of people can certainly get over-involved or obsessed with anything and do it to the detriment of other things (think golf or fishing for some, internet addictions, people who spend money they don't really have on collections, people who watch tv to excess, etc.). Why would scrapbooking be any different?

 

Nestof3--I'm glad you posted to this thread because I took a look at your blog and I love your scrapbook pages (and cards). They are absolutely fantastic. Wow!

[Rosie_0801]

I

However, I'm not artistic or creative in any way. That may be why I don't do the scrapbooking thing with all the fancy paper and stickers and all, but I still make memory albums with our pictures and captions, titles, dates, times, places, etc. The kids and I love to look through these and they are just pictures with titles. Works for us.

 

 

That is creative, it's just "no-frills" creativity. Are people who draw with charcoal somehow not real artists because they only use one colour?

 

An identity adjustment is in order. You are creative after all ;)

 

Rosie

[angela in ohio]

Also, if you want to express your individual creativity, why buy a load of premade stuff that's the same as everyone else buys? It seems to me that hobbies have a tendency to lose their individuality due to becoming commercialized.

 

I think this is why I don't think of scrapbooking as a creative outlet. Everyone I know who scrapbooks just copies page templates (probably not what they're called, but you know what I mean.) Everything is packaged and standardized.

 

I think a few obsessed people give somthing a bad name. I know several women who are just creating nice books of memories for their families with scrapbooking. Not my cup of tea, but nothing unusual. But then I know a few who seem to be worshiping the pictures and scrapbooks and ignoring their families to pursue their hobby. If it wasn't scrapbooking, though, I have no doubt it would something else for them. Of course, most other hobbies couldn't be so 'justified' ("But it's pictures of my family."

[Carrie12345]

I think this is why I don't think of scrapbooking as a creative outlet. Everyone I know who scrapbooks just copies page templates (probably not what they're called, but you know what I mean.) Everything is packaged and standardized.

 

 

Oh, I thoroughly disagree (at least, for me!)

The equivalent would be to say that homeschooling isn't individualized when parents are just buying copies of homeschool curricula/books. ;)

[Lizzie in Ma]

My husband used to hate looking through photo albums.

I started to combine my photos into scrapbooks and all of a sudden, he loved them. I spent a couple years and a few hundred dollars and I adore the two scrapbooks I made. But I honestly haven't got the time to do it on a regular basis not the money to feed the beast.

I have and would like the time to use a digital scrapbooking program, seemed like the best of both my worlds, but it won't be anytime soon.

 

Definitely not an obsession but I do love the turnout.

[Nestof3]

Thank you all so very much! Your kinds words are appreciated.

 

Yes, you are good at this. I haven't looked at your blog lately, but I have admired your work in the past.

 

I think it's wonderful and admirable that you take the time to create meaningful and long-lasting works of art for your children---and, all the better that you enjoy your craft.

 

 

Your pages are... WOW, beautiful. I love how you use beautiful paper but still get a lot of pictures on a page. You have certainly found your gift, that is awesome.

 

 

 

I don't remember where you posted some of your layouts, but I printed some of the them and have used them. They are sitting on my scrapbook table right now. You are very talented.

 

 

 

Wow! What beautiful work, Dawn!:)

 

Nestof3--I'm glad you posted to this thread because I took a look at your blog and I love your scrapbook pages (and cards). They are absolutely fantastic. Wow!

Edited April 25, 2010 by nestof3

[Nestof3]

Katia, we spend the money because it is fun playing with so many different things -- paper, ribbon, chipboard, gems, stamps and more. It is fun. We don't spend the money because we feel it is necessary for pictures and stories to go together. It is about the process as much as the result.

 

You think going away without family for a weekend or spending a Saturday with friends doing something fun is obsessive? So a ski weekend would be obsessive?

 

Yes, I think we all spend money on what we love. As long as we're not depriving our families, going into debt, or requiring assistance from someone else to do so, what does it matter what a person chooses to spend her disposable income on?

 

I spend a lot on my hobby, but it's probably still far less than many people spend on vacations over a lifetime or housing upgrades (neither of which is bad, I am only using these for reference).

