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I want to give up scrapbooking

post #1 of 51
6/18/07 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 
I need some suggestions, mamas. I thought this was the best forum because it involves issues that to me, are about simplifying.

A few years ago I was heavily into scrapbooking. My first two sons have beautiful albums chronicalling their first few years. I have a tonne of supplies that I have slowly whittled away to one shelf - they used to take up an entire room!

I used to love it so much - the creativity, the quiet time to myself, and the feeling that I was preserving special memories for my children. But when I became pregnant with DS3 and has hypermesis, I stopped. I was too sick and then when DS3 was born I was too busy and had no time.

And now I have no desire. The only thing stopping me from selling all my supplies is the horrible guilt I feel that DS1 and 2 have lovely albums and DS3 has not even one layout. He will ask why when he is older and I will have no answer besides, "I didn't feel like it anymore."

I guess I am looking for permission to give up, but also suggestions anyone might have for fast, simple ways of effectively preserving family photographs and memories. I am the family photographer - I do love photography and take many photos. The thought of them sitting in an album never to be enjoyed makes me feel very sad.

TIA.
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post #2 of 51
6/18/07 at 7:50pm
I did a scrapbook for my DS up to age 2 and then decided I was sick of doing it. Now I go on snapfish or shutterfly and make memory books for him. It is so much faster and less time consuming. They turn out so nice. This would be an option for you, if you want to give it up. Or maybe keep the scrapbooking things you have for a while to see if you get the desire to do it again.
post #3 of 51
6/18/07 at 8:58pm
I was going to suggest making books online somewhere, too. I've used mypublisher and picasa. Both were nice.
post #4 of 51
6/18/07 at 9:07pm
Okay, I don't expect this to be popular, and I'm not trying to be mean, but...

My mom made these scrapbooks for me that were about girl scouts, softballl, blah blah blah. And I do have them- but I'm only keeping them out of guilt. One of the last major decluttering missions I have to do is to go thru the three huge "memory boxes" in my basement, and the scrapbooks take up a better part of two of them.

I like Picasa and photo boxes, myself. I don't really want these bulky, fragile scrapbooks. So maybe your youngest son will be glad he didn't get any.

Or, you could yank the pictures out of your older sons' scrapbooks, throw the pages away and call it even.

And for pity's sake, if you don't want to do it anymore, don't! Give this stuff to someone who will use it.
post #5 of 51
6/18/07 at 9:08pm
I create my scrapbooks digitally, using Photoshop. PS Elements is a relatively cheap, powerful program that you can learn fairly easily and you can print your digital creations at home and place them into albums.

It's still scrapbooking, it's still creative, but it takes up a lot less room, far fewer supplies and tools, and best of all - you can save a page and go back to it in an hour, a week, a month, whenever you get time, and it'll be exactly the same as you left it - no scribbles, no coffee stains, no tears or crumpled edges from the kids.

I find it fits better into our small space and busy lives than paper scrapping.

Check out www.scrapgirls.com for more info, tips to get started, daily inspiration and freebies and a message board. There are lots of other sites, too, if you're interested.
post #6 of 51
6/18/07 at 9:12pm
No advice, just commiserating. I am about 5 years behind and don't think I will ever catch up. I am too much of a perfectionist and it takes me forever to do one page. I want to give it up too. And just put them in chronological order in a regular album. At least then the kids can look at them. oh the guilt.
post #7 of 51
6/18/07 at 10:58pm

Can totally relate...

This was one thing that I let go of in order to simplify my life. Now I just put the pictures in albums...you know what, the kids still enjoy them! They pull out the scrapbooks and the regular ole albums alike and love to look at them. Maybe you could go ahead and make a scrapbook for your third child's first year and then give it up???

Melissa
post #8 of 51
6/18/07 at 11:32pm
Thanks for sharing...seems like a lot of us feel this way. I too have a ton of scrapbooking supplies. I don't even have completed chronological albums for my kids, just about 40 or so pages of trips and events. I have more supplies than I'll ever use up, and not much free time to do any scrapbooking. I enjoyed the process, the playing with paper and glue and ribbons and all. So many pretties!

The only reason I haven't culled my supplies is that I don't know what to do with all of it. Who to give/sell it to? School? eBay?
post #9 of 51
6/18/07 at 11:58pm
This thread is making me really glad I never took up scrapbooking in the first place. :
post #10 of 51
6/19/07 at 12:42am
Hee hee. I am still into scrapbooking, but I am worried about doing as much for dc#2 as I did for dc#1. I could imagine if I had a third child, it would be near impossible!

The thing about scrapbooking is that it is really for YOU, not for your kids. If your kids someday appreciate it, that is a bonus. But it is your hobby and should be fun for you! If it isn't, there really is no point. I think if you put pictures in regular albums, people will still love looking at them. I feel like the only people who really "get" the time/effort/creativity that goes into scrapbooks is people who are scrapbookers themselves.

Plus, if your third child suddenly has scrapbook envy (which I doubt since he is a boy - not to be sexist or anything, but there aren't many male scrapbookers than I know of). You will still have the pictures and he can have fun putting together his own scrapbook (with or without your help). If he is into it, he could pick out his own papers and so on when he is old enough. But then, I still kinda doubt that will happen.
post #11 of 51
6/19/07 at 1:32am
I want to give up scrapbooking and cardmaking too. I think I have the week she was in the hospital scrapbooked and thats it. Now she's 18 months and I will never catch up.

I haven't scrapbooked in MONTHS! And I have hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of stuff, mostly unused.

