Scrapbooking…
Sounds like child play right?
Well, children might have a thing or two to teach us adults about indulging in the art of play. But before we learn from the kids, let’s talk about the history of scrapbooking.
You may have heard words like junk journalling, scrapbooking and commonplace book. I use all of these terms interchangeably and indulge in all three because I can. I don’t follow any protocols when it comes to my scrapbook and I think that’s the beauty of the experience. You make of it what you want, unless of course, you do this for a living.
It is worth mentioning that there are subtle differences between the three of them. Junk journals are messier versions of a scrapbook. Throw in it what you wish without any design thought or need for longevity. Scrapbooks on the other hand, tend to be neater and more thought through because these are memories you want to hold on to for a much longer period of time. It might even be something you hope to pass on to your family members as a memento of your time on earth. With the internet and all things digital, lots of scrapbooks are now made and housed online. There are lots of companies that offer scrapbook services as a way to tell a story with all the pictures we have on our phones
A commonplace book is more distinct (in my opinion) as it allows you to write down all your the things you’ve learned in one place. This is slightly different to a diary. A diary/journal is all about your personal reflections. I personally use my Hobonichi cousin as a planner, journal, scrapbook and commonplace book. The main reason I use it as a catchall is because everything that goes into it is reflective of my day. Whereas in my bigger scrapbook
Benefits of scrapbooking
- Collect physical inspiration in one place. I’ve had my current scrapbook for about 11 years. It’s a very special one as it has magazine clippings from Shop Til You Drop (remember this magazine?) and some articles that have inspired me on my journey to living a life of luxury and acquired taste.This is probably one that i’ll never throw away and enjoy looking through as I get younger 🙂 When I made the decision to purchase this scrapbook years ago, I wanted the biggest scrapbook I could find so that I could fit years’ worth of memories in it.
- Style journal. I remember the very first time I wanted to create my own magazine of styles I could refer back to. It was in 2004 and I was really inspired by some outfits i’d seen in the Glamour UK magazine. In that moment, I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if I had a collection of pictures that reflected the style I want to achieve? This would allow me to slowly curate my wardrobe (still working on this) and never struggle to find what to wear. It would also allow me to only save what I need instead of hoarding magazine copies and moving with them. I still save style inspirations, but I now do this on Pinterest as I rarely purchase fashion magazines these days.
- Frozen in time. Everything I currently have in my scrapbook brings back a certain memory. Whenever I flick through, I can almost remember exactly where I was (physically and mentally) when I saved those clippings and stuck them down in my book.
- Therapeutic. I often find the time I spend scrapbooking relaxing. As someone who’s mind is always racing, it’s one of the few moments where my mind is calm and i’m just focused on the enjoyment of crafting. For me, one of the things that makes it therapeutic is not having a plan in mind on how the scrapbook session should turn out. I’m purely focused on filtering the things I want to stick down, ensuring that each one has a happy and positive memory associated with it. Sometimes, it can just be that the photograph in question made me smile, or the magazine clipping inspired me to do something else and I want to retain that inspiration. Needless to say, there’s no right or wrong way for me as long as the experience is pleasing and stress-free
- Creativity and encourages play. One of the things we stop doing as adults is playing just for the fun of it. It’s one of the pastimes as a kid that I miss, but struggle to keep up with. Did you know that one of the benefits of play is developing your imagination and creativity? If you’ve ever felt uninspired or lacking creativity, give yourself permission to indulge in some form of play with your kids and/or family friends. You might learn a thing or two
Do you currently scrapbook, journal or keep a commonplace book? I would love to hear your thoughts.
