For many people taking photos and putting them into an album is a simple one-step task. And yet others take it one step further with creativity.
Scrapbooking has become a craze for some and a fun hobby to pass the time for others. Junior Allison Bayless got her start in scrapbooking after seeing her sister make a book from her study abroad trip to Europe. I saw her doing it and having a lot of fun
so I wanted to start doing it Bayless said. Tracy Shust, a buyer for Cross Court Cards & Gifts, 45 S. Court St., said she's always had a scrapbook since she was 12.
Making a scrapbook is quite enjoyable therapeutic and gives you a sense of accomplishment
she said.
Cross Court offers a scrapbook workshop every Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight. Each workshop costs $5 and is limited to 12 people. Those who want to participate can sign up two to three weeks in advance. June Meadows, another buyer for Cross Court, said that instruction and help are offered in the workshop to those who are just starting. We can help a person play with layouts of pages and get them started on basic tools
Meadows said.
For those just beginning, basic tools such as adhesive for photos, a paper cutter, an X-Acto knife, a self-healing mat (which extends the life of the blade and is easy to maneuver) and an album are needed. Albums can range in price from $6.95 to $39.95 depending upon the kind.
While scrapbooking might appear to be an expensive pastime, in order to help keep expenses down, Bayless makes a lot of her own decorating materials, such as ribbons for bows instead of buying them. (Scrapbooking) can be really expensive if you want to go all out. You kind of have to watch what you are buying because it can add up really fast
she said.
Freshman Rachel Straughn said she tries to be thrifty to keep costs down as well. She uses any creative materials she comes across, such as textured paper or newspaper to keep her hobby from becoming expensive.
After purchasing the necessary materials, choosing a topic for the scrapbook is the next step.
Shust and Meadows said that most people who make scrapbooks do them on key events. Depending on the age of the scrapbooker, they said that popular topics include birthdays, big nights out, friends, family and vacations.
One time we had a couple come in for the workshop and worked on a book together. They did a book about their dating life
and once they completed the book
they brought it home to their families to announce their engagement
Meadows said.
Bayless' three scrapbooks include time spent in high school, with her sorority, Delta Zeta, and college life.
Straughn said her scrapbooks are more random. I make pages about different days
trips that I go on with my friends or events with my family. I do them as I go along; it's a record of my life
she said.
While Cross Court has seen an increase in the amount of women who participate in the workshops in the past few months, there are very few men who scrapbook, Meadows said.
It's a gender issue and a priority thing. Men don't always think to take photographs
