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How did you start scrapbooking?

how did you start scrapbooking
scrapbooking
Taking another question from the comments earlier this week, we have one posed by Boo, a young scrapbooker who asks How did you start scrapbooking? …and that’s a question I’d love to ask you too!

You can have the short or the long version of my answer. The short version is I started scrapbooking while I was a university student, with a kit I found at a discount store, and I had no idea the larger world of scrapbooking (or indeed the word scrapbooking) existed until I had nearly finished that first book. But I was hooked, and I’m so very happy to have had this outlet to evolve from those humble roots to something that allows me to combine a love of so many little things (like writing and taking pictures and crafting) into one neat little package called scrapbooking.

The long version is something I wrote over the course of several posts called the Time Warp series. You can read that story starting here, then follow the links at the bottom of each post to go to the next part of the story. I wrote those celebrating ten years of scrapbooking… and I’m now closer to fourteen so I suppose I should take a closer look really and consider adding a chapter to cover the years since 2008!

Now… I would love to hear your answer to Boo’s question! You can share your story with a long or short answer too! If your story is short you can leave it in the comments. If it’s something longer that you want to think about and write about at length, you might want to make it a blog post of your own and leave us a link to come check it out!

So… how did you discover scrapbooking?

15 April 2012



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82 Comments for How did you start scrapbooking?

  1. Shari Says:

    I starting scrapping around the same time as you! It was 1998 and I had just gotten back from doing a semester of University in Australia and then backpacking for a month in Asia. I had around 36 rolls of film and didnt think anyone would like to look at that many pics. I was at a trade show where Creative Memories had a booth, and I thought people might actually like to look at pics if they were scrapbooked…and the rest is history. My Australia/Asia books are the only ones that I have re-done. I have realized that I am not a Creative Memories scrapper and when I would look at those books, I really didnt like them. By the time I redid them, I had found my style and now, even though they were redone around 7-8 years ago, I still enjoy looking at them.

    For a number of years I was lucky enough to work at a night job where I was able to scrapbook for 7 hours and get paid for it while ensuring teens stayed asleep. I got so much done at that point! Now that I no longer have that job, I am ridiculously behind…but I dont care because it is about the process for me. I just love creating the pages for me.

  2. Daphne Says:

    I had heard of scrapbooking before I started with card making. But when the cards and the stamping weren’t “fulfilling” me anymore, I was looking for something different – and found YOU [Shimelle]. I took the class “Something from almost nothing” and I never looked back! I also found lots of friends through your classes. I really love to scrapbook and wouldn’t change it for anything else! Thanks Shimelle!

  3. Mary Buttons Says:

    I started scrapbooking because I wanted to do a page of lots of the photos of my husband, it was long enough after his death to be happy doing this and a good way to record his life.
    When someone mentioned scrapbooking I asked what on earth that was because to me scrapbooks were sugar paper and stickers from crackers etc. that I used to get in my stocking.
    I wasn’t impressed with her page at all and said that I like to design my own cards mainly on the computer. She then said you can do it digitally you know. So that was my intro to this wonderful hobby. For about 18months I knew no one else who digi scrapped and I had no intention of venturing into paper scrapping but I felt isolated so join a scrapping club that was just starting not far from where I live. from there I haven’t looked back and now enjoy both the digi and IRL work and of course the scrapping community on the web is fantastic.

  4. Jane Says:

    I started scrapbooking when I was collecting info about my family history and wanted somewhere to preserve all the photos and memories. My next few albums were all themed; e.g a holiday, Christmas, weddings. In between these I had huge gaps in time when I thought I had nothing to scrap. Then I had a breakthrough moment when I discovered Shimelle and realised I could scrap anything and everything. Now I’m totally hooked and all my friends and family groan when I produce my camera whatever we’re doing.

  5. DeAnna Yaritz Says:

    What I remember most is my sister-in-law having a Stamping Up party…I was pretty young and was just absolutely amazed with what they could do with stamps, markers, glitter etc. I believe it was the first place that I saw embossing powders and that gooey stuff that would puff up. Later I came across a scrapbook store in the mall and that was it. I have always loved scrapbooking, but for awhile I was so busy with my new life, new home, work and then school that I didn’t do it for years… Then when I was done with school I didn’t know what to do with myself and I somehow came across a Youtube channel by Kathryn Kreiger “”“:http://www.youtube.com/user/desdichaedo ..I was amazed and really got into mini books…then when my mom passed away, it was all about the story and how badly I wanted to write it down…somehow I came across this little youtube video called “This is why I scrapbook” = and then found another called “True Stories: Putting Pen To Paper” “”“:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmnpcRLETNw&feature=plcp&context=C407d68cVDvjVQa1PpcFPF9kqLOq7eRAC_ZPiB-N4-VGPW-HB6qJk=
    Both of which basically drew me to tears because it was sincerely exactly how I felt and what I was looking for. And now here I am :) That’s my scrapbooking story :)

  6. Heatheranne Farley Says:

    I had 100’s of photos since I had my first camera aged 12(I think!) and didn’t particularly like the then current photo albums where you slip the pictures into a wallet – I wanted to be able to write some detail at the side!

