Scrapbooking

Essentially scrapbooking has been a method of taking family and personal history and preserving it in various forms, such as albums in scrapbooks, and in print media, memorabilia, and of course photographs as well. While many people believe that the history is short and that is a newer idea, it actually traces back a long way. The idea of keeping photos or printed items and putting them in books is a tradition that traces back to the invention of print and photographs. The history of scrapbooking is a rich one, and it basically is a visual method of storytelling.

Even before photographs were around, back in ancient Greece, there was a special notebook, known as the hypomnemata, which was used to record things that they had heard, seen, or read that they wanted to preserve and remember. Once materials began to be printed, these books turned into books where they would preserve printed materials that they found and liked. So, the story actually goes all the way back to the Greeks.

Of course scrapbooking was around in early America as well if you take a closer look at the history of scrapbooking. In fact, some of the most well known scrapbookers in early America included Mark Twain as well as Thomas Jefferson. Once photographs were invented and available to the general public, they were used in scrapbooks. Usually they would be mounted with special photomount corners and often there were handwritten notations of what was going on in the picture. Often these older scrapbooks would also include letters, clippings from newspapers, and a whole lot more.

When it comes to modern scrapbooking, it was not until about the 1980s that scrapbooks really began to be a big interested in America. It was Marielen Christensen who actually helped to revive this interest in the United States. In 1980 she displayed here more than 50 scrapbooks at the World Conference on Records that took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then later she would open a scrapbooking store. It was after this took place that modern scrapbooking in America began to take off, and today it is till growing in popularity.

As you can see, the history of scrapbooking is actually a very rich one and it is interested to see where scrapbooking has come from to what we now have today. So, after taking a look at the deep and rich history of scrapbooking, hopefully you are inspired to consider recording your own history with a scrapbook of your own.

In the 15th century there were Commonplace books, these books were used to record information, for documenting vital events and journalizing ones experience in life. Commonplace books contained records about medical formulas, poems and prayers. As times past by, commonplace books had become like newspapers for articles, food recipes and illustrations. Commonplace books were for sharing ideas and thoughts of the people at that time. It was their way of expressing what they felt and what they wanted to do with their lives.

There were also friendship journals that were created by some groups of people to illustrate and to record important happenings in their lives, others were making these journals to portray the important life events of someone they loved and they gave it as a present to their loved ones. Victorian women were creating signature albums and this is what they called their visitor album.

They gathered poems, signatures, memorabilia, scrap cards, hand writing and photographs of their friends and families. This was their way to share memories and cherish those fun events of their lives, such as weddings, births, christening and other important events people wanted to remember.

In 1972 Mark Twain, author of the famous Huckleberry Finn, discovered a way to improve making a scrapbook. He came up with his Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook. This Mark Twain's Patent Scrapbook, which contained pre pasted pages, netted him a lot of profits.

In 1980, a person who was an avid fan of scrapbooking shared her new ideas on how to journalize important events and occasions in her life, she is none other than Marielen Christensen. Marielen used acid free papers and she shared 50 volumes of her family history in Utah for a conference on records. There were lots of people who loved her ideas of journalizing family photos for the future that they set out to create their very own scrapbooks of their own precious memories.

Moms are usually the experts when it comes to scrapbooking. Years of documentation have given them plenty of practice in this addictive craft activity. With the aid of a digital camera and some user-friendly programs on the computer, scrapbooking can be easier yet equally enjoyable for you. Also, there's digital graphic printing that can help you achieve quality albums with great pictures.

Scrapbooking through the years

Even before Martha Stewart became a household name, a lot of women, particularly mothers, have already been documenting important events in their families' lives.

Traditionally, this process involves collecting pictures, pasting them on pages, and adding intricate details such as picture borders, cut outs of shapes, and captions.

Some people make scrapbooks for single important events such as birthdays, weddings, reunions and graduations, while others cover an entire life span from birth to each momentous occasion such as first hair cut, first day in school, lead role in a school play, prom and coming-of-age celebrations like Bar mitzvahs and sweet sixteen birthdays. Sometimes, details such as height development, favorite food and favorite cartoons are also added.

While this usual method for scrapbooking is fun and a good opportunity to bond with someone, it may be somewhat labor-intensive.

Now, busy women can still engage in this activity with a modern approach.

Break away from the old ways

Computers and digital printing can help you create great albums with as much details as traditional means. In addition, this tool and method combination allows you to unleash your creativity in less time.

Computer

With the use of a computer, you can do more with your scrapbooks without sweating. You can manipulate photos using software programs that cater to images. Restoring distorted and fading pictures is also made possible by such programs.

Here are some of the specific enhancements that you can do to your photos:

1. Pictures taken with bad lighting can be adjusted to make the colors brighter.

2. Red eyes can now be easily remedied with a few clicks on the mouse.

3. Place borders or panoramic effects on the pictures

4. Use design templates and background patterns from the internet

5. Create collages without cutting and pasting your original photos.

6. Instead of adding captions at the bottom, you can put thought bubbles to insert text

7. Use different font types, sizes and colors

8. Convert pictures to black and white, or sepia to create a flashback mood

9. Use different effects such as oil and watercolor sketches, and Gaussian blur for an artistic touch.

Digital graphic printing

o You no longer have to cut pictures and feel bad afterwards because they're your only copies. With digital graphic printing, you can print a copy for your scrapbook and print some more for other uses.

o Digital printing makes clear images with radiant colors and sharp details. You're certain that your pictures will come out looking vibrant and rich in colors.

o Another good thing about digital printing is that it allows you to print on different surfaces. You can have your pictures printed on plastic or cloth. This is the perfect way to add variety to your scrapbook entries.

Preserve memories, as well as the quality of your scrapbook. A little help from your computer and digital graphic printing can go a long way.

So, digital?

In today's world where everyone is so busy and always looking for ways to save time, it seems a pity that we even need to save time with our scrapbooking projects. Like all other modern technology, digital scrapbooking software was designed to make our lives easier and save us time. It is rather sad though that we even have to save time on our hobbies, which are supposed to be there for us to enjoy.

Although I have always loved conventional scrapbooking, it is always fun to try out something new, and the world of digital scrapbooking is another way to explore and unleash those creative juices.

There are lots of advantages to using digital scrapbooking software. I use scrapbooking software to make things like cards, albums as presents for the grand parents, calendars as gifts, promotional items for my business, and even posters and adverts. I also use the software to make mini albums or focal points for some of my normal scrapbooking layouts.

Digital scrapbooking is a worthwhile investment, as it has so many uses that you will no doubt use it, even if not for your scrapbooking layouts.

Here is my list of advantages for using digital scrapbooking software.

You get to complete a layout in a matter of minutes rather than hours, as there is no cutting, sticking, tracing or measuring to do. You save piles of money, as patterned paper, embellishments and the printing of your photographs can work out to quite a packet. You have an unlimited library of stock to pick from and it's all free.If you make a mistake, simply undo it and try again.

You get to save loads of space, as a stock of paper, scrapbooking tools and embellishments usually need storage of some kind. You can save your projects onto a disk, and also share them easily online with friends and relatives. Your work always looks neat and professional, as you never cut a skew line on a computer, unless you do it intentionally. No need to go to expensive classes to learn new techniques, your computer does it all for you.

Even though digital scrapbooking software does have so many advantages, there is nothing quite like the feeling of creating a stunning layout with your own skills. I strongly feel that you should start off your scrapbooking hobby by using your own skills and imagination. Use digital scrapbooking as a way to enhance your scrapbooking pages, or to try something different. But never deprive yourself of the joy that scrapbooking the old fashioned way will bring you.