Why I Love to Scrapbook

Tomorrow I'm planning to do something I haven't done in over a year. I'm going to pack up my van with scrapbook stuff and spend the day scrapping with a friend. I'm so excited! It's been sooooooo long. I've scrapped exactly two times since I moved to London, both times making a gift for my mother. This time I'll be preserving memories for myself. It is definitely one of my favourite hobbies, but it's something that I've let go because the best part of it is sharing it with friends. I'm already excited about tomorrow, but to gear myself up even more, I thought I'd think about the reasons why I love scrapbooking so much and make a list. Here goes:

1. It's a wonderful creative outlet. There is something about creating something beautiful that brings such a thrill to my heart. I think I've replaced the joy I get from scrapbooking this year with my blog. It's why I love to add pictures to as many blog posts as I can. I have such beautiful subjects, of course I want to share them!
2. It captures memories and preserves them. When I was younger I faithfully kept journals, but now I want to chronicle my children's childhood with words and pictures. I love looking back at my scrapbooks years down the road, remembering special moments. I never want to forget the first time Connor crawled (to the remote control) or the way Janelle was obsessed with wearing shoes on her hands before she could walk. And I don't have to, ever, because those precious memories are safely preserved, in scrapbooks.
3. I love the sensory aspect of scrapbooking. It's why I don't think I'll ever become a digital scrapbooker. I love the sight of the beautiful embellishments, the feel of the tools in my hands, the smell of the paper, the sound of friends chattering around me. It completely satisfying in every way. There is not much I get more excited about than the prospect of a full day of scrapbooking.
4. I love to share it with friends. I left a bunch of amazing scrapbookers back in Fredericton. Scrapbooking was not the only thing, or even the most important thing, that we had in common, but it was something that drew us closer over the years. Once a month we would meet in the church gym and spend 5 or 6 hours working on our albums, sharing our lives, and encouraging each other. We helped each other when we got stuck and we told each other when we knew a page wasn't quite right. We knew how to be brutally honest with each other, we had earned that right, and we appreciated it of each other. The idea of scrapping with anyone other than "my girls" is a little daunting. It's why I haven't run out to the neighbourhood scrapbooking store and signed up for a crop. I don't know if I can let someone I hardly know critique my pages. But I'll let Jocelyn. She's known me longer than any of my scrapbooking buddies back home. She's earned the right, too.

There are probably plenty of other reasons that I love to scrapbook. But that is enough for now. I'm excited. Time to go pack up my stuff!