    One day a supply teacher where I worked happened to mention that she was a CM consultant and explained what that meant. It was the answer to my prayers.

    I arranged for her to come over and teach my children and me and haven’t looked back since!!

    My oldest son only ever made the one page but has me make albums of special events for him – he does his own journalling.

    My younger son will do his own albums of special events but only if they can be completed in a day at a crop! He is a fast worker and makes fab pages.

  7. helen salthouse Says:

    I think this is a fairly short answer: bloke came round to the school with books, one of which was about scrapbooking and included a kit. Bought one for Daughter and one for sister as pressies, by the time Sister’s birthday came round had forgotten about it, and ended up digging it out in the Christmas holidays to ‘have a go’. And the rest is history….:D

  8. Little Nat Says:

    I started scrapbooking in 2006. I was living in Grand Cayman at the time and one of the three bookstores on the island had a small section with all these cute papers, albums and embellishments – of course at the time I had no idea what they all were or what they could be used for!

    I would go into the shop week after week and gaze at the pretty things hoping that one day I would have an epiphany about what to do with five rolls of tangerine coloured ribbon!

    Then one day, they added a few books to the section. One was called the encyclopaedia of scrapbooking. I pulled it down and had a flick through. I was immediately hooked and couldn’t get to the counter fast enough to buy a book on my new hobby!

    The rest is history. I read the book, thought about the memories I would preserve and then went back to the store to buy some supplies! The selection was pretty limited but a few weeks later, I discovered that there was a whole world of scrapbooking on the Internet, including massive online stores! The first thing I scrapped was a trip my then boyfriend, now husband, took to Macon, Georgia! I still love that page, even if it is kind of primitive compared to my more recent LOs!

    When I moved back to the UK in 2007, I was pleased to find that scrapbooking was alive and well here too! It was about that time that I discovered you, Shimelle! And I’ve never lpoked back.

  9. DeAnna Yaritz Says:

    So sad…I think my first post was lost during the submit…I will try to retype. What I remember most is that my sister-in-law had a Stampin’ Up party and I was so amazed at what they could do with stamps, markers and glitter. I believe it was the first time that I ever saw embossing powders and that gooey stuff that puffs up. Later, I found a scrapbooking store in the mall and I was hooked. I did as much scrapbooking as I had time for which wasn’t a ton.. Then with my new life, new job, then in school…I didn’t have time to scrap at all. Once I was done with school I really didn’t know what to do with myself and I somehow came across a Youtube video by Kathryn Kreiger “”:http://www.youtube.com/user/desdichaedo. I was amazed and started doing mini albums. Then when my mom passed away it became all about the story and really wanted to get it written down. I came across a little video called “This is why I scrapbook” “ “”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoi5NTUSYps&feature=plcp&context=C49d00bbVDvjVQa1PpcFPF9kqLOq7eRNOaynCphZ5DIWXJp-h3e5o= and then another called “True Stories: Putting Pen to Paper” “:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmnpcRLETNw&feature=plcp&context=C407d68cVDvjVQa1PpcFPF9kqLOq7eRAC_ZPiB-N4-VGPW-HB6qJk=
    both of which basically brought me to tears because it was sincerely what I was looking for, exactly what I needed to put the drive into me (Thanks Shimelle!) So now, here I am and that is my scrapbooking story so far :)

  10. Dana k Says:

    First I’d like to say THANK YOU- for this awesome weekend, and for all the videos you do! It must be such a lot of work, but you can tell you enjoy every minute ! :)

    Ok- so I’d say my obsession began as a girl w/ my diary- which was more like what is a smashbook today- I would put as much as I could in those pages and often liked looking back at all the embellishments more than the actual writing. :) Then in 2004 I started with an actual scrapbook (which I was just looking at my old ones before I went to bed last night- then surprise! Post from Shimelle about when we started scrapping! Haha). Anyways that was when I insisted I needed a photomat w/ a 1/2 inch cardstock boarder on all sides of the photo. Haha- not much thinking outside the box for me then- then I discovered the CORNER ROUNDER- be still my heart! Lol!! Then I put scrapbooking on the backburner for a long time until last yr (after I had a bad horse back riding accident- scrapbooking seemed like a safer fit for me- haha). So that brings me to today- where I leave for Florida in a few hrs and I am wide awake reading ur blog and more excited about when I come back that I’ll have TONS of photos to scrap! Yeah- I’m obsessed… :) ok! Sorry forthe long post… But u DID ask… :) thanks again for your endless inspiration!!!

