Scrapbookers are Superheroes!

Do you believe this to be true?  We have documented our family life for 25 years. I feel a bit like a Superhero each time I pull a completed album off the shelf to celebrate a birthday, clarify names/dates/places, settle disagreements (of said names/dates/places), make our family laugh (remember when.....?), tug at the heartstrings (awwww) and bring smiles to their faces. Every. Time.

How about you?  Do you feel like a Superhero?

too many scrapbooks

just order some more shelves.

that's what we did.

happy scrappin' 

Why I Scrapbook

Ugh! I did it again. Set all these lofty goals for myself that I would be caught up on my scrapbooks this year (or was it last year?). And here I dash through life at 100 mph not even taking time to file memorabilia anymore...just piling it on top of my accordian files. Not taking time to print my photos...just uploading them into chronological order by the thousands on my computer.

I am convinced that album fairies do not exist and the only way to make any progress is to be intentional about it.

1. Pick a time 

2. Pick a place

3. Choose a project

4. Gather supplies

5. Select best photos

6. Print photos one batch or project at a time

7. Be consistent

Why? I suffer from (undiagnosed) hypochondria. One of the things that comfort me when I'm playing out my funeral for the hundredth time is leaving something for my children that is lasting. A legacy if you will. One of the ways that I do that is through the journaling in our scrapbooks. So it's very important to me.

Another reason is that often I catch one of my children and even my husband with an album on their lap, thumbing through the pages and the memories. That warms my heart. I know that they enjoy reliving our family memories, vacations, and milestones.

Lastly, my mom had four kids and I was the baby of the family. I always lamented the fact that she kept her photos in big boxes buried deep in the linen closet. Not in albums. Just loose photos. In no particular order. I always said that "when I'm a mom"...well, you can guess what I was going to do. Now I'm a mom of four and eating my words on a big plate heaped with mercy.

My little guy does not have a completed baby album. He has a start of a baby album which is an improvement from the previous generation of last-born...but not good enough for this momma who wants to communicate through words and photos how very precious he is.

So...who's with me? Want to get back into scrapbooking? (Again) and maybe Again and Again. Let's forget the past and press on to the future. Today is a great day to set an intention.

(And by the way, my mom did finally finish that baby album for me when she was 82 years young!)

Happy Scrappin'

a royal scrap retreat

yes, i've been scrapbooking and i owe it all to a beach retreat!

my friend Jen organized this Spring retreat in a Royal Wedding theme

Our friend Cheryl had recently returned from England and she made us Royal goodie boxes

we ate a lot of junk....i bet the reason i get some many pages done on Retreats is because i live on Coke Zero and M&M's....

we had a Royal Toast

Even the Queen, Her Royal Highness, made an appearance

It was a fun weekend! If you are needing to make a serious dent in your scrapbooking, I recommend going on a retreat. Find other people who are committed to finishing an album project or who just like to get together and be creative. It helps if they like caffeine and chocolate. It helps if they don't mind if you stay up until 3 or 4 a.m.  It helps if you have an amazing friend who organizes these things (she even brought themed movies...all the movies we 'watched' that weekend had a Love Story theme to go with the Royal Wedding).

Jen has put together many retreats with themes from Love Boat, Big Wig, etc... I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! 

Happy Scrappin',

DL :)