Scrap Shanty Challenge Blog

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about some of the ways scrapbooking has changed since I began doing it nearly 18 years ago. In many ways, we’ve progressed so far from where things were back then. When I first started, supplies were hard to come by. My first “set” of scrapbooking goodies consisted of a handful of items that, I kid you not, fit into a small plastic shoebox. I told my stories using basic tools: a pair of scissors, a simple album, some adhesive, a black pen, and a few accents, mostly stickers and die-cuts back then.

Now, I’m fortunate to have a wide variety of items at my disposal - and they definitely don’t all fit in a small plastic shoebox anymore! I have not only traditional paper items, but now a whole hard drive full of digitally created supplies as to choose from. Many scrapbookers, whether paper or digital is their medium of choice, will tell you similar stories.

it’s easy for things to get lost in all the choices. So many patterns, so many embellishments, so many designs can become overwhelming. The somewhat competitive nature that has invaded some aspects of the hobby can also make you feel like you’re lost from time to time. From having the “right” papers to the “perfect” photographs, it’s no wonder that sometimes it feels like it might be better to just throw in the towel.

That’s when we have to stop and take a step back - and recognize one of the most important, most unchanging parts of scrapbooking. Telling the stories. I have always said that scrapbooks without journaling are just fancy photo albums. I still stand by that statement.

Does that mean that all pages must have paragraphs of journaling, documenting every minute detail? Does that mean that all pages need to be filled with emotion-wrenching stories? Absolutely not. I do think those things are important - when they’re appropriate. But not all pages need or warrant such intense journaling. Sometimes, they do just need the simple basics - who, what, when, where, and why.

I really feel that this aspect of scrapbooking - the storytelling - has been somewhat lost lately. Lost in the mass product, the perfect photos, the “staged” memories. I often look through my own books while trying to pretend I’m someone who doesn’t know the people in the photos personally - but is interested in them. I try to see what I can learn from the books - do I know what they liked? How their lives were? What made them happy, sad, angry….what made them “them”? Do I know what things were important to them? What would I want to know about them that isn’t there?

Looking at my books from this perspective is often just the catalyst I need to find new stories to tell. Whether I scrapbook for a purely creative outlet, or for my children, or whatever my purpose, the stories are important. I want people to know who we were - what our life was like.

My challenge to you is to take an objective look at your books - and see what stories you haven’t told that you want to tell. See what stories, if told, would show whoever ends up with your books in the future something more about you.

Tell the stories. They’re important. They’re unique to you and you alone - and they’re worth preserving.

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