Having decided that I have loads of photos that are just sitting in albums doing not a lot - you know the photo stuck in the album and that is it - and others that are just in a box doing nothing at all, I ventured forth to see what I could do with them to make them more interesting. Then, whilst browsing the web looking at crafty things I came across the term "scrapbooking". Thoughts of old scrapbooks from my past (well just the one) where I had pictures stuck into my scrapbook with old tickets and things. Well scrapbooking is much more creative and so I am now fully involved in scrapbooking!
Scrapbooking today is different to what you may have done as a child when you collected objects from holidays (old tickets etc) or just daily things that you wanted to keep to remember and stuck them down into a scrapbook (maybe with sellotape). Today, scrapbooking is the same concept but the focus is on preserving these memories and to do so scrapbookers take into consideration the products that are used in order to preserve these precious memories.
The products used are one of the most important aspects and the products we use secure the longevity of the scrapbook itself. I expect we all have photo albums that are the "magnetic" type, where you stick your photo onto a sticky board and place over it an acetate like sheet. These will over time ruin the photos and aid in their deterioration. Scrapbookers use archival safe products. By using archival products (ie papers and products that are acid/lignin free) I am able to extend the life of my photos, by doing this I hope that in many years to come when I am no longer around my descendants will be able to look through the albums I have created to see how their ancestors lived.
Scrapbooking is growing in popularity in the United Kingdom and is a "big" thing in the USA which is where a lot of products are imported from (at the moment!).
Scrapbooking is a great creative outlet, if you are tempted, there are many websites that can get you started! The place that got me hooked, was Two Peas in a Bucket!
Before scrapbooking there was (and still is) cardmaking and also cross-stitch, although I haven't picked up a needle and embroidery floss for a very long time, I can't ignore it and so I have a cross-stitch page (link over on the left!).