Why I Love Scrapbooking

By:Laurel M

I LOVE PICTURES!

I've been camera happy since the age of 12, and have insisted on pictures of everything from birthdays to school plays to work environments to architecture. I have "photo essays" on my favorite places in the towns I've lived in, my current house, and my favorite people. I've never shot less than eight rolls of film on any vacation, and have doubles of almost every picture I've ever taken.

So there was only one problem........

I HATE PHOTO ALBUMS!

They're so boring! I was slightly appeased by some of the albums that allow you to write notes next to the photos, but I still didn't like how plain my photos seemd to appear. Especially when there were a lot of similar photos from one location or event - there was no telling them apart!

Scrapbooking has allowed me to pick my favorite photos from a particular event and really highlight the essence of what my experience was. I can select just a handful of photos out of the many I've taken without feeling wasteful, since I know I only want a few to display on a layout, but some times it takes a LOT of tries to get down to those chosen few.

As an added bonus, I get to use stickers - my favorite thing in the world next to pictures, but longer - since I was a child! And then there's choosing color schemes and elements, layout and design (my college major) and so much more! It's an excellent outlet for someone like me who is creative but not "artsy" - I like things to have order and definition.

Most people can look at a drawer or box of unorganized photos and feel completely overwhelmed. I look at the rolls and rolls around me and am excited at the opportunities in front of me - selecting just the right shots, picking a color scheme and layout, media elements and journaling - the joys of scrapbooking are just sitting there waiting for me!

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Magic, by MGsmummy