Scrapbooking by Thomasine Rappold

When I’m not writing romance novels or working at my day job, I enjoy working with my hands. I’m no expert at any particular craft or hobby; I don’t knit or sew, and unlike Daisy Lansing, the heroine of The Lady Who Drew Me In, I don’t paint or draw.

My favorite projects involve making something old seem new again.  I have a tendency to hang on to things of sentimental value. When there are memories attached, it’s hard to let go, and my basement is crowded with old furniture I plan to refinish one day, and other items I can’t seem to toss out. These stored treasures include special cards, letters, and various paperwork as well.

Like most proud moms, during my daughters’ childhoods, I’d put away special school papers; award certificates, programs from school plays and science fairs, drawings, and every report card and school photo since kindergarten.  By the time my eldest daughter was a senior (thirteen years ago!) I had a large stack of papers crammed in my hope chest. I knew it was silly to keep it all—I had to get rid of it—it had to go…but where?

Scrapbooking had become popular, so rather than trashing the material, I decided to use what I’d collected to create a book to give to my daughter for her high school graduation. A keepsake that depicted the years of her school life, the years that—to me, anyway—had flown by in a flash.

Capturing Memories with Digital Scrapbooking by Mae Clair

As a kid, I loved scrapbooking, but fell out of the habit as I got older. There was a period when I was too busy with other things to pause and tuck memories away in a book. Today, I’ll dig out those old scrapbooks with their crinkly pages, magazine clippings and faded photos, and take a stroll down memory lane. I love old photographs, even when they’re yellowed and faded. That’s part of the charm of yesteryear.

Several years ago, a friend introduced me to digital scrapbooking. At first, I had no idea what she was talking about. Scrapbooking I understood, but digital scrapbooking? If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it’s the creative process of saving treasured memories in a digital format. I’ve since created memory books themed around birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, even holidays. They make lovely keepsakes and gifts, and are fairly easy to do.