Scrapbooking Fun Fun Fun

I love to scrapbook. For all those people who don't or won't scrapbook, where the heck do you keep all your pictures? I understand the art of scrapbooking can seem kind of intimidating, and possibly time consuming. Who wouldn't be overwhelmed by a box full of pictures or whole stores devoted entirely to scrapbooking supplies? What really starts to overwhelm me is that fact that I get the crazy idea that I needed to make a separate book for each of my six children, plus a family one. Yeah, I try to do this while raising the six children. Crazy.

So here is how I handle it: I am of the mind that it is more important for me to get the pictures in the book than to have an award worthy layout on every page. I love to spend time on a sweet spread with perfectly coordinating paper, stickers, bards, etc. when I have the time. Which is not to often. And seriously, what is really important -- the pictures or the stuff around them? So I try to keep it simple.

My other secret: SCRAPBOOK RETREAT!!!! Yes, this is why I have been lax in my blogging duties (once I got over the flu). A friend of mine invites me and two other friends up to her family's cabin once a year. We take out the back seat of her van and load it with our scrap booking totes, food, and even try to fit in some PJ's and toothpaste. Then it's out for dinner and then up to the cabin. The scrapbooking, snacking, and laughing lasts until about 2:00 am, then we hit the hay and get back at it in the morning. We usually last until two or three in the afternoon, then we sadly pack up our supplies, proudly count up how many pages we've completed, and head back to the hubbies and kids.

My count this year? Twenty six pages. Not too bad. If I had scrapped more and talked less I could probably have squeezed in a few more, but we were having fun. One of my friends got thirty six done, and we all had a great time and a feeling of getting something accomplished too!