 

 

I have never understood the need to spend so much money putting pictures and stories together into an album either. Scrapbooking get-togethers and weekends away? Wow. To me, that seems obsessive as well. I can see where OP is questioning why, but I guess people spend their money on what they love.

 

However, I'm not artistic or creative in any way. That may be why I don't do the scrapbooking thing with all the fancy paper and stickers and all, but I still make memory albums with our pictures and captions, titles, dates, times, places, etc. The kids and I love to look through these and they are just pictures with titles. Works for us.

 

I like the idea of digital scrapbooking, but I think I'd need someone to actually show me how, kwim? Does anyone have any links to super-easy-to-understand tutorials?

[mammaruss]

Oh, I thoroughly disagree (at least, for me!)

The equivalent would be to say that homeschooling isn't individualized when parents are just buying copies of homeschool curricula/books. ;)

 

:iagree:

I add my own personalized touch to every scrapbook page I do--because I am unique!:D You could have a dozen scrapbookers in a room--give them all the same exact package of paper and they will all create something different!

[Jenny in Atl]

I also don't get scrapbooking... I love photography, and find all the extra stuff takes away from the actual photos. I can see having an index of names/dates, but all the sparkle pens and crinkle paper somehow cheapens the whole thing ((for me)). I'm old school, like the black portfolio look... nothing in the way of the printed photograph.

 

But, I'm guilty as charged, when it comes to having other obsessions, for which the tools are far more expensive than die cuts and stamps. :lol:

[KrissiK]

I consider scrapbooking as the modern form of the quilting bee. I used to get together monthly with a group of ladies and we'd scrap all evening. It wasn't so much about the task at hand, although it was something we all enjoyed, it was also about the fellowship, we talked about each other's photos, lives, etc. It was a wonderful time spent together. We ended up drifting apart, got too busy with other stuff and a lot of gals started doing digital scrapbooking (me included and I don't have a laptop), so that makes it a little more difficult. But scrapbooking is a lot more fun when you do it with other people!

[mama2cntrykids]

I haven't read all the responses, but like other ppl have said, for me, it's a creative outlet. It's also a way to preserve memories with journaling (I write quite often on the pages). I really like, it but I haven't done too many pages in the past (probably less than 10). I also refuse to let myself buy ANY more materials until I use the vast majority of what I have. It's my frugal nature, lol.

[kathkath]

I'm right there with you. I used to be a ps teacher and to me they're just bulletin boards, page after page. I never see anyone going ga-ga over making bulletin boards.

[kathkath]

 

But, I'm guilty as charged, when it comes to having other obsessions, for which the tools are far more expensive than die cuts and stamps. :lol:

 

lol that's me. I sew.

[Brindee]

I find it interesting/surprising that so many people think that those of us who scrapbook neglect their children, and that the way they do things are sooo much better!

 

I appreciate those of you who said something along the lines of, "Scrapbooking doesn't interest me, but I DO love to sew and have lots of material..." THAT is understanding! Thankyou!

 

Funny thing is, OP, we really DON'T say, "1000's of books? That's obsessive!" because we get it! Your thing is books, our thing is scrapbooking. If you understand why you have 1000's of books, then you SHOULD understand why we have scrapbooking materials and scrapbook.

 

I nearly always included my kids in the scrapbooking, or scrapbooked in the same room they were, or scrapbooked after they went to bed! Sometimes they couldn't WAIT for me to finish the page I was working on. They loved it too! My kids like it much better than multi-media with music stuff because this seems more real to them. More care put into it. It's done, as people have said, as a creative outlet. There are fewer people that spend thousands on scrapbooking than those that spend thousands on boating, skiing, photography and golfing, just to name a few hobbies/passions!

 

No, to make lasting pages, ones that your grandchildren will be able to look at, you CAN'T use any old paper (such as newspaper or wrapping paper), because there are chemicals in them that will fade and ruin the pictures. The paper needs to be acid/lignon free to truly last. People that scrapbook spend money on things that truly are better quality for lasting pages/pictures, just as people who golf all the time don't get the cheapest golf clubs, and the photographer doesn't use a disposable camera! You cannot have lasting pages with "free"/cheap materials, and you can't go on a golf course and get a hole in one using a free stick!

