Oh, you know I have some thoughts on this. And tomorrow – Wednesday – I will be in Salt Lake City in the KSL studio as we are having a LIVE discussion about the question. If you live in Utah, tune in to watch Studio 5 tomorrow. We’re LIVE at 11 am on KSL 5. Out of staters can stream it live on this website as well. And of course it will be on the Studio 5 website after the show. I’ll add a link at the bottom of this post as soon as I’m able to get around to that.
I’m honored that the producers invited me to join several others, each with our own take, to forecast into the future for real solutions on memory-keeping and of course offer some suggestions that will inspire those who want to do something with their pictures NOW. Other guests include my dear friend Stacy Julian, the ever-adorable Rhonna Farrer, and even Michael Katchen from 1000 Memories. It’s going to be a fun hour!
Check out this 30-second clip about the show on YouTube.
So I’m asking you — What are YOUR thoughts on this topic? Is scrapbooking dead? Why or why not?
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{ ADDED NOTE | NOV. 16 }
Hey guys. It’s Friday and I’m back from our whirlwind adventure in Utah, which included Studio 5. Missed it? No problem. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can watch the show and here are the links to the various segments of that program:
Is Scrapbooking Dead? An introduction to the question, a look at real-life problems with people who have let scrapbooking slip out of their life, and a very lively roundtable discussion between the Studio 5 hosts, me, Stacy Julian, and Rhonna Farrer.
Documenting the Everyday: Project Life. This was my segment to chat about how people can simplify the process of scrapbooking with the Project Life system.
Three Principles of Simply Story-telling. Stacy shares her passion and her tips for the story-telling part of memory-keeping.
Fancy Phone Photo Embellishments. Rhonna’s segment and she’s all about the digital age and having fun with memory-keeping in this context.
Empty a Shoebox of Photos. Michael from 1000 Memories shares all about the coolest new way to digitize old photos with the Shoebox app.
Huge shout-out to the producers and staff at KSL who really did a great job pulling together a terrific show on a topic that is so important – and fun!
No, I don’t think it is dead at all, I think it’s evolving and changing with the times. If you’re talking about traditional scrapbooking, I still see plenty of folks doing layouts (Ali Edwards anyone?) but I think more and more people are making scrapbooking what they want it to be. Project Life, Shutterfly photo books, etc. I still consider a digital album scrapbooking, because in my mind, scrapbooking = memory keeping.
And I think today, people are recording memories more than ever. The ability to take photos and videos on your phone is allowing this to happen.
No it’s not! There are a lot of people I know that still scrapbook, whether it be with Project Life or the old fashioned way [which I do both]. So many people are scrapbooking but many don’t post it on the web, it is shared “the old fashioned way”, by showing when company is over. [I still do this as well because I'm proud of the various scrapbooks I have created over many many years in all different forms and fashions].
I don’t belive scrapbooking is dead, but it may be taking a long winter nap! I also think that “seasoned” scrapbookers have streamlined their processes and are able to scrap at a different level and make use of all those products that they “hoarded” for years. I also believe that people who are just getting into scrapbooking may be a little overwhelmed by all the products that are available. For me personally, I have been so busy with life, i havent had time to scrap it. But with a new baby on the way, nothing gets me more motivated than making sure she, along with my son have all the memories of their life documented in a fun creative way.
I agree with Michelle. I scrapbooked all if the time, but had to slow down a bit when my little one was born. I have picked up again, but I have noticed with all of the local stores closing and the economy taking a dive, I think scrapbooking is just on haitus for the time being. I used to scrap 12×12, but with my son I find it easier to scrap mini albums and I can get more done. I also think smash books are making it easier and offer less pressure time wise to finish a project. People are going the digital route, although I prefer traditional scrapping. I would like to try project life because all you need to add are photos and journaling. Scrapbooking is ever evolving and memory keeping is so important. It will be interesting to see the directions scrapbooking will take.
