Scrapbooking Is Family History

The word “scrapbooking” may be intimidating to a lot of people. I’m sure people think, “That’s not for me”, or “I can’t do that”. But, if you are interested in Family History, you might just find that you can be interested in scrapbooking too. In my mind, scrapbooking IS family history. Without a doubt.

Scrapbooking doesn’t have to always mean frilly pages, done by bored Moms who spend way too much money on supplies. While to me, scrapbooking is an art form, and my creative outlet, I also look at it in the following ways:

It is a way to preserve my own memory. I have a horrible memory, and scrapbooking helps me to remember all the big and little things that happen in my life and the lives of my family.

It is a journal. As I scrapbook, I also journal on the pages of my albums. I write dates down, talk about a certain event, and preserve a special moment in my life. To me, all of these things make up family history.

It is an heirloom. I put a lot of time into my scrapbooks. I spend countless hours trying to make them beautiful and special. I hope that I can pass down my scrapbooks for future generations to know more about me. I hope one day my children will treasure them because they were also a part of me.

It is a way to give my photos respect. On this blog, I will most likely talk a lot about how you can give your photos respect by displaying them through scrapbooking. Photos are meant to be looked at, or else, why do we take them in the first place? Leaving your photos in a box does not give them respect. I would also say that slapping them in an album without a note, or a date is doing the same thing.

Preservation, journaling, heirlooms, and respect are all words I would use when talking about family history.  As I continue to write on the subject of scrapbooking your genealogy, I hope to help the average family historian see that there are many ways that we can “scrapbook” our family history. It doesn’t have to be all about the cute and the fancy. Although, if you love that, like I do, that’s OK. But, it is also about taking the event, the place, or the memory behind the photo and turning it into something special that will serve a purpose. That purpose is maintaining and passing on, your family history.