Product: papers, rosettes & flowers: Pebbles' Spring Fling, alphas: Bella Blvd, doily: Studio Calico, glassine bag: Creative Packaging
I was teaching a card class this past weekend and a lady I had not taught or met before asked me the following questions, one after the other, bang, bang, bang - "What is scrapbooking? Why do you do it? What's the point? What do you do with them?"
I just stared at her. What do you mean? Why wouldn't I scrapbook! It's my thing. The point? I actually felt a little stumped.
I answered a generic answer- "For the purpose of memory keeping and as a creative outlet." I then continued on with instructing my card class.
However, I didn't just let it go. Why do I scrapbook? What am I going to do with them all? She obviously, unknowingly- hit a nerve. I felt like I needed to defend myself. My feelings were a little bizarre actually.
I came home from that class and felt compelled to create, to scrapbook and to tell a few stories. I scrapbooked for 2 days straight, only stopping to eat. The whole time answering the burning question- "Why do I scrapbook?"
Product: paper & stickers: Doodlebug Designs, cardstock: American Crafts
I scrapbook to preserve our memories, to tell a story, to freeze moments in time. To jump back into the past and touch those memories. I scrapbook because beautiful pattern paper sends endorphins to my brain that make me giddy! If you don't love pattern paper then you won't understand but maybe your thing is new bake ware or paint or fabric. Everyone has a thing. I scrapbook because that happens to be my creative outlet, my space to express myself and recount a story.
As for the other question- "What am I going to do with them all?"
I honestly don't know. Will Anna want them all? I don't know.
What I do know is that I don't think about it much, it's not important. What is important is that for right now, in these moments- creating makes me happy, it brings me joy. I do hope that as the years go by and aging takes over that we will have these pages, these albums full of memories, albums full of my touch and full of my words to go through. I can't see the future but I know that they will matter, all of it will matter and I will be so grateful that I have a love of memory keeping.