 

I don't own a cricut, though I've wanted one, and I do more pictures and journaling than fancy stuff (it bothers me when people put one picture on a page and have the rest of the page with all sorts of fancy stuff that take away from the picture. I add a little to enhance the pictures, but it's the story I'm wanting to tell, and a memory that may be forgotten is then preserved. Some of my pages end up fancier, some are more pictures and titles. But I tell stories of what we're doing/have done, I don't make up stories and captions to go with the paper???

 

I agree with those that said they wish they had these memories from their grandparents! I'd love that too! My husband is very supportive! He likes that I have a hobby! He has hobbies too! And neither one of us has neglected our kids to do so! We include our kids in what we do, so while we're looking at memories in the books, we're making more memories by tdoing things together. Scrapbooking and spending time and making memories isn't mutually exclusive. We do both, and it works!

 

There, I think I've covered what I read in the thread. :D We can all enjoy our hobbies and talents and be free to enjoy other people and their talents and hobbies, and not generalize or read into it what isn't there!

[Mergath]

I find it interesting/surprising that so many people think that those of us who scrapbook neglect their children, and that the way they do things are sooo much better!

 

I didn't see a single person say that all people who scrapbook neglect their children or that we're better, and I'm not really sure what you're talking about there. Quite the opposite, if you actually read the rest of the posts, including mine. The few people who said anything were referencing specific people we know irl who seem to have a problem.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

My family would be happy if they could just get me to put the pictures in the empty frames I have all over the house. :001_smile:

 

I have a couple of frames in my master bath that are not empty, they have the picture of a lovely couple in them that I've have yet to remove and replace with my actual family.:D

[LibraryLover]

I have never scrapbooked, so I have no dog is this fight. :D But in your OP you talk about one woman who neglects her kids, and so you say you don't get the whole thing...which seems you are taking this one person and extrapolating her situation onto to all scrapbookers:

 

'One woman I know spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars on it and then ignores her children when she's not working because she spends every minute scrapbooking".

 

Maybe sharing your experience about that one woman and how you don't get her might have been more accurate?

[Paisley Hedgehog]

..

[Guest btsma1127]

I see it as a creative outlet, a method of self expression, and a way to relax and have fun while documenting important events, ideas, or just life for the sake of family history, personal introspection and possibly record keeping. Scrapbooking is one branch of a whole area of papercrafting which can now include collage, altered art, cardmaking etc. There also is a crossing over between scrapbooking and art journaling which used to be only in the realm of "serious" artists along with collage and altered art. Keeping notebooks in your homeschool is very popular and very similar to some elements of scrapbooking. Main lesson books used in Waldorf education also have some of those elements. Scrapbooks can be very useful in keeping educational portfolios for your children along with traditional records. Humans beings are creative. They find many diverse ways to express this creativity. I do not scrapbook in the traditional sense, but I see the use, value and enjoyment it could bring and celebrate each individual's desire and ability to create something.

Edited April 26, 2010 by btsma1127
not positioned where I wanted it

[MBM]

An interesting book about this subject -- not scrapbooking, but the experience and effect of meaningful activities -- is Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. From the Amazon.com review:

 

You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.

 

 

[Mergath]

I have never scrapbooked, so I have no dog is this fight. :D But in your OP you talk about one woman who neglects her kids, and so you say you don't get the whole thing...which seems you are taking this one person and extrapolating her situation onto to all scrapbookers:

 

'One woman I know spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars on it and then ignores her children when she's not working because she spends every minute scrapbooking".

 

Maybe sharing your experience about that one woman and how you don't get her might have been more accurate?

 

I suppose I didn't think people would assume I was saying that all scrapbookers were like that. I honestly didn't realize people would take me poking fun at scrapbooking excess so personally. Also, if a person doesn't spend every minute scrapbooking and doesn't ignore their children, I don't understand why they'd be upset... and if they do, well, I guess that's their issue.

[kathkath]

An interesting book about this subject -- not scrapbooking, but the experience and effect of meaningful activities -- is Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. From the Amazon.com review:

 

 

 

 

 

Yay I just picked this up at Goodwill. NOw to find time to read it!

[KatieJ]

I wish I was the scrapbooking type, but a blog without pictures is the best anyone is going to get out of me. I really hate doing the finishing touches on any project and an entire craft that is nothing but finishing touches boggles my mind. It's definitely not for me!

