Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Scrapbooking popular, useful hobby

By MEMRIE KING
News-Journal Correspondent

PALM COAST — Scrapbooking can be a fun and expressive way to bridge the gap between past, present and future.

Started in the past as a means of collecting and storing items of interest to a particular person, they have become time capsules of sorts that give us a glimpse of our predecessors and their lives and are a fun way to pass on our interests to future generations.

The history of scrapbooking began more than 100 years ago. Generally, they were homemade books with poems, journal-writings, newspaper clippings or collections filling their pages.

What began as a hobby, however, has transcended time and brings historical significance to our ever-changing world. Questions about our culture and our ancestors can be answered in some of the oldest scrapbooks.

The popularity of scrapbooks waned with the introduction of cameras during the middle of the 19th century, as people opted to put their photos into newly-created photo albums.

However, some people -- mostly teenagers -- kept the idea alive by keeping journals of their innermost feelings and surrounding them with photographs and memorabilia of their lives.

Today, scrapbooking has re-emerged and is perhaps more popular than ever. The growing availability of products for making scrapbooks is making it easier and not in any way less creative for people today to make and share their own memories.

“It´s great to share your heritage with future generations,” said Amanda Harding, a consultant with Creative Memories, who helps plan scrapbooking parties for friends to get together and create their own scrapbooks.

You don´t have to be an artist. All you need is a little time and some creative effort to make something you will be proud of and your family will cherish for years to come.

“One thing people always say to me is, ‘I´ll do it later,´ but you never know what tomorrow will bring and you personally are the expert on the details of your own family,” Harding said. Besides, don´t your pictures and collections deserve better than a box?

MAKING YOUR OWN

Be descriptive. Label people, places, events or items to make them more interesting.

Use products that are acid- and ligament-free to add to the length of preservation of your keepsakes, especially news articles and photographs.

Personalize as much as possible, keeping in mind that the best books will be the ones that most represent your own individuality.

Have fun, enjoy, be creative and preserve some history.

Special Project: THE FLORIDA QUEST Laptop Lauren and the Trackers are the main characters in the Florida Quest, a 4-week, multi-media project involving thousands of students in Volusia and Flagler counties. In this quest they discover Homefront and Heritage!