  11. Helen Overton Says:

    I started Scrapbooking about 5 ish years ago, I went through a phase of pretending I had the patience for Cross Stitch and I was ordering kits from a book club, one month they had a book about scrapbooking, which I’d never heard of at that point, so I ordered the book and never looked back!

  12. Debs14 Says:

    I used to admire the lovely handmade cards that my friend Denise made and then she started scrapbooking. One day she took me to her local craft shop to help me choose some essential equipment so I could have a go too. Then she told me about a great website that did online classes. I checked out the Shimelle website, signed up for one and the rest is history!

  13. KateT Says:

    For me everything started with photography. Then I wanted to make my photos into something and started making decorated photo cards. I bought some card making magazines and expanded into all sorts of cardmaking and then spotted snippets in them about scrapbooking and investigated further. I had always made special event pics up into an album and added memorabilia to it so scrapbooking was the natural next step.

    ** Kate **

  14. Scrapdolly Says:

    That’s a pretty hard one to answer. I think in a way I have always been a scrapbooker. I look back at childhood ‘scrapbooks’ (you know the old kind on sugar paper) and realise I stuck pretty papers and embellishments in alongside the pictures and ephemera. My photo albums – the old sticky plastic variety – have all got annotations and titles and stuff. So I guess moving to what I now think of scrapbooking was a logical step. I saw a demo on TV and I was hooked. I found UKS via a Disney site and I was in. I bought my first proper scrapbooking supplies in 200
    I think for me the interesting change was moving to digital scrapping as well. I started that in about 2008 but not really properly until 2009.
    Now I love both forms equally, sometimes for different reasons.

  15. Mel Says:

    I have to credit QVC! Started card making and went from there. After about two years of buying products and not daring to use them I eventually made a page. At first it was just about a pretty page, something to occupy my time and enjoy using lovely paper products.
    Then I evolved into more of the story side and trying to improve my photography. I agree with you Shimelle it is the combination of little things in our lives we love that makes it perfect.

  16. Kathy Says:

    I was a cardmaker and my friend at work was a scrapbooker. She was interested in attending a retreat and I said I would go with her to keep her company, that was it. I was absolutely hooked.

  17. Sharon Says:

    My mother passed away in 1995 and she was not a good photographer, but a constant photographer. She had photos of us throughout all our lives, as well as our relatives, and her younger days.
    I tried to give my siblings their photos, and they said it was just too painful. So for my brother’s birthday after Mom died, I put together a scrapbook of all his photos, in a happier way than just viewing them, telling the stories as my mother had shared with us. I gave it to my sister to give him, as she was visiting him for his birthday and he lives 3000 miles from me.
    Her comment was “will you do mine?” and she said my brother and his wife sat on the edge of the hotel bed paging thru each album page for hours. So now my photos will all be together, hopefully, with the stories when I’m gone. AND my mother’s!!

  18. Liz Says:

    I started scrapbooking through card making. I started that following an accident that meant I had lots of time to kil, but could not get out much and was not allowed to move around much, I saw a day time TV programme that had card making supplies and thought ‘that would fill the time’.
    Having got the bug with card making I then read an article about scrapbooking and, as I am in the fortunate position to have lots of very old family photos, dating back to the 1900s, I thought that I could combine my joy of playing with paper and glue with my desire to ensure that future generations know who all these stern faces belonged to.
    The rest, as they say, is history and here I am ten years later. I have taught classes in scrapbooking and card making, given that up because of the time I have to spend on my main job. But the good thing about that is I can spend my spare time scrapbooking for me.

  19. tape Says:

    I was really into making graphics with Paint Shop Pro and then they started talking about digital scrapbooking in one of the PSP forums I frequented. It took me a couple of years to get hooked but now I’ve been a digi scrapper for a good six years and a hybrid/paper scrapper for about four.

  20. Diane Says:

    In 1998, I needed to find a birthday gift for my daughter who was turning 17. I was looking in the back of a craft store when I spotted a box to make a photo album complete with everything need to do it. So I bought it and some pens and gave it to her…there was a phamplet with an e-mail addy and from there it was me who got hooked when I started seeing all the things and ideas for scrapbooking. My daughter did complete her album with her high school memories and advebtures and she still scraps, every now and then!

  21. Dawn Says:

    What a great question! I had always done scrapbooks as a kid, loved photograghy even then (I’m 43 so that was a long time ago!) Making books that today would be the equivalent of the Smash books that are all the rage. Then making cards – I made all of my wedding invites back in 1995. Right about that time Creating Keepsakes magazine was beginning to be published and I picked up a copy and have been in love ever since. Or rather it’s like an obsession that has increased as I’ve gotten older but a good obsession! Thank you for this fabulous weekend of prompts and challenges.

