As mentioned in a previous post, cleaning the scrapbook room was the next project on my agenda. Humph. What a chore that turned out to be. And enlightening, too.
I've not scrapbooked in a very long time. Therefore, the room that is dedicated to this craft has been neglected, abused, ignored, and mistreated. When I finally worked up the courage (or was it motivation due to the fact that I am expecting company in less than ten days?) to dig in and repair the damage, I came to a startling conclusion: I have come full circle.
I started scrapbooking, in the most primitive sense, when Alyssa was in first grade. Back then, embellishments consisted of rubber stamps or stickers... Mrs. Grossman's stickers, to be exact. Decorative scissors and shapes were all the rave. Pattern paper was theme heavy, with a lot of concentration placed on holidays, birthdays and seasons. Cardstock was available in white, black, tan, and fluorescent hues - with not much in between. 12x12 pages came in Creative Memories format only - cardstock of this size had not yet been introduced.
That was twelve years ago... I fell in love with putting pictures to pages and I've watched the craft evolve from basic and simple to artistic and more complex. And as the trends have evolved, so have my scrapbooking abilities. Surprisingly, my style has remained relatively the same - more refined, but it is what it is:
Looking back at the first albums I made, I see the history of scrapbooking with every page I turn, and I'm happy to say that even though my first pages were relatively primitive based upon the products available at the time, I am still in love with those albums.
Fast forward to present day. Alyssa is a senior in high school. I've been scrapbooking for a dozen years. I've made more albums than I can count. And I was able to enjoy the pleasure of working in the industry for nine of those twelve years. It's been a journey of discovery and creativity. And as I dug into the mess I've created this past year, I realized that it is a journey I am satisfied with, which is not to say the journey is complete, but rather a realization that the journey has taken a turn - something I now consider to be a relaxed vacation rather than a frenzied trip. I've reached my destination and I'm satisfied with the path that led me here... but now it's time to sit back and enjoy because I am no longer striving to keep up with the trends. I like where I'm at, and I love where I've been!
So what does all this have to do with cleaning a scrapbook room? Well, it has a lot to do with cleaning the room, because cleaning the room was a walk down memory lane... twelve years of history contained in boxes, cupboards, drawers and piles (piles and piles of stuff). As I went through each stack and pile, each drawer and cupboard, each box and bag, I was able to touch the history of my journey, and the cleaning process became something of a treasure hunt. And oh what treasures I found: paper dolls, paper piecing patterns, die cuts and cut outs. What began as a cleaning project soon turned into a reunion with old friends (products and trends that led me on my journey in the first place). And as I selectively chose what to part with and what to keep, I realized that some of those ancient treasures are keepers indeed, because now that I no longer work in the industry, I am once again in control of the path I take - and if I want to use those old treasures, who's to tell me I can't? Once I concluded that I no longer care if what I create is trendy or stylish, the burn to scrapbook returned... and I didn't even know it was missing!
But what I wonder is this: why is it that some hobbies have trends and styles while others are as constant as day and night? And why is it that as hobbyists, we feel the necessity to keep up with the trends even when we are fully satisfied with where we are at? When I sew - it's the same today as it was yesterday, and although the patterns I work with may be new and the fabric may be of better quality than it once was, the actual process and end result are the same: a quilt is a quilt is a quilt. A shower curtain is a shower curtain. And a pillow is a pillow. Nothing changes. Buttons are buttons, thread is thread, needles are needles. The machines are now computerized and programmable, but a zig zag stitch still zigs and zags and a straight stitch is still straight.
With scrapbooking, I don't know that this is true. Paper dolls - out! Paper piecing - archaic. Die cuts of old - tacky. Punch art - some people don't even know what this was, and I've certainly not seen it used on a page this decade. Maybe it is because scrapbooking is still considered a relatively new craft. Or maybe it is because today's women are more business minded and they see an opportunity to take part in the growth, thus designing and developing ever changing ideas and trends. Either way, scrapbooking seems to change faster than the seasons, and it boggles my mind to consider that I was on that ride for so many years. How did I keep up? And more importantly, how did I continue to compete day in and day out for as long as I did?
I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out. But regardless of the reasons, I am satisfied with where I've been and I like where I am slowly going, because although I am still curious to see what direction scrapbooking takes, I no longer feel the need to touch and feel and work with every single new product there is. And, as I discovered this week, I'm not yet willing to say good-bye to some of the trends that are now considered out-dated. Those trends are why I fell in love with this hobby - those trends represent over a decade of my life... and to be completely honest, I still like some of those old trends, even if they are out of date and considered tacky and uncool.
And so my discovery is this: I've come full circle. I have returned to scrapbooking for me.. for the pure love of paper and glue... for the desire to put pictures to pages... for the creative outlet... and for my love of color - which is how it all began in the first place. I like seeing the circle complete. It represents each and every year that Alyssa has been in school - that's how long I've been making scrapbook pages. And when she looks back at those old albums, she will not care one tiny bit whether or not the products and styles were trendy and new at the time the pages were made. What matters most is that it began with a passion to creatively document and remember her childhood, and after all these years, it has returned to its roots - a desire to creatively remember the days of our lives.
