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By:By Carol, Lawrenceville, GA

I started scrapbooking two and one half years ago. My goal at the time was to get my pictures organized and into albums. Little did I know at the time what I was getting into. I hosted a Creative Memories class, received a free album and I was hooked. I enjoyed the creative aspects of designing a layout and making my photo album more than just pictures lined up with no description. So the goal of organizing my pictures also became my newest hobby. Also, came awareness of the importance of documenting the pictures, not just organizing them. Many people feel you need to finish layouts quickly and get as many done as possible. For me, it is the joy of doing the layout. If it takes hours to do one page, that is okay. My photos are slowly getting into albums, though not as quickly as I had originally planned.

Scrapbooking has had a significant impact on my family in so many ways. Both of my daughters have albums and enjoy scrapbooking. It is a casual hobby for them at this point but they are both young. I am trying to instill in them the importance of documenting your memories, both with pictures and with journaling. It's hard to explain to kids that they may know something now (like who's in the picture or where you were), but they may not remember years from now. They love to show off my albums (and theirs) to their friends. They regularly browse through the albums, remembering moments from the past.

In addition to my daughters, scrapbooking has changed my social life and how I shop. I now patronize the craft and scrapbook stores while searching for scrapbook treasures in the most unlikely places in my spare time. My primary source of adult social contact is regular crops that I started hosting in the fall. I find scrapbooks to be a topic of conversation with people at church, work, neighbors, friends, etc. It has become a primary aspect of my life.

I have really enjoyed this pasttime and look forward to creating memories for many more years to come.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: The Heart Part, by Mary Jane M.