  22. LisaE Says:

    In 1991, I wanted to capture my husband (then boyfriend’s) first year together so I made an album with mostly journaling and a few photos. Then each year I did another album usually with some theme and always with regular stationary supplies. I’d notice this aisle in my local craft store with stickers and think those were stickers for kids or teachers. I never pursued any of it until a friend started selling Creative Memories in 2000. I got hooked instantly and my eyes were opened. Suddenly there were magazines and whole stores devoted to this craft. It is amazing what you don’t even notice when you aren’t tuned in. Anyway, my annual projects turned into year long projects and now I do this almost daily. It is the most rewarding hobby I’ve ever had.

  23. shannon Says:

    I have played with scrapbooking my whole life because I enjoy playing with paper and pretty things. I got serious about it when my first baby was born in 2005, she gave me lots of inspiration and now my two kids keep me hopping, picture taking and scrapbooking! I wouldn’t want to preserve our memories any other way! My favorite thing is to walk into a room and my husband and daughter are looking at the pages and reliving those memories!

  24. Moira OReilly Says:

    What a great question ! I loved reading all the answers. What great stories TFS to all. I’ll try to do the short version of mine : Until the age of 40, I “lived” in the corporate world and travelled internationally a lot for my work, actually pretty much constantly. I enjoyed it but very rarely saw anything of the lovely places I went to. Occasionally I would finish on a Thursday and book my flight home on the Saturday or Sunday to get a little local colour and culture but not much more. So in my late forties, and to prepare for my fifties and the next phase of my life, I pretty much sold up, found temporary homes, with family and friends, for what I really wanted to keep and took a one year sabbatical to backpack throughout Europe. That was June 2005. Both space and money were at a premium so the only souvenirs I had were the photos I was taking and memorabilia I collected. When I came back in 2006, I had a vague idea that I wanted to scrapbook my trip and the story. The only notion of scrapbooking I had at the time was the ones my grandmother did when she was a young mother (nothing to do with what we now call scrapbooking, but absolutely cherished nonetheless). A friend told me about a LSS, and I thought that I would go and see, and maybe get some pointers on where to start. I wound up taking a class and totally addiction ensued LOL

  25. Julie Says:

    I starting scrapping when I remarried and moved to a different state. I was home and found Sandy someone on DIY network (can’t remember her last name) So to fill my time until I found a job I started scrapping AND stamping. However when I look back I have found 2 scrapbooks I kept from my teenage years. So I guess I’ve been doing this for awhile….just didn’t have so much stuff. LOL!
    Julie

  26. Monica Says:

    I started at age 8 (back in 1984). I guess I’ve always been a bit of a collector, and back then my scrapbooks had a very smash book type of style. I stuck in notes and photos, images from magazines I loved, and lots of ephemera. Then around 2004 I discovered the world of traditional scrapbooking and I’ve never looked back! I even created a layout documenting the stages of my hobby. You can see it here. It’s so fun to look back and see how my scrapbooking has changed over the years!

  27. Stephanie Christ Says:

    I started scrapbooking after my first son was born (11 years ago). I needed something to do with all those photos I was taking and I thought it was such a waste to just stick them in a box never to been seen again. I also love the idea of my kids having my scrapbooks of our memories to go through with their own families some day.

  28. Blair Mirth Says:

    I think I have always been a scrapbooker, from around 11 I kept copius notebooks filled with memorabilia, photos notes from friends and so forth. When I was in highschool I started scrapbooking, at the time for a year or so my friend did it too – I was hooked- I stopped for a few years due to lack of space and creativity but last year I found the amazing world of scrapbooking again and a local stor 5 minutes from my house and now I could never go back. I have got more layouts done since Shimell’s online classes and two peas than I have in years and in my own local classes. She is my inspiration- true <3

  29. Jeannine H Says:

    I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago when a friend encouraged me to join them at one their crops. Another friend joined me and here we were with our grocery store bags containing a few supplies totally intimidated by the “luggage” full of supplies the other women had! My friend said, “Don’t worry, soon you’ll have accumulated lots of tools and supplies too!” She was not wrong! It’s a great hobby. In closing, I want thank you for this weekend and all your blog posts and classes. I’ve loved your classes and really changed my attitude for the better because of your teaching.

  30. Allie.Duckienz Says:

    I was going for a evening walk in a town I had just moved to. I saw a craft type shop so I peered in the window. As I was about to leave I saw a sign for a scrapbooking class. I had NO idea what that was but I needed to meet new people so I called in the next day and signed up. Seven years later I am still going strong and still love my first page!

  31. marianne Says:

    I have always been a lover of paper, crayons and stickers. In 1998, I saw that QVC had a Today’s Special that was a whole kit for scrapbooking. I was just about to have my second child and thought it looked like fun. Ever since that first box arrived on my doorstep, I have been obsessed and enthralled with this hobby!

  32. Cynthia Says:

    I’ve taken photos since I was a young kid and just stuck them in albums. Photo albums. Where there wasn’t room for journaling or pretty papers. I started scrapbooking slowly, buying solid colored paper and adding bits of journaling. The mania didn’t start until I worked at a craft store and had to learn about the products to help customers. Then I became the customer! I got online and did a simple search for page ideas and was overwhelmed by the wonderously amazing things crafters were making. Good thing the craft store had a sweet little employee discount!! And I’ve been scrapbooking ever since—about 6 years or so!