And so maybe scrapbooking isn't so different from sewing after all. Maybe paper and glue are just the needle and thread of the craft. After all, a page is a page, just the same as a quilt is a quilt. And so maybe the core of scrapbooking is just another fiber of my life... a fiber whose texture is whatever I want it to be - and what was once a fancy organza has now become a very simple flannel, which still offers comfort no matter how plain it may be, because in the end, what began as a very primitive craft is still exactly that - paper and glue. And no matter what it is or how it came to be, my circle is complete and I am comforted in knowing it is something I will always love to do.
As I sit in my own room of stuff that's been around for anywhere from 2 days to 11 years (Oh my! Can't believe it's been that long since I picked up the hobby), I so totally get where you're coming from. I was visiting Terri back in early May and we were laughing at how crazy some women (including us) had been to get those punch art books -- I think I had just about every one of them published! I've saved my favorites, as I started a family portrait album with punch art on every page -- gonna have to finish it up that way as well. We've become more elaborate with the punch art -- now it's in the form of jolee's 3-D stickers . . . kinda. But I'm with you . . . I love just being able to create with stuff I love and not worry about what others think.
Posted by: Heather | June 12, 2008 at 06:03 PM
from an outsider perspective - i believe scrapping evolved because of many reasons...it is a fairly "new" craft so the supplies evolved as the 'pioneers' evolved, as more companies jumped on the band wagon their products had to outdo the previous ones, it is a neverending craft - just like you would not make 7 dresses with the same fabric you would not make 7 pages with the same paper.
Posted by: pc smart | June 12, 2008 at 02:58 PM
Well said. And yes, many of us have made this full circle ride. I too have scrapbooked for over 12 years and worked in the industry for the majority of those years. It is amazing the joy that returns when we scrapbook from our hearts again instead of our heads (as women in the business). I now own a crafter's retreat house and it is serving as my own creative outlet; it has brought me back to working in my albums because I love to, not because I have samples to make or classes to teach. Pictures come first again, instead of the products, and with that I rediscovered my true joy and passion for this hobby.
Deanna in WA
Posted by: Deanna Shain | June 05, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Have recently taken this journey myself. Wondered was I "done" scrapbooking. But as I began to really purge my room, I re-discovered treasures and realized I'm not finished just yet. But the desire for the latest and greatest is gone. Just the desire to continue the story. Very liberating! You put it so eloquently the very things I was feeling. Thanks!
Posted by: Michelle T. | June 04, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Oh, thanks for this! I feel the same way. I'm just a simple scrapper and no matter how hard I try to follow the fussy trends, I just can't seem to make them work for me.
I still have some paper dolls and lots of stickers and I find myself using some of them on my pages these days. I have resolved to use up more of what I have, even if it's dated, and buy less until I get rid of this growing mess!
Posted by: Laura VanHoorn | June 03, 2008 at 06:41 PM
I'm SO with you on this post! I was looking back on some "oldies, but goodies" in my stash, and came across an album I did with paper piecing bears. It was a year in the life of our family with a bear decorated for each month. Sure, it may look dated according to the trends, but it is something that I was very proud of then, and am still proud of today. I put a lot of my heart and soul into that album, and it shows to everyone who looks at it. Paper, glue, heart and soul - that's what scrapbooking means to me.
Posted by: Angie K | June 03, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I hear ya! Hey, if your space is cleaned, can you come help me with mine? ;)
Posted by: slammie | June 02, 2008 at 01:45 PM
I couldn't have said it better myself. I think trying to keep up really sucked all the joy out of scrapbooking for me and that's a shame. Now I don't care. I drag out my old albums and chuckle at the paper piecing I labored over for hours with the chalk because it meant so much to me then. My girls would gather around and ooh and ahh over what Mommy did with their pictures and THAT is what is important. I still like seeing all the new products that come out but I no longer feel I have to run out and buy them because that is what's in.
Are you still with Luxe?
Posted by: Marla | June 02, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Very well said. I'm in just about the same spot as you. I don't care what's "hot" anymore. I scrap for me. Have fun!
Susan.
Posted by: Susan | June 02, 2008 at 07:49 AM
You made me happy. This post made me not feel guilty for not keeping up with the big wigs of scrapping. Thanks for the post girl. I am looking forward to hearing about your mom's visit. I really enjoyed it when you went out here for christmas that one year. I live in Oregon. See around Girl!!!
Posted by: Callie Ann | June 01, 2008 at 03:44 PM
Kate and I were playing with my punches the other day and I was thinking about punch art. Maybe it'll make a comeback. Heh.
Posted by: Helena | June 01, 2008 at 12:50 PM
and I thought I was the only one who came to this conclusion. I scrap for me now not because of anything else and it is oh so freeing.
Posted by: Chiara | June 01, 2008 at 08:36 AM
I think it is interesting...so many people are discovering this, now. Returning to scrapping for scrapping's sake. I'm glad you've not given it up because you're good at it!
Posted by: Amy Sorensen | May 31, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Glad to know you're back doing what you love because it's fun. I just completed an album for a friend and had a blast because it was totally fun with no expectations or fear someone wouldn't like it. I knew even the basics would please him
Posted by: becky | May 31, 2008 at 09:06 PM