A Short History of Scrapbooking

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03f8e8e3.jpg"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="062a37a0.jpg" border=0 width="163" height="122" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Every Life has a story -</div> <div> Scrapbook it!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0e393650.png" border=0 width="147" height="101" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FF9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04500c82dwnjbj.jpg"> <div> <B>Judy Creations</B><B> - Memories Preserved with Love</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#3366FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > |     </FONT><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Judy Creations"><U>home</U></A>    |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Me"><U>About Me</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Services"><U>Services</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sample Layouts"><U>Sample Layouts</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A>   |   A Short History of Scrapbooking</div> <div> A Short History of Scrapbooking</div> <div> Memory books or scrapbooks have long been used to record personal histories or as an artistic expression.  I have found two origins for the word "scrap".  One claims that scrap came from the brightly colored paper that originally filled the albums.  The second claims that unmounted photos were called scrap.  It would seem to me that one led to the other.  Before photographs were widely available, scrapbooks were created with magazine clippings, greeting cards, labels and personal items such as favorite recipes.</div> <bR> <div> Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain were both avid scrapbookers.  Jefferson kept leather-bound books filled with news clippings, drawings, dried leaves and other memorabilia.  Mark Twain was such a devoted scrapbooker he spent Sundays working on his books.  He even patented and marketed his own scrapbook kit.</div> <bR> <div> Scrapbooking experienced a resurgence beginning in the late 1970's along with the rise in genealogy.  Modern scrapbooking - using acid-free paper, plastic and adhesive products - is documented to have started in 1980, when the Christensen family of Utah shared their 50 volumes of memory books.  The reaction was so overwhelming the family wrote the first modern how-to-scrap book (Keeping Memories Alive) and opened the first retail store selling only acid-free products.</div> <bR> <div> Today, scrapbooking is the expressive art of<B><U> safely</U></B> and creatively displaying photos and memorabilia.  Pages are embellished with all manner of products and techniques.  It has been called "the quilting of the 90's and 00's" by the Washington Post and has been written about in national as well as local newspapers and magazines.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Why Scrapbook?</B></div> <bR> <div> More often than not, I meet people who love the look of a scrapbooked memory album.  There are other times though that I meet someone and they say "Why bother with scrapbooking?  I just put my photos in an album I bought at the store."  At one time, my response was in regards to the archival safety of such products "bought at the store".  Most of the photo albums sold years ago contained extremely high levels of acid, which end up destroying your precious memories.</div> <bR> <div> However, today, there are many photo albums sold that are acid-free.  But is that the only thing you should be concerned with?  Definitely not.   Read on for my reasons why you should create a scrapbook with your memories:</div> <bR> <div> --Memory albums, also known as scrapbooks, allow the story behind your photos to be told.  A photo of a startled child may be interesting to look at, but isn't it more fun to know that the shocked look is because her brother surprised her with his new toy snake that Grandpa bought him?</div> <bR> <div> --Memory albums are beautiful. Just like the furnishings in your home, your albums will reflect your special style. You will be proud to have your albums on display in your home and your guests will be in awe of what has been created with your photos.</div> <bR> <div> --Memories should be enjoyed and shared. They can't be if they are shoved in drawers and shoe boxes. <U>Just don't have the time?</U> There are professional scrapbook artists that you can hire to complete your albums.</div> <bR> <div> --Memory albums last forever. Whether you use your own time to complete your album, or hire a professional scrapbook artist, there is cost involved. Unlike the housecleaner that cleans your home each week or the mechanic that gives your car a tune-up (although both are important), a completed scrapbook is a treasure that won't need to be redone or maintained. Once your album is created, it is done and ready to be enjoyed for generations to come.</div> <bR> <div> --You've invested a lot of money and time in your memories. Because we want to remember every moment in our lives and the lives of our loved ones, we spend hundreds of dollars on cameras, film, developing, and portrait studios. Why would you give the final prints shabby treatment? Don't take the display of your photos lightly. By creating scrapbook pages you are giving your memories the treatment they deserve.</div> <bR> <div> --Acid-free isn't everything. Acid-free is a hot new term, and while it is important, it isn't the only thing to worry about. An album you find at your local discount store is likely to be labeled "acid-free", but scrappers know that the products she uses must also be free of lignin (it's presence in paper aids chemical degradation) and that they must be archival quality.</div> <bR> <div> --Future generations won't be clueless. Unlike photo albums, scrapbooks allow every memorable detail to be included. Years from now, when your children's children are viewing the albums that you had created, they will know exactly how life was for you and your family. You won't always be there...but with your albums, you really are.</div> <bR> <div> By Brandie Valenzuela</div> <div> ===================================================================================<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> About the author: Brandie is a wife and homeschooling mom to three children, who also works full time from her home designing products and writing articles for the scrapbook industry. She is a proud design team member of Pages of the Heart at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.pagesoftheheart.net</U></FONT> --a free resource site for scrappers. She also maintains her own web site at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://scrapbookingwithbrandie.4t.com</U></FONT>.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> ===================================================================================</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>