Scrapbooking As Easy As Cut and Paste
Remember back in elementary school making cut-and-paste Mother's Day cards scribbled with crayon flowers and hearts? Or using bright-colored construction paper to build anything from hats to snowflakes?
The possibilities were endless, and it always felt great to finish a one-of-a-kind art project for someone special.
It might be a distant memory for many adults. But for some, those childhood crafts turned into a sophisticated hobby. They call themselves croppers, and there is no formula for their art. Just like when they were kids, they take time to assemble colorful, textured works no one can replicate.
"Forms of scrapbooking have been around for a long time," says consultant Annette Green of Close to My Heart, a direct sales company for scrapbooking materials. "Today, it's a family hobby."
It's such a big family hobby that people spend $2.6 billion on it each year, according to the Craft and Hobby Association, making it the most popular segment of the craft industry.
Green of Melbourne, Fla., says she has at least a dozen completed scrapbooks filled with pictures, cardstock, brads and other objects helping to preserve her family memories.
"I have a room to myself," she says. "It's such a good feeling to sit, remember and go through those old photos. It's an art. I try to make the prettiest pages I can, and I truly enjoy it."
Finding time
"A lot of the feedback I get is, I don't have enough time to scrapbook,' " Green says. "Everybody's busy."
To help free up time, many craft stores sell scrapbooking kits, complete with color-coordinated paper and all the materials needed to make a book.
"If you get a 12-by-12 album kit, you could literally finish it in a day," Green says.
Some scrapbookers add personal touches after the kits are complete.
"People have gone as far as the toolbox and pulled out washers to use for embellishments," Green says. "They use paper clips, ribbon. I use coasters as picture mats."
Scrap trends
Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson often are cited as early scrapbookers, and some say the craft dates back even further. It's easy to wonder what scrapbooking pioneers would think of today's pages, which are full of glitz and glamour.
One technique that's become popular in recent years is stamping, which is exactly as it sounds. The stamps and inks are much more advanced than they used to be.
Another scrapbooking trend, says Close to My Heart consultant Laura Irsfeld, is adding lots of embellishments.
Candy Forbes, co-owner of the Craft Boutique in Indian Habour Beach, Fla., recently started designing her own line of scrapbooking materials. She says what's hot in scrapbooking depends on the time of year.
"Right now, we're doing all different kinds of flowers with leaves, balloons and ribbons," Forbes says.
Stress relief
Scrapbooking shouldn't fail to spark inner creativity, but if it does, there's another plus side to it - it's an excuse to get out of the house. At scrapbooking events, it's not really about what you're making, it's about the conversation that happens while making it.
"On an open crop night, we sit down and work on our own projects and socialize," Irsfeld says. "It's kind of like a quilting bee."
And it's not just for women. Irsfeld says scrapbooking is starting to attract men, particularly retirees.
If nothing else, scrapbooking is an avenue for escaping the day-to-day.
"It's where I find relief of stress," Irsfeld says.
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/
The possibilities were endless, and it always felt great to finish a one-of-a-kind art project for someone special.
It might be a distant memory for many adults. But for some, those childhood crafts turned into a sophisticated hobby. They call themselves croppers, and there is no formula for their art. Just like when they were kids, they take time to assemble colorful, textured works no one can replicate.
"Forms of scrapbooking have been around for a long time," says consultant Annette Green of Close to My Heart, a direct sales company for scrapbooking materials. "Today, it's a family hobby."
It's such a big family hobby that people spend $2.6 billion on it each year, according to the Craft and Hobby Association, making it the most popular segment of the craft industry.
Green of Melbourne, Fla., says she has at least a dozen completed scrapbooks filled with pictures, cardstock, brads and other objects helping to preserve her family memories.
"I have a room to myself," she says. "It's such a good feeling to sit, remember and go through those old photos. It's an art. I try to make the prettiest pages I can, and I truly enjoy it."
Finding time
"A lot of the feedback I get is, I don't have enough time to scrapbook,' " Green says. "Everybody's busy."
To help free up time, many craft stores sell scrapbooking kits, complete with color-coordinated paper and all the materials needed to make a book.
"If you get a 12-by-12 album kit, you could literally finish it in a day," Green says.
Some scrapbookers add personal touches after the kits are complete.
"People have gone as far as the toolbox and pulled out washers to use for embellishments," Green says. "They use paper clips, ribbon. I use coasters as picture mats."
Scrap trends
Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson often are cited as early scrapbookers, and some say the craft dates back even further. It's easy to wonder what scrapbooking pioneers would think of today's pages, which are full of glitz and glamour.
One technique that's become popular in recent years is stamping, which is exactly as it sounds. The stamps and inks are much more advanced than they used to be.
Another scrapbooking trend, says Close to My Heart consultant Laura Irsfeld, is adding lots of embellishments.
Candy Forbes, co-owner of the Craft Boutique in Indian Habour Beach, Fla., recently started designing her own line of scrapbooking materials. She says what's hot in scrapbooking depends on the time of year.
"Right now, we're doing all different kinds of flowers with leaves, balloons and ribbons," Forbes says.
Stress relief
Scrapbooking shouldn't fail to spark inner creativity, but if it does, there's another plus side to it - it's an excuse to get out of the house. At scrapbooking events, it's not really about what you're making, it's about the conversation that happens while making it.
"On an open crop night, we sit down and work on our own projects and socialize," Irsfeld says. "It's kind of like a quilting bee."
And it's not just for women. Irsfeld says scrapbooking is starting to attract men, particularly retirees.
If nothing else, scrapbooking is an avenue for escaping the day-to-day.
"It's where I find relief of stress," Irsfeld says.
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/
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