Scrapbooking More Popular Than Golf!

I thought that you guys would like this post via http://www.fredericksburg.com that suggests that scrapbooking is now more popular than golf. Well, we all knew that anyway didn't we!

Scrapbooking More Popular Than Golf!

Modern scrapbooking began in the early 1980s when the first scrapbooking store opened in Utah. But the hobby really exploded about 10 years ago, turning into a $2.5 billion annual industry.

In fact, the pastime is now more popular than golf. That's right. Golf.

One in three households has a scrapbooker, compared with one in four households with a golfer, according to the Craft and Hobby Association.

As the hobby has grown, it has evolved. It provides a growing market for women entrepreneurs, a way to celebrate faith and a way to raise money for charities.

Cheryl Menders is one of the women who have broken into the scrapbooking business. Two years ago, the longtime scrapbooker created the Croppin' Companion--plastic folders for pages in progress. They have a large pocket for storing a scrapbook page and two smaller pockets--one at the top and one at the bottom--for photos, memorabilia and other items.
The mother of three runs the business from her Stafford County basement. The folders are available at croppincompanion.com.

Menders, who has a master's degree in physical therapy, never expected to become a business owner. But she's glad scrapbooking has provided the opportunity.
"It's a God-sized project. It's been his since the beginning," she said. "I couldn't do it on my own."

KEEPING THE FAITH

Scrapbooking also provides a spiritual outlet for a growing number of people.

Lori Reed of Spotsylvania County runs a monthly "faithbooking" group at Salem Baptist Church.
Reed, a Creative Memories consultant, provides a layout, usually tied to Scripture or a biblical story.

"We want to pass our faith down to our children and let them know it's important to us," Reed said.

Scrapbooking has long had a strong spiritual component, said Brent Plate, an assistant professor of religion and visual arts at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.

We live in a world that has gotten rid of many of its rituals, Plate said. Scrapbooking has provided a new kind of ritual.

"It tells a group of people where they came from, who they are in the present and gives them a chance to form a community in the present," he said.

Faithbooking takes this idea a step further, Plate said.

In the old days, rites of initiation, such as baptisms and communions, were hugely important.
These ceremonies have been de-emphasized in many modern churches. Faithbooking fills in this gap.

"It passes down the faith and belonging in the community," he said.
YOU'RE INVITED

Gathering to scrapbook has been another key component of the hobby.

Scrapbookers meet for informal crops at friends' homes and for weekend crop sessions at hotels and scrapbooking stores.

There are even scrapbooking cruises for those who'd like to devote their vacation to their passion.

However, more scrapbookers are cropping for causes.

For instance, Ouellet and Menders were two of dozens who met for a weekend crop at Salem Baptist Church to raise money for the church's praise team.

This fall, scrapbooking stores across the country will host ScrapPink crops to raise money for breast cancer research, said Lisa Kanak, an owner of The Cropper's Corner in Central Park.

"You'll be seeing more things like that happen," Kanak said.


Here's some advice from Cheryl Menders: DO scrapbook the pictures you most recently developed and then work backward as you get more comfortable.

DON'T buy too many supplies before you actually need them.

DO be sure all materials including the adhesive are acid free and photo safe.

DON'T scrapbook every photo--just use the ones that help you tell your story. File the rest.

DO make photos the focus of the page. Be careful when choosing decorative papers and embellishments like stickers, which can easily overwhelm the photos.

DON'T forget to include not only details like the place, date and the people involved but also emotions attached to the photos, when appropriate.

DO use photo corners to position photos or documents--like birth certificates--you might want to take out of your books later.

DON'T be afraid to crop your photos to emphasize the person or detail in them.

DO scan or take photos of 3-D items like trophies, medals or school projects so they can be used in your books without adding bulk.

DON'T wait until you think you have enough time--start today.


SCRAPBOOKING TRENDS The trend these days is toward simple and clean pages, said Kanak of The Cropper's Corner.

Many scrapbookers are using fewer photos and fewer embellishments per page, she said.
The emphasis is on photos and backgrounds that capture a feeling.

"It's the less-is-more approach," she said.

Black and white pictures and geometric shapes are other big trends, said Theresa Buzsta, a manager and buyer for Scrapdoodles in Central Park.

Embellishments made with felt and velvet ribbons are also popular now, Buzsta said.