  33. ConnieM Says:

    I started with Creative Memories~I won a trip, had a team and was my focus for 7 years and then my sis says to me~there is so much more out there besides CM, my business had declined focus was my business not my photos and now things are reversed. Thanks goodness for my sister!!! Love scrapbooking going on 13 yrs!!

  34. Sharon S Says:

    I have been scrapping for 6 years. It started with a purchase of Scrapbook Magazine as I was facinated to see a magazine about something I used to do as a child! I went from there, searching the net,catching bits on the craft shows on the TV, UKScrappers and of course Shimelle! I have never looked back and have way too much stash wanting a home! Thanks Shimelle for all you do to inspire us!

  35. Melissa Says:

    My Mama started a scrapbook for me when I was born and sometime during elementary school I took over adding items to it, so really I’ve scrapbooked most of my life!

  36. LouiseI Says:

    I started scrapbooking at university too – I found some 8 1/2 × 11 papers in a stationery store in Leicester and I used to punch circles and heart to make caterpillars and flower and such like! I scrapped for a couple of years then lost track a little bit but I was reintroduced by a friend who scraps. She pointed me towards UKScrappers and I went a little scrap-mad for the next few years! I’ve been scrapping so much more since I had my son 2 years ago and I love looking back at how my style has evolved over the years!

  37. Tammy Says:

    Years ago, I was visiting a friend in Texas and she showed me how she was combining her photos, memorabilia and stories in a “scrapbook”. I had been in that isle at Michaels, looking at all that stuff and having no clue what to do with it. Why take so much time with it when you can just slide a photo into a photo album?

    But when I saw what my friend was doing, I realized that I could combine my photo album with all the stuff I was saving and keeping in the static cling albums and bonus, I could add stories and journaling too.

    That’s all it took for me. I was soon at Michaels loading up on all the stuff. I found Creating Keepsakes magazine and I never looked back.

  38. kazoulis Says:

    Thanks so much for the time wrap series! I read them today and enjoyed every single post, your writing style is amazing.
    And I started to feel a bit more confident about myself=)
    A couple of years ago or so I wanted to make an album about my recent trip and somehow I googled the word “scrapbooking”. It was like I discovered a new world.

  39. Cecilia Dilnot Smith Says:

    I wanted to take a short 3 hour class to learn something creative. I chose Scrapbooking because I thought that sounded found and borrowed some books about Scrapbooking before the class. After thoose 3 hours I was hooked and that was in Jan 2011.

  40. Berta Says:

    I have always been a crafter, sewing, needlework, doll houses, painting, and stamping since I was a child and then I was invited to a CM party and the rest is history :) I could combine almost all my crafty endeavors and my photo albums into one. Plus, I have a lousy memory, so scrapping helps to remember it all. I have been a crafter since I was 7, and a scrapper since 1999.

  41. TracyBzz Says:

    I started in 2001 when my first daughter was born. I had heard of it a year or two before but didn’t take many pictures (like only a 24 exp a year or so) and I didn’t have kids so what would be the point? Got pregnant, bought some stuff and never looked back!

  42. Barb in AK Says:

    Love these kind of threads, and have read each post. So interesting. I sure would like to know what “sugar paper” is!
    I made a scrapbook when I was a junior and senior in h.s.— it didn’t contain any photos, just lots of memorabilia. Did keep a few things in there from college days, but was ‘way too busy to keep it up. Fast forward to 1997. My son was going to graduate from h.s. and I wanted to scrapbook his “life story” as a graduation present. My friends involved with CM tried to convince me to protect my photos by scrapping using CM products. I didn’t want to commit to someone’s “home business” at that time. But when I looked at my magnetic albums and saw my ds’s baby photos fading away, I did go to a fabric store which sold scrapbook supplies—anyone remember “Paper Pizzaz” and “Stickopotamus Stickers”? Been doing it “my way” since then with lots of inspiration from CM (love their albums), CTMH (great papers and digi product), magazines (Simple Scrapbooks was my favorite), retreats, lss, and websites (I visit about a dozen sites a day plus surf). I have about 40 albums right now, and have made several mini-albums for friends and family. Doesn’t look like I’ll be stopping anytime soon ;) Oh, btw, the “album” for my ds’s graduation turned into 3 fat albums, and they are sitting right here on my bookshelf. He can have them when I’m dead and gone ;)

  43. Mary M. Says:

    I can’t quite remember how I first heard about scrapbooking, it may have been from a lady at work who was doing Creative Memories. I was a senior in high school and didn’t have a lot of money for supplies but as soon as I saw the products at Michael’s I was hooked! That was 1999, and I actually did not scrapbook very much for the following 10 years because I was in college and never had time, but I continued to collect supplies here and there. Then after graduation I decided I needed to get “serious” about my hobby, and then I discovered the online community. I have learned so much in the last 2 years from online classes – and this blog! – and I’m looking forward to many more fun years of scrapping! =)

  44. abbeyviolet Says:

    I had a friend who had been scrapbooking in college and was very crafty generally. I resisted trying it until after study abroad when I really wanted to capture my summer in Europe. She sat me down with her stash and some very themey things we bought at the craft store and it was the beginning of my introduction and evolution into scrapbooking. That was 2001. My style is much different now, but we still scrapbook together a few times a year and love it.

