Ink, Glue and Pretty Paper

By:Paige W.

I was introduced to scrapbooking one year ago by a friend from church. I had toyed with the idea of creating a scrapbook for my daughter but had no idea where to begin. Little did I know that when I went to my first crop, my life would be changed. As I began to create this book for Sullivan, little things I had forgotten and all the memories came flooding back. It is so easy to just slip photographs into sleeves in an album and place them on a shelf. But how much more meaningful it is to create a story with these photos and memories. Now the little stories behind the photos are not lost with time. I have also started to appreciate the little things she does, the funny things she says and the silly expressions. Even when she does something mischevious - like smearing Mom's best bright red lipstick all over her face - I see it as a scrapbook opportunity. The small stuff had become more trivial. I believe scrapbooking has given me back the ability to prioritize my life and put things in perspective.

Another reward I have realized from scrapbooking is the ability to create and share with friends. Before I began to scrap, I didn't socialize very much. Since last January, I have completed three albums and have made countless friends. All the praise I have received from my work has boosted my self-esteem and made me want to continue to create these memory books.
What seems to some as a kindergarten activity in cutting and gluing is so much more to me. It is a link to my only child. I am preserving a part of her life that she might not have ever known had it not been written down and told in some manner. I am showing her that I love her enough to create this book for her while at the same time making new friends and boosting my own feeling of self-worth. So by scrapbooking I am creating a story of love for my daughter while using my own creative abilities and in the process am making invaluable friends and boosting my own self-esteem. Where else can you get such a rewards with a little ink, glue and pretty paper?

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: AN HEIRLOOM TO MY CHILDREN, by Michele R.