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Lovely

Life may not be the party we had hoped for, but while we're here,
we may as well dance!

Scrap Booking edition no 2
by Ruth Mc Mahon

I have been thinking a great deal about how easy it is to become bogged down with the day-to-day responsibilities that we all share. Some days, just getting the kids out of bed, fed, and through the school gate whilst actually wearing school shoes on both feet seems an almost impossible task, leave alone getting oneself ready to face the day, be it as working woman or full-time domestic goddess. (And just FYI, full time moms DO NOT sit around painting their nails and eating chocolates all day). Finding time to "Be Creative With Photographs" just doesn't register high up on the list of priorities!

I assume that if you are still reading this article, you'll have some interest in Scrap booking, so you'll understand when I say that that is when a rather large dose of "Scrappers Guilt" sets in! You know what I mean - that slippery feeling that slides around somewhere underneath your solar plexis when you start to think about those ever-increasing number of "Special Events" that have occurred this past year for which you have only JUST found the time to have the films developed, only to add the photos to the considerable pile of last years' "Special Events", not to mention all the baby photo's you just haven't had time to look at, or your husband's company golf day, etc, etc!! The temptation to just stash them in a drawer and go eat yet another whole-nut chocolate (or whatever your favorite poison may be) may just prove to be a temptation too hard to resist! (we have all fallen at some time.)

The other not insignificant pressure that Scrap Bookers face, ("Pressure?!!" I hear you squeal derisively. "What pressure could you possibly feel?!! You're "plakking" bits of gummy paper to other bits of paper!". Be still, Dear Reader, for the world of the Scrap Booker can become fiercely competitive, and harshly critical, I tell you! The world of the Hermanus Scrap Booker is still a relatively innocent one, and I truly hope that the "politics" of scrap booking stay far away from you!
But, I digres, allow me to pick up the threads of my ramblings!) Where was I? Oh yes! The other pressure that Scrap Bookers face is the constant need to "Be Creative", to out-do your latest masterpiece (which, although you nonchalantly said was something that you just threw together quickly, actually took five days, nine hours, twenty seven minutes, four "Woolies"
ready meals, three burnt pots of rice, two fights with husband over said ready meals and the need to actually sleep when coming to bed due to scrappers exhaustion, one puppy pee on the brand new carpet and countless jelly tots to bribe junior to pleeeese just be quiet and watch "Finding Nemo" one more time! I'll leave you to figure out how I know al this..)

I have been scrapbooking for quite some time now, and along he way, have had the privilege of crossing paths with some extremely talented woman.
Sadly, I have also seen many of those bright stars begin to fade and sometimes bun out altogether, as well as many "new" devotees loose their enthusiasm because they succumb to the feeling that their wok just isn't good enough. What a shame that their stories may never be told!

Recently, I had the privilege of attending what I would consider to he this fine country's premier scarp booking event, where some of the world's fines scrap book teachers and suppliers were represented. Sadly enough, they reported a similar trend, and wanted to warn us not to get too caught up in being so creative that we lose sight of the reason we scrap book, and cause out own "creative melt-down".

So I have rambled on at some length (verbosity is m failing.) about not "hitting the wall", but what if you're already there? Here are a few strategies that may help you prevent a melt-down, or perhaps help to lift you out of a rut.

. Organise your space - few have the option of a dedicated scrap area
to
work in. Having organized supplies helps cut down on wasted time
searching for that perfect embellishment.
. Sort through our photographs, and choose only the ones that "speak"
to
you. Pair a photo with a memory - you're scrapbooking! Scrap only the photographs you love, love love!!!
. Keep it simple! Not every inch of space on your paper needs to be
filled!
. Keep a notepad or diary in our hand-bag. As hard as you try, you
won't
recall ALL the funny little things your kids say, and they can make GREAT page ideas. Like "Mom, birds poop outside"...
. Ask your local supplier to source some Idea Books. Creating
Keepsakes
magazine offers a host of helpful books to help get you in the mood. I highly recommend Creative Sketches by Becky Higgens.
. Purchase a great scrapbooking magazine for ideas, or consider
subscribing if your local scrapbooking store doesn't stock them. (try Simple Scrapbooks, or Creating Keepsakes - online subscription orders from www.creatingkeepsakes.com, and www.simplescrapbooksmag.com.)
. Take a class with a teacher who's work you admire, or even scrapbook
with friends, and share ideas.
. Simplify. Simplify, Simplify!!! Not every page has to be a
master-piece!
Enjoy the process and write about what you love.
. Above all, remember that this hobby is about sharing a moment, and
specifically, about how YOU felt in that moment. It's not a competition, or a brochure. It's about your life, and the loves of your life, whatever they may be.