 

Anyway, I am here to argue that a fabric stash is so much more sensible than a paper stash. I'm cool with paper stashes if they are in book format. I can read books. I can't read blank pieces of paper. I can wear fabric. If I wore paper, I would get cold.

 

So there :tongue_smilie:

 

Rosie

 

I am guilty of both a fabric stash and a paper stash. My philosphy is that I can do both with a scissors...I don't do hair, I don't paint..at all, but I can be creative with fabric or with paper. I love them both!

[LisaKinVA]

I suppose I didn't think people would assume I was saying that all scrapbookers were like that. I honestly didn't realize people would take me poking fun at scrapbooking excess so personally. Also, if a person doesn't spend every minute scrapbooking and doesn't ignore their children, I don't understand why they'd be upset... and if they do, well, I guess that's their issue.

 

Possibly because people feel absolutely "free" to make fun of scrapbookers, make fun of the tools we purchase, the enjoyment we derive from our craft, but I have yet to see any "What is this sewing thing? I don't get it." threads (feel free to replace sewing with knitting cross stitch or any other hobby not being made fun of).

 

In fact, if I were to spend the same amount of time sewing baby blankets, jumpers, shirts, hats, etc... and proudly showed off my $3000 sewing machine that embroiders at the touch of a button, and my piles of fabric, people would actually accept that pretty much without question, and if they didn't sew, most likely STILL say, "wow! I don't think I could ever do that. I love your work." But, when it comes to scrapbooking, some people who "don't get it" feel okay to say something more like, "Oh, I didn't know you were one of those." :001_huh:

 

Something else "heard" about scrapbooking... relates to scrappers not really having "grown up." As, they still are attached to stickers (as if using stickers were the equivalent of eating paste).

 

And yes, these (and other situations) have happened.

[Aubrey]

Hobbies are a funny thing--I think they're different for everybody. Any time you put more than a reasonable percentage of your disposable time/income into a hobby, it can be a problem.

 

I love scrapbooking because I love the kind of art that it is. I love yummy papers & beautiful blending of colors, papers, etc. It's like getting to put together one of the rooms from a magazine but for $1-$5 instead of $5000.

 

I tend to go all out on one hobby for about 3mos; then I abandon it entirely for another one. So I might spend 3mos writing like crazy--articles, novels, poems, etc. Then I switch to scrapbooking. It's a HUGE relief to go from black & white print where I provide all the color myself (figuratively speaking) to brilliantly colored papers where the others side of my brain can stretch.

 

Ironically (although it's natural if you refer to the above), most of my scrapbooks have no words. I always intend to come back & write in them later, but I rarely do. :001_huh:

 

Sometimes life feels out of control, hectic, etc., & something like scrapbooking gives you a miniature opportunity to control something & see it through to the end (if only of 1p). And the end is almost always happy, beautiful, & even meaningful.

 

I'm an introvert, but I spend almost 24/7 around loud, clingy, whiney people. ;) Everything I pour into them comes from the beauty & order of my inner world. When I let that world go for too long, my relationships begin to reflect the chaos that I'm feeling inside.

 

This is getting much too deep for a discussion of scrapbooking, esp considering this is something like p23 & there's no way anyone's ever going to read this. Hmmm...I bet I could just print my WTM posts, cut them apart, & stick them into my scrapbooks so I don't have to worry about the writing. Hmmm....:D

[Aubrey]

I have never understood the need to spend so much money putting pictures and stories together into an album either. Scrapbooking get-togethers and weekends away? Wow. To me, that seems obsessive as well. I can see where OP is questioning why, but I guess people spend their money on what they love.

 

However, I'm not artistic or creative in any way. That may be why I don't do the scrapbooking thing with all the fancy paper and stickers and all, but I still make memory albums with our pictures and captions, titles, dates, times, places, etc. The kids and I love to look through these and they are just pictures with titles. Works for us.

 

I like the idea of digital scrapbooking, but I think I'd need someone to actually show me how, kwim? Does anyone have any links to super-easy-to-understand tutorials?

 

It takes a while to get everything out, figure out which pics you're going to work w/, etc. Say 20-40 min, minimum. Then it takes a while to put it away again. Maybe only 20 min. (This is the argument for having a room for it, too, btw.)