Ebay would be good for a lot of it, I think.

I was also going to suggest shutterfly memory books! So cute and sometimes they give them away for free.
post #12 of 51
6/19/07 at 8:49am
I want to put in another plug for creating a book online. I just made a beautiful 12x12 book on shutterfly.com with photos of our DS's adoption and it turned out great and only took an hour or so to upload the photos, plug them into the many options of preset layouts and backgrounds. Now it's not as detailed with all the bells and whistles of a "scrapbook", but it's a wonderful photo journal that we've gotten tons of compliments on and really treasure. And it was so easy!

It's easy to get so caught up in preserving the moment that we fail to live in it or enjoy it. At the same time, we do want to hold onto our memories. Hopefully you can find a simpler, more enjoyable way to do it.
post #13 of 51
6/19/07 at 9:30am
This is a debating area for me. I love scrapbooking but I never do it. Some friends and I want to have social get togethers for scrapping (which I would love!) so I hate to get rid of my supplies. I have an unused closet full of stuff that I just can't seem to pare down. I didn't spend tons of money but too much to just get rid of it and I don't think most of it would sell. Some things I am recycling into our homeschooling, like the cardstock, stamps, scissors and little doo dads.

I guess I'm feeling more guilt about not doing it because I want to than anything (and I'm too lazy to get my pictured printed!). Then I wonder what I could do with that space. Probably not much as it's hard to access (which may be why I don't scrap much. I think I might pare down to my tote so I can just grab and go (other than my stamps which I keep in a box).
post #14 of 51
6/19/07 at 10:06am
I do scrapbook, but it's not my only hobby so I keep it within it's limits. Each one of my kids has a baby scrapbook and a mini birthday album where I just put in a pic of them on their birthday each year but besides that, I'm just doing chrono family books. Each one lasts me for a couple of years at least so it's really not that much. I don't scrap everything.

I imagine one day I might make them a memories album when they are graduating high school or something. Otherwise, I make really simple books for gifts for friends or family for birthday or celebrations, etc.

I think with all hobbies, you have to love it. If you don't really, then why do it?
post #15 of 51
6/19/07 at 10:09am
I agree with what everyone has said, but want to put my 2 cents in, as the 3rd of 4 children. You have to do something for him. It doesn't have to be just like your others, as other pp's have said (you could do it on the computer), but you really have to suck it up, and do something to make him feel as special as the others. I always felt loved and wanted, but when I look at the amount of pics of bro and sis, and how their baby books are all filled in and mine is not even 10% filled in, it makes me wish it were. I don't want to sound mean, as I'm going to have my 3rd child any week now, and struggle with this very issue myself!!! (not related to scrapbooking, but related to "trying to keep it fair for all".) Good luck!
post #16 of 51
6/19/07 at 10:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leta View Post
This thread is making me really glad I never took up scrapbooking in the first place. :

HEHE me too!
post #17 of 51
6/19/07 at 10:37am

I can relate!

And I am in a similar situation.

I started scrapbooks for both the girls. Put the pictures in and all. Bu I never got beyond the sticky notes with the info on where and when that all was. Now I just hate that i got it even started. I blame my best friend for even getting me started

Now what would be the best way to deal with this? Tear the pics out and do an electronic book for both? I am good with the computer. So that wouldn't be a bad idea I guess... Do the books online?

Any good tips anyone?
post #18 of 51
6/19/07 at 11:35am
If you're not enjoying it, then give it up!

I have a Fine Arts degree and for me, its my creative outlet. But I have rules now. At this point in my life (two kids under 6) I cannot by any strech of the imagination have the stuff laying all over. I have it in a wheeled cart to cart to and from. I go to my CM consultants house usually every month for a crop night from 7-12. Its the perfect night out and she has all the tools etc and if I need to buy a piece of paper or a sticker its right there. I have spent as little as $4 at a crop and as much as $200 (bought books that night) and she dosnt care. Heck she makes plenty of money off me with all I have bought and will.

I do this for ME. Yes, I have books for both girls and family books as well as remodeling and wedding books. But this is my thing and something I enjoy. I have found everyone has a different reason for doing it.

If you have tools etc to sell do it! You can always go to a crop down the line if you want to revisit it and use the tools provided. Besides someone else will use those tools and they wont be staring at you saying use me!!

So if anyone has any CM stuff they want to unload, PM me or stick it on the TP here.
post #19 of 51
6/19/07 at 11:46am
I second (or third...fourth) the digital scrapbooking or online memory book making instead. For me, I *need* that little bit of creative outlet it gives me, but I am not overwhelmed with the *stuff* that comes from paper scrapbooking. I called it all "money under the bridge" LOL and gave away my supplies to a friend or two who still liked to paper scrapbook.

Now, I can whip together a page or two in no time - being a perfectionist it is great that I can just click/drag/delete until it looks like I want it to (my paper pages were never "good enough") and I don't have a ton of stuff around.
post #20 of 51
6/19/07 at 4:59pm
Funny, I was just thinking today if I want to continue scrapbooking or not. I have a TON of stuff, but since my son has been here I don't really enjoy it anymore. Now I have #2 on the way and I don't think I will ever catch up. I just ordered a ton of pictures and was planning to put them in albums but I wish I would have done the photo books now since so many of you like them. Maybe I still will for the special photos, maybe one for each year, a small book?

Anyway, I spent way too much on this stuff and kept buying even after I stopped doing it! I don't know why, I guess I thought I'd always get back around to do it but I haven't yet. Makes me sad!