  45. Megan Smith Says:

    I came to scrapbooking by way of photography. I love photography and took several photography classes in high school and college. So, eventually I had a ton of photos (and these were actual prints because this was the pre-digital era) that needed a home. I thought plain photo albums were boring and I also wanted to be able to store memorabilia with those photos too. Hence, I found the perfect solution in scrapbooking.

  46. debbie clark Says:

    I have always had a creative outlet in my Life. I was exposed to scrapbooking in 1998. I chose not to do it as my life was too busy. I did keep my photos in albums chronologically, but didn’t scrapbook. In 2006 I got my daughter interested in the hobby as she is such an artistic and detailed lady. She loved it and still loves it. I began myself shortly after, mainly to have an interest in something she loved to do. Now my health has kept me from gardening and other creative outlets, and Jenn and I have wonderful times together in a craft we both love.

  47. Sharis Says:

    My friend, Sara, was taking a class at the local scrapbook store to do her wedding albulm. I thought it looked fun and signed up for a class. I was hooked. it combined my 3 faves: pictures, stories and crafts! Truth be told though; I made a lot of collages when I was younger, so in a way I was scrapping w/o the stories.

  48. lisa h Says:

    My cousin first told me about scrapbooking and I was just not interested. Fast forward a few years to 1999. I was a newlywed who was also newly laid off from work. I watched Aleene’s creative living every day. They piqued my interest. Photos! Paper! Stickers! I ran to Michael’s and bought some inexpensive supplies and made my first album about a vacation my husband and I took the previous year. Way back then I was doing hybrid scrapping to save money on embellishments, lol.

  49. jen Says:

    I started at a Creative Memories party back in 2000. I quickly got hooked and branched out beyond the CM “way”. It wasn’t until 2004 when I got more serious about scrapbooking … I found 2peas, and the rest is history!

  50. Kirsteen Says:

    I discovered scrapbooking through cardmaking. But my obsession really took off after a trip to Orlando in 2005.

  51. KellyB Says:

    Way back in high school (I graduated in 94) I started “scrapbooking” in the loosest term possible, and when I got out of the Navy in 1999 I went to a Creative Memories crop with a friend and fell in love. I was not really a fan of the CM process though, so I found an LSS and started exploring! The rest is history!

  52. Katherine Sutton Says:

    Well…I guess a bit like Dolly I had scrapped a trip to NZ in an art album I got, just arranged the photos on black paper with some of the leaflets and other bits we got and then commented underneath about where the shot was. But properly started scrapping in around 2006 when my mother-in-law (it is all her fault) bought me a big colorbok kit from QVC. I had dabbled in lots of crafts so she often choose me crafty presents, and I left the kit lying around for a bit….then I picked it up and did a few pages of the kids, and decided to do year and holiday albums, then I found ukscrappers and all the wonderfulness that is out there on the internet and just love it :D so it is my main craft and I can while away several hours playing with pretty bits of paper :)

  53. Linsey Says:

    My grandmother bought me my first album and paper pad as a Christmas gift when I was 13 years old. I had never even heard of scrapbooking, but I loved taking photos and grew up in a very crafty family. I love looking back at some of the first pages I created with those supplies and seeing how my creativity and knowledge of design has grown!

  54. Amanda Says:

    I became aware of scrapbooking around 2004, but at that time I was happy with putting my photos in an album. I went digital in 2008 and we also took our first foreign holiday that year – a cruise in the Norwegian fjords. I wanted to print my photos rather than leave them on the computer and I wanted to record information about the places we went. A scrapbook was the perfect combination of words and pictures and I’ve been scrapping ever since.

  55. Debbie P Says:

    It was about 1999 and a co-worker brought in a book that I think was from Fiskars or The Paper Patch. It showed layouts that were created with decorative scissors, photos and stickers with little bits of patterned paper in between. I had always wanted to make a scrapbook (like your old time ones-pictures and captions), but I knew I wanted to have it be more decorative. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I immediately went out & purchased every decorative scissor and Paper Patch paper and started cutting away. My style has gotten better for sure, and my passion remains the same.