 

Anyway, if you're going to put the effort into scrapping, you want to make sure you've got a good couple of hrs. If you're scrapping w/ someone (& I think it's innately a social thing, although I only recently learned this), it's that much more effort to get stuff together, & therefore that much better to have some real time w/ it once it's out.

 

Plus--& this is the big thing--all those expensive machines? I know one person who owns one of them. Nobody else. But when we get together, everybody shares whatever they've got. So you get to use the fancy machine. Retreat places (I've never been) provide some of these things.

 

If you have 1 hr, you might not finish 1p. But if you have 3hrs, you might finish 6pp. It's like calculus, although I'd have a hard time explaining how. ;)

 

And--& this is the important part, imo--if you're...not great at the girly, chit-chatty stuff that seems to be what every. other. woman. irl talks about, having an *activity* is a GREAT social buffer. It excuses some social awkwardness. It hides a little shyness. It gives you something concrete to talk about if you must. And...it offers a rte to forging more friendships. You know. If you *have* to.

 

I still prefer scrapping at home...but only by a smidge. Once I'm out the door (& that IS the hard part--I always have 100 reasons not to go at the last min), I'm pretty glad I've gone. :001_smile:

 

ETA: No, I don't know of any tutorials. You have to start out w/ really ugly pp like I did. Then you get together w/ other people & feel total humiliation. Then you go to the library & start looking for books. When you're done w/ that, I can recommend the good one. ;)

 

(And when I say ugly...someone mentioned that you can't just use brown paper bags? Yup. That's exactly what mine look like. People still make fun of me for using Elmer's glue. It just kills me to pay more, so when I run out of the good stuff, it takes 6mos for me to work up the guts to buy another tube. In the mean time, I use Elmer's. My grandkids will hate me.) :lol:

[Brindee]

I didn't see a single person say that all people who scrapbook neglect their children or that we're better, and I'm not really sure what you're talking about there. Quite the opposite, if you actually read the rest of the posts, including mine. The few people who said anything were referencing specific people we know irl who seem to have a problem.

I'm sorry, I rather generalized, didn't I? Just what I was complaining of others doing! :glare:

 

What I saw was people saying they did not scrapbook because they wanted to spend time with their families. So just as people sometimes feel it comes across from scrapbookers that they're expected to scrapbook/buy scrapbooking matierials, it came across to me that because we were choosing to scrapbook we were probably neglecting our children and not making real memories with them. That's just the way it came across.

 

And others said, I don't scrapbook, I do THIS, it's much easier and more fun and quicker, etc. Which, in my little "mood" meant they think what they do is much better than scrapbooking, so therefore scrapbooking is the wrong thing to do.

 

Okay, so, I apologize for the snarky tone! I LOVE scrapbooking, don't neglect my kids, and my family loves it too, it's one of the few things I can do well enough to actually look good......so I got defensive.

 

Now I'm over it, and am glad we all have SOMEthing or a few things that we enjoy doing! :001_smile:

[Mrs Mungo]

Personally, I didn't take offense at anything anyone else said. I have known many women who did not get it. When I lived in NC I had a weekly scrapbook get-together. I agree that it's a modern quilting bee. When our hubbies are deployed we'd order pizza for the kids and let them pass out on my living room sofas watching movies. Even the women in my neighborhood who did *not* scrapbook would bring over their knitting or sit and have cocktails and cut things out for me. *Many* of them wound up asking for my help making a scrapbook for their parents or for their deployed husband.

 

I do admit to sometimes doing things because I wanted the pictures to scrapbook. However, I saw this as a good thing. It encouraged me to get out of my house and go do things. Maybe it depends on your attitude about it?

 

So, you don't have to get it. Just come hang out, bring a snack to share, have a margarita (in the kitchen, no drinks on the scrapbook table!), hang out and let yourself be drawn in. ;)

Edited April 27, 2010 by Mrs Mungo

[MBM]

I'm going to tease you scrapbookers with one of my favorite paper resources:

 

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/paper/index.html

 

Even non-scrappies might like some of the stuff in the store. :)

[Nestof3]

I'm going to tease you scrapbookers with one of my favorite paper resources:

 

http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/paper/index.html

 

Even non-scrappies might like some of the stuff in the store. :)

 

 

Yes, beautiful stuff there!