Enjoy your month, HAVE FUN!!!
-
So you think that Scrap Booking is some rather boring past time for old ladies, involving photographs and sticking some little coloured bits of paper to other pieces of paper, then plakking the whole lot into a photo album, right? NOT!!! This amazing hobby has taken South African women by storm (ok, I know that sounds sexist, there are a few guys playing in our sandpit too, but overall it's the girls who rule!)! So what's all the fuss about, anyway?

If you're forty something (oh, darn...!), you'll notice with some horror that all those cute photo's you took in the seventies of your coolest mates with the really dodgy hair-do's doing just the coolest (ok, stupidest) things, are looking decidedly yellow, especially if they have been stored in those "magnetic" albums which were quite the rage back in the dark ages.
 

Have you ever noticed that the photos of your great granny's wedding have not been similarly affected in their beautiful old black photo albums? The reason for the deterioration is that the materials used to make the modern albums were neither 'acid' nor 'lignen free' - lingo that you will hear used frequently in Scrap Booking circles (I know, how cool is that - we even have our own "lingo"!). The lignen is apparently a by-product produced in the modern production of paper, and causes the photos to yellow, and the paper to become brittle over time. Also, the glues used in the albums to hold the photos in place have either become a gummy mess, no longer hold at all, or have turned into a cement that holds your photo for now and ever more, damaging or not! (Fear not, there is a product to help - there's always a product!).

One of the main purposes of Scrap Booking is to create a lasting memory of your special moments in an archaically safe and creative way. Now there are 'schools' of scrap booking that involve the spoeg and plak method, and for some folks, this quick method the way to go. For others who want a greater challenge, there are endless possibilities available involving beautiful paper and exciting embellishments, all waiting to enhance your most precious memories.



Best of all, scrap booking provides a creative outlet with a finished product that the whole family can enjoy (guilt-free past-time for mothers!!). Devotees include people across the spectrum - from adoring mums with brand new babies, to proud grannies, all eager to record and preserve their precious memories of their loved ones, and the wonderful and sometimes challenging times of their lives. (One of my more off-the-wall students made a scrapbook of her rigid porcelain dolls, posed stiffly as only a porcelain doll can pose! Truly!).


Ok, so if you're still reading this article, you may want to know what you would need to start scrap-booking. Aside from an interest in photography, or a love for taking family snaps - and you'll see that even the way you take photo's alters when you scrap book - there is some basic equipment you will need to get yourself going: (these items will any available from any good quality scrapbook store or supplier)


1. a good quality, LIGNEN AND ACID FREE scrapbook album
2. acid free glue - no point in going to all the trouble of
preserving your memories , and then using the wrong adhesives!
3. Acid free backing sheet papers and embellishments.
4. A really sharp pair of fine blade scissors.
5. a pencil, erase and ruler
6. a fine-blade craft knife and a large self-healing
cutting mat (it's a good idea to protect your dining room table from cuts, glues and inks!
7. A teacher whose personal work inspires you.

There are a wonderful array of exciting embellishments to enhance your precious memories, but remember, the photographs should always remain the focus of your pages.
Most scrap booking shops and craft stores selling scrap supplies offer beginner to more advanced classes, to help you get going.



A few rules in scrap booking:

1. The acid-free and linen free rule always applies. There is no point in preserving your memories with supplies that will cause your photographs to deteriorate.
2. Don't feel that you must work chronologically - chose to wok with photo's that inspire you and 'tell the story'
of the occasion.
3. Don't feel pressurized to use all your photographs - rather choose one or two that really tell the tale than burn yourself out trying to use up all your photos.
4. Remember to record the most important information - the who, what, where, when and why of the story. Otherwise, all you will be offering future generations re pretty pictures of people they think they are related to somehow!
5. Always, always take your photographs with you when you go to choose paper and embellishments. You'll save yourself a fortune in mismatched paper and unsuitable (not to mention expensive!) embellishments.
5. This is supposed to be a fun hobby - you are creating a hand-made album of your fondest memories, not a company brochure. Allow yourself NOT to be perfect.(..Annette, I'm speaking to you.)

There are, of course, many tricks and tips to make our lay-outs beautiful, and balanced, giving them depth and focus, (more lingo!), but that's the subject of another article, for another day! Right now, I have a scarp-booking layout waiting.