  56. Monica Says:

    Crikey I still remember quite clearly when i got “suckered” into a world of scrapbooking :o) I lived in a very male dominated world,as a civil engineering technician there wasnt much colour in my my life. I designed and drew highways and roads, everything thing is pretty much black and white and parallel…hahaha Upon a visit home to Australia my sister in law showed me some scrapping layouts she had just done of my niece and nephew and I thought they were amazing. What a way to add colour to my bland world!!! I came back to the uk and did and googled scrapbooking and of course found UK Scrappers and the rest as they say is history :o)

  57. furrypig Says:

    scrapbooking in the traditional sense I did when I was a child. But in a really new way as preserving memories and photos I discovered via an online card forum talking to others and exploring the internet and became inspired!

  58. Pepper Says:

    I always love to make cards when i’m young. I make cards for everyone! and for all festivals! But I started scrapbooking only less than 2 years ago! I believe i’m sort of a newbie to many of you ladies here. I started because i went into one of the LSS and i got very inspired. Actually about 4 years ago, I already have the idea of starting this hobby, however i know i have to be a little more financially independent before i can do so. Hence only until i go into university and at the same time find part time jobs, then i started my hobby real :D

  59. Sinead Says:

    I started scrapping about four or five years ago. I got a present of a really simple scrapbook kit from my Mum for Christmas, and used it a little, mostly copying the examples that were given on the box. Then a few months later, I was sick with an awful flu and in my boredom, being confined to the house for about two weeks, I unearthed the scrapbook. To try get a few more ideas, I googled scrapbooking and WOW! I had no idea that it was such a huge thing, especially in America. I found shimelle.com and Two Peas and I was immediately hooked. I started buying supplies online (I’m from Ireland and scrapping isn’t very big here), and uploading my layouts to online galleries etc. It was the perfect hobby for me, as it combined photography, which I love, and getting creative:) I’ve been scrapping ever since!

  60. Lorna Ellis Says:

    Quite simply QVC. I watched them do it for ages and then ordered a K&co kit. It sat around for ages and then I went to a class at You can Make it and then I was hooked and used the products that had been sitting around in a box for ages. I still have the old K&co album but my pages have changed a lot since then

  61. Lorraine Says:

    As a child growing up, I had a “traditional” scrapbook – and have always been a collector of “ephemera” when going anywhere. Then in the late 90’s I was introduced to scrapbooking as it is known today at a Creative Memories party. My scrapbooking technique has changes so much over the years…but the reason behind doing it is still the same.

  62. tilla Says:

    I heard about scrapbooking around 2005, but only tried a class in 2007 – which I thought was horrible ! The instructor made me tear and ink every single piece of paper and then stuck down everything at an angle ! I went home and took it all apart and did it the way I liked it ! By the end of that year I had loads of stash and eventually found a teacher that just let you do what you want ! I scrap with her once a month and the rest of the time at home.

  63. Shelly Says:

    Way back in my high school days I was invited to a Creative Memories party. I’ve been an avid collector of scrapbooking supplies since then. ;) Only recently, say the last year or so, have I been actively scrapping – it’s been great using up my stash.

  64. Christina Collins Says:

    Unknowingly, I have always scrapbooked. When I was younger I would cut up magazines and make my own personal magazine with them. I would cut up pictures and put them in a ‘memory journal’ along with a bit of journaling and doodling. While it wasn’t very fancy – it was scrapbooking. It wasn’t until years later that I decided I wanted to preserve photos of my daughter in the best way possible. After a bit of researching – I found quite a few videos on YouTube about scrapbooking. The videos really intrigued me and just a few days later I was at a local craft store buying a bunch of supplies and trying my hand at the craft! I fell in love within the first snip of paper.

  65. margie visnick Says:

    I guess I have always sort of scrapbooked, but I really “found it” 13 years ago when I was pregnant with my oldest child and wanted a way to record her memories for her.

  66. Siobhan Fry Says:

    I started with a Lakeland cardmaking kit about six years ago, and then found UKS on the internet one night…it didn’t make much sense to me then…I think there was a cybercrop on and as a non-member all I could see was all these mad posts on the front page. A few months later I read an article on scrapbooking in a card making magazine, which sparked my curiosity again so I made an almost direct copy of the example layout in the magazine, and then I made another with some of the shiny papers they used to give away (yuck!)I was hooked and went on a stash spending spree. I think it took me another six months before I actually made another layout though, I was scared to commit anything with glue lol!

  67. sonia Says:

    in high school, they use to provide us with agendas, and I use to tape stuff to it, write lyrics of favorite songs, drawings… come to think of it, it was the original smash book.

  68. Mel Says:

    I’ve been a paper-crafter since high school, and that’s a LONG time ago, but I didn’t really scrapbook until 2003/2004. I was into stamping, so I would see scrapbooking supplies in stores where I bought stamping stuff, and I resisted the siren song for a long time because it was all a little overwhelming. All that stuff! What to do with it? Where to begin?

    Then, a friend of mine started selling Stampin’ Up!, and that was the doorway for me. I finally surrendered to temptation and started scrapbooking, as well as cardmaking.

