Scrapbook Eloquence

  A very close friend got married a couple of weeks back.  I was invited to the wedding.  But there was one little problem.  The ceremony was held in America and I could not fly out to join in the celebration.

But all was not lose.  A bridal shower had been organized by dear friends. An appropriate gift could be sent through friends who were flying out to attend the wedding. But that was not all.  Those who could not make it, like me, were given the task of coming up with relationship tips.  How to handle finances, conflicts, relatives and such other issues that married couples face to insure a long and happy ever after ending.

I was assigned to come up with tips on how to keep the “bedroom fires” burning long after the honeymoon stage. A tricky subject.  Although I have been married a little over 30 years, my hubby and I are still hard at work keeping the embers glowing.

But I was never one to back away from a challenge.  I could have written up a list—jotting down dos and don’ts. I could have search the net for possible help and  come up with an impressive report with matching statistics.  Then on second thought, this just felt too dry and impersonal.  I could have gone to a bookstore and pick up the latest best seller on marriage.  Again, although convenient, this lacked warmth and connection.

Finally after much thought, I delivered my piece in a way that I hoped would be more personal, fun and interesting.

Why just use words, when I can use pictures of my friend and her fiancé, comic strips, rhinestones, lace and doily, stickers, quotable quotes and even a recipe to tackle my assigned topic. A scrapbook of  hot tips.

 

After three long nights of cutting, lay outing and pasting, the scrapbook was done. I wrapped the scrapbook in two layers of cover.  First, in a butterfly printed scarf with a double purpose: to follow thru with the nature motif of the scrapbook and as a useful and creative aid in “firebuilding” efforts; and second, in wrapping paper that also echoed the nature theme. 

Here's hoping my suggestions will help keep the fire lights burning for years and years to come. 

Cheers to the new couple—B and  J.

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Scrapbooking can be a creative way to preserve memories.  I have nothing against collating photos in a photo album.

But adding little touches here and there makes for an interesting composition. That period in time when the photos were taken can be expressed more eloquently with meaningful add-ons artfully incorporated.

Here are bits of scrapbook making suggestion:

1.  To keep things neat, keep all your scrapbooking materials in a large box/es or drawer/s.  When you need to do a project, you have all you need in one place.

2.  Most basic tools would be a good pair of scissors, a glue gun, glue sticks and a bottle of glue. Include pretty photo albums.  I like albums made from recycled paper. 

3.  Be sure to save those invitations, gift tags, greeting cards, bits of wrapping paper, comic strips and ribbons.  Buttons, feathers and dried flowers make for interesting compositions.

4.  Keep a small pile of magazines—a great source for printed taglines and such. 

5.  Many bookstores now have an aisle or two of  scrapbook add-ons, ready-made frames, rhinestones and stickers.

6.  Have lots and lots of space to work on your scrapbook.

7.  Before starting on a scrapbook project, take the time to think of the person (what is he/she like), the occasion, so that you can come up with the themes and color schemes so that the resulting scrapbook have some rhythm and reason.  Example: I came up with a scrapbook containing the lyrics of songs and pictures of musical instruments for a music loving, piano playing friend.

8.  Cut out quotes from those short inspirational booklets.  Many on a variety of subject matter (love, friendship, family, life) can be had cheaply at second hand bookstores.

9.  For a cute birthday scrapbook, why not incorporate pictures of memorable figures from nursery rhythm books or action comics.

10.  Consider stick figure drawings along the edges of a page.  Dab a little color with the use of crayons and paints.

 

11.  Travel scrapbooks are made more informative with maps, plane and bus tickets, calling cards, candy wrappers, stamps, and articles about the place visited.

Give this a try the next time you have a batch of pictures waiting to be put together.