5 Reasons Why You Should Start Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking has evolved over the years; not only does it include the traditional method you think of when you hear the word scrapbook, but it now encompasses so much more. Digital scrapbooking, bullet journals, mini albums and pocket pages are only a few of the ways that people scrapbook today.

There are so many reasons why people fall in love with scrapbooking.

Why should you start scrapbooking?

Well, if you love to take photos and document your life, scrapbooking might be right up your alley. It’s perfect for those who want to record their milestones, celebrations, vacations, or just their daily life.

Plus, you’ll finally print off your photos and give them somewhere beautiful to exist. Another reason you might want to start scrapbooking is that it provides an excellent way to express your creativity.

Not to mention that participating in creative and artistic hobbies has been proven to have several health benefits. Scrapbooking also offers a unique opportunity to make friends and have social connections. Not to mention the many benefits of having a fun hobby in your life.

Scrapbooking is the perfect hobby for people who like to be creative and love to mix art with a love of recording their life and memories.

It may seem to some that scrapbooking has all but disappeared (check out our article What Happened To Scrapbooking), but there is still an active community that would love to welcome more people to the hobby.

illustriation of mom and daughter looking at scrapbook together

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1. A Record Of Your Life

Most people start creating scrapbooks because they want to document something special: a family vacation, a wedding, or a new baby. But scrapbooks are also a fantastic way to record your everyday life. While life’s milestones, celebrations and vacations are fun to look back on, don’t forget to record the daily stuff that your family can look back on later in life will fond memories.

Your memory is not as great as you think it is. You may think you remember something, such as a celebration or a vacation, but if you compare your memory with someone else who experienced the same thing, you’ll find that there are two different versions. Humans are natural storytellers, so as the years go on without realizing it, you subconsciously alter your memory a bit at a time.

This is why scrapbooking is such a great hobby for recording special moments and milestones and your daily life. There has also been some evidence that is writing something down helps you remember.  Here’s a great article that may convince you of the value of writing down memories.

Preserve your memories and history for future generations to get to know you.

2. Do Something With All Those Photos

I’m sure you’re like me and have hundreds if not thousands of photos sitting on a device, memory stick or in the cloud somewhere.

It seems like we forgot that the purpose of taking the photo is to print it off. But it’s also super overwhelming to have those hundreds or thousands of pictures sitting it piles or envelopes taking up space and stressing you out.

There is an easy way to find balance when you have a lot of photographs.

  1. Don’t print out every picture. Be selective and choose only your favourites.
  2. Delete photos right away that you don’t like. Whether digitally or physically, they take up space, and it’s a pain to have to go back and do it later. Currently, I store my photos in iCloud, but I’m slowly moving them to Google Photos. It’s secure, and best of all, it’s free.
  3. Buy a small home photo printer like the Canon Selphy (link to Amazon). This way, you can always print pictures from home if you’d like.

Storing most of your photos on your computer or online will help save space in your home and keep the overwhelm away.

One other benefit of scrapbooking is that you become much more intentional and thoughtful about the pictures you take. You start to see through the lens of your camera or smartphone a little bit differently.

woman writing in a journal surrounded by photos, tickets and postcards.

3. A Creative Outlet

A creative outlet is a way of expressing your thoughts, feelings and emotions into an activity or hobby such as writing, painting, knitting, or (in our case) scrapbooking.

Creativity brings so many good things to your life. When you are creative regularly, you become better at problem-solving, have an easier time coping when life gets tough, and give your brain a workout.

One of the great things about scrapbooking is that there are no rules for creating your pages. You can express yourself in a way that is truly you and find your unique style and techniques.

Browse through Pinterest boards, and you’ll soon get an idea of which style you like best. Do you like minimal embellishments? One large photo or lots of small images? It’s all up to you what your pages look like, especially once you add the pictures of your loved ones and write down memories.

4. Health Benefits

Becoming a scrapbooker is excellent for your health!

Some of the benefits you’ll see are:

  • helps reduce stress
  • alleviates depression and anxiety

When you sit down to scrapbook, the first benefit is choosing the time for yourself. It can be difficult when you’re busy with work, family and other responsibilities; it can be hard to put yourself first. Taking time for yourself is such an essential factor in self-care and overall health.

Once you start working on your scrapbook, your brain will release dopamine. You’ll feel happier and satisfied, not to mention increasing your self-confidence, self-esteem and feelings of accomplishment.

For more information on the correlation between crafting and your mental health click here and here.

Many people equate crafting with meditation. It gives you focus, you begin to concentrate on your scrapbook, other thoughts disappear, and you get into the zone. Your stress starts to melt away.

Scrapbooking is also an enjoyable hobby for seniors. It helps keep their mind active as well as bring back fond memories of past events and their family. There has also been some evidence that when seniors keep their brains busy and learning, it can possibly slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

three women working together at a board room table

5. Social Connection

One of the best parts of scrapbooking is all the new friends you make. It’s common for scrapbookers to get together to create with one another. Often called crops, scrapbooking retreats or workshops, they are a great time. Groups of scrapbookers get together to share inspiration, tips, laughter gossip and usually involve pizza, appetizers and wine.

Unfortunately, the disappearance of many local scrapbooking stores has made these in-person crops harder to find, especially in smaller towns. Luckily there is a way to connect with other scrapbookers now also to connect online. There are many forums, online classes and even virtual retreats you can join.

Conclusion

Scrapbooking is such a great hobby to start. It is excellent for your health, mentally and physically. It gives you a creative outlet and a whole new fun community of friends. And probably the most important reason is to create something for yourself and your family to record your history and memories.

Save It For Later

young child looking at scrapbook with grandmother

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