  69. Crystal Says:

    Gosh, this is a hard question, I think I’ve always done some type of journal, and often those memory books that you could get where it had prompts for to fill in “your favorite food” “your favorite movie”. I started my first traditional book, wehn I was pregnant with my son, 13 years ago. I’ve been pretty constant since then. I’m no where near “caught up”. I dont’ scrap chronologically, and sometimes there have been crazy times where weeks go by with nothing done. But I love it, and always get back to it soon.

  70. Malin/malwa Says:

    I’ve always had a love for pretty papers and pens and did a decorated album of my own for my oldest DD, but I started scrapbooking (i.e. using the term and the stuff espacially made for it) five years ago, after a family vacation on the island Isla de Margarita in the Caribbean. Loved it ever since. :)

  71. Tammie Says:

    I’ve been creating “scrapbooks” for 42 years… starting with those notebook & construction compilations of major news events – RFK assn, Watergate, etc. But the real bug hit 13 yrs ago with the birth of my granddaughter. My daughter brought home a kit and a love began that has been a constant companion through good and bad.

  72. Karen G. Says:

    For my tenth, or maybe eleventh, birthday (for the life of me I can’t remember) my grandma got me a set of stamps because a lot of her friends were scrapbookers and cardmakers. I started making cards and then branched out to scrapbooking and I have been scrappin’ ever since.

  73. Jennifer Says:

    My mother went to a Creative Memories when I was engaged way back in 1997 and decided to make a scrapbook for DH and me. It has a few pages of us growing up and dating, showers, and the wedding in it. In 1999 I decided to scrap out honeymoon pics and add to the album, and I’ve been scrapping ever since. I have always been one to keep “memory books” when I was growing up and took lots of pictures so I guess in a way I have always been a scrapbooker.

  74. Rochelle O Says:

    98 or 99 in college. One of my younger friends was graduating from high school and had done a memory board with pictures and Jolie’s stickers for her graduation party. I thought they were so cute and ended up buying some patterned paper and stickers from hobby lobby not too long after. Hooked ever since! :0)

  75. Terri Torrez Says:

    I scrapped when I was younger then stopped until I got pregnant with my son in 2002. One day I went into the craft store intending to buy a photo album to cover in blue fabric. Instead I came out with several bags of scrapbooking supplies. I had no idea such things even existed and I was instantly hooked.

  76. Patricia Says:

    I’ve always made scrapbooks of odds and ends – my Dad worked in the print and there were always bits of paper and such like around the house. Discovering ‘proper’ scrapbooking was a series of fortunate discoveries – I saw a layout in Papercraft Inspirations which prompted me to find my nearest supplier. The shop was a train and a bus journey away, but it was so lovely and the staff so helpful that I left with the makings of my first layout – the shop had the exact papers for the layout in the magazine, so my first layout was almost a straight scraplift. Then several magazines came on the market and I was hooked! Later I found a nearer shop which ran workshops and I still go there every week to scrap.

    I feel so lucky with how I progressed – I found a second shop before the one I go to now; the staff were snotty and a bit rude, the workshop was uninspiring and they really went for the hard sell. If I’d gone to that shop first, I’d never have carried on and would have missed out on so much creative fun.

  77. So.Ceative Says:

    In 2006, a friend of mine told me she was preparing a sort of album with embellishments and photos and I realized it was exactly what i’m used to since I’m 12!!!! But it truly has a name “scrapbooking” and since I’m addict…

  78. Miriam Prantner Says:

    I had scrapbooks when I was in high school, mostly for my field hockey team. I didn’t really know what I was doing then, and I probably wouldn’t even necessarily have called it scrapbooking. I used photos, and magazine clippings for phrases. After college I went to a Creative Memories party and started more ‘tradtional’ scrapbooking, and from there my style has grown and evolved.

  79. Lauri Says:

    I started ‘scrapbooking’ when I was 12 years old (30+ years ago). it wasn’t until i was exposed to Creative Memories in 1996 that I realized I could be cute stickers and die cuts on my pages! Oh how far we’ve come!!

  80. Deborah Mahnken Says:

    I kept scrapbooks all through school – taped certificates & photos, etc. But it wasn’t until after my kids were born and their baby books were full that I got interested. I went to a Creative Memories party and felt lost. Soon after I picked up a few magazines (CK, Scrapbooks, Etc.)and saw what people were doing and I was hooked.

  81. Jamie Hensley Says:

    I have been a scrapper since I was a kid, but this involved using the old brown glue and pasting newspaper clippings in an old type of scrapbook. Then in high school I added dried corsages and memorabilia, and eventually evolved into cutting out magazine words to go with photos. In 1998 my daughter attended a Creative Memories party, and she quickly got me involved in “real” scrapping. My style has continued to change and grow, and I will always scrap!

    JamieH

  82. flip coin Says:

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