[Nestof3]

Okay. I have highlighted some of your posts in red. These seem to apply to all scrapbookers.

 

Then, the ones in purple seem to apply to only those obsessed ones -- the ones who take it to extreme (in your opinion).

 

red -- all scrapbookers:

excitement over a hobby is something you don't understand.

 

Scrapbooks are just glue, pictures and paper cutouts collecting dust.

 

purple -- obsessed ones (according to your definition of the word)

 

spend a lot of money on it

 

have a hobby room

 

take a hobby vacation

 

ignores her children b/c she does her hobby all day

 

spends $350 on a machine that allows her to enjoy her hobby more

 

Questions for you. I have already, I believe, made these points

 

1. If a person has disposable income, and they aren't saving it all, what are they spending it on? If you have disposable income, what are you spending it on? Would you care to tell us? I know these are things some women spend money on (not implying any of these are bad to spend money on):

 

 

acrylic nails

pedicures

magazine subscriptions

routine clothes/fashion shopping

fashion shoe and purse shopping

daily $4.50 drinks from Starbucks

cable

lots of fast food

lottery tickets

large homes

Kindles

I-phones

tanning booths

gym membership

backyard pool

game room

face lifts

spray tans

permanents in hair

hair coloring

jewelry

cruises

motorcycle

boat

candles

knick knacks

paintings

visual entertainment

 

and so on

 

2. Do you think it's wrong to have a hobby room in general or just one devoted to scrapbooking? Would it be wrong to have a model railroading room or a fitness room? As an extension of this, do you think it's wrong to have any more house than is necessary?

 

3. Do you think it is wrong to take a vacation without the family or just to go on a scrapbooking one? Like, would it be okay to go to the beach and sip on margaritas?

 

4. Do you think it's wrong to spend $350 on something a person enjoys? Go back to the list of things a woman can spend money on. Would it be wrong to spend $350 on any of these things?

 

5. Do you really know that this lady spends all of her time scrapbooking and ignores her children? How would you know this unless you were there all of the time? Perhaps she is a great manager of time. Perhaps she scrapbooks at other times? If she is truly neglectful, a person can be this way by watching television 'all' day or on the computer 'all' day. Why blame a hobby for child neglect?

 

 

 

 

*******************************************************

 

Could somebody please explain why some women get so excited over this? I'm not trying to be snarky at all, I just honestly don't get it.I mean, you glue some pictures and some paper cutouts into a book and then it sits there collecting dust. Why do people spend thousands of dollars and have entire rooms devoted to this? Am I missing something here? I have friends on fb that actually take scrapbooking vacations with other women. One woman I know spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars on it and then ignores her children when she's not working because she spends every minute scrapbooking.

 

I just don't get it.

 

ETA: And I just looked at the Sizzix website, because someone I know is freaking out because she bought some of their die or whatever for ONLY a hundred dollars, and their machine, which costs $350.00, is sold out! People are crazy.

 

I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude, and I should have been more clear about what I was asking. It's not the act of doing it that I don't get- I totally understand the desire to preserve memories- so much as the financial aspect of it, and the extent to which people take it. I don't see why a person would need or want to spend thousands of dollars on making photo albums, when you could use that money making memories. I do think it's crazy to spend over three hundred dollars on a machine that cuts out little pieces of paper. And I also think it's strange to spend hours every day doing it when you have littles at home. I guess I'm not so confused about why people do it as an ordinary hobby, but I don't understand how people can turn it into an obsession.

 

Once again, sorry if my post seemed harsh, I honestly didn't mean any rudeness.

[Jenny in GA]

Personally, I didn't take offense at anything anyone else said. I have known many women who did not get it.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I'm surprised that people who took offense in this thread.

[Nestof3]

Honestly, I don't have hurt feelings or feel offended regarding this. For me, it's about clarity, consistency and logic when complaining about something. That's why I've tried to engage with questions. In the end, it doesn't matter if the OP thinks I am obsessed or if I've wasted time or money or anything else. My feelings don't get hurt like that.

:iagree:

 

I'm surprised that people who took offense in this thread.