I know more people that scrapbook now than I did 10 years ago!
I’m with Melissa. Maybe it’s going to change some more down the line, but aren’t old skool camera’s like lomography becoming more popular through instagram and such applications? Isn’t there still a wave of ‘diy’, knitting, cooking… I think there will always be trends and followers, but scrapbooking to me is more a philosophy and way of life, than it is just a pass-time. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks about it this way. Maybe the trend is fading, but the philosophy will always be there, be it digital or on paper.
I think it’s a catch 22 situation. So many of us are remanded to the “cookie cutter” chain craft stores for our scrapbooking supplies since our local scrapbook stores are closing, that many of us resort to other ways to document our journey.
No, I don’t believe scrapbooking is dead. People have more options now on how to scrapbook. I think traditional scrapbooking is not just memory keeping for many, I think it’s also their art. So of course people still love making those more traditional layouts as well as go the more simplified route of memory keeping like project life.
I went to Scrapfest this year (Archiver’s big thing at Mall of America). Judging from those crowds, it’s a LONG WAY from dead. I love Archiver’s, Michael’s, and Becky Higgins. Every one offers me something different! I have zero time right now to do “traditional” layouts so I’m a Project Life advocate, but some day the little kids will not need my time so much, and I look forward to playing with my supplies again.
I don’t think scrapbooking is dead, but it has certainly undergone many changes.
When I started scrapbooking, the scrapbook section at Michael’s or Joann’s was nothing more than cardstock, a few “themey” pattern papers and just as themey stickers. There seemed to be “Rules” in place on how to scrapbook. First, people gathered ideas from magazines, the scrapbook section now takes up 4 or more aisles. Now, we as a society have grown more and evolved so scrapbooking has exploded online as well as maintained it’s place at local “big box” stores. I have the option of idea galleries, shopping online and I can include my own personality and style into my pages/projects better than I ever could before.
The “right” way to scrapbook has faded dramatically and people have more freedom to do things their own way. Scrapbooking a traditional layout isn’t your only option; we now have mini books, art journals, Project Life, Digital scrapbooking and all sorts of amazing things in between.
I’ve been scrapbooking for 8 years and it has changed a lot from when I started. Eight years ago I was all about the stickers and paper and now I can’t even remember the last time I bought a sheet of stickers! I love traditional scrapbooking for my kids albums but am loving Project Life for family and everyday life. It helps me to document somethings I may have left out of my traditional albums. I make albums on shutterfly and also do a lot of digital scrapping with software. Even though I do some digitally I don’t enjoy it near as much as traditional scrapping. I just figured I better get with the times so when that’s all there is I will know what I’m doing.
I don’t think so…no way…now at all!!!!
I don’t believe scrapbooking is dead. But if you change that question a bit to “is memory keeping dead?” then I think the answer is NO it’s growing by leaps and bounds! Perhaps the reality is that how we keep our memories is growing and changing with the times. People blog, update facebook, tweet, to share their photos and memories. And to me that is a form of scrapbooking. They also create photo books, project life, and yes even traditional scrapbook pages. I don’t think that one can look at the magazines that have closed or the LSS closings and say that the industry is dying. I think that if you look at Big Picture or Project Life you can see that the desire to capture and record memories is very much alive. It is just shifting and changing, and those that don’t shift along with the market won’t be able to sustain their business. Personally I feel like scrapbooking is very much alive and well. And I’m so glad that it is!
I don’t believe scrapbooking is dead, but it has certainly changed a lot. First of all, there aren’t as many small scrapbooking businesses anymore (sad – it was nice to get personalized help with stuff) – they seem to have been driven out of business by big craft stores and online ordering. I think that most people are looking for more economical ways to do scrapbooking (such as Project Life). If you ever see any of the scrapbooking shows on HSN, most of the stuff sells out! So, is scrapbooking dead? Not for me or my friends!
absolutely not! it is just evolving.
I don’t think it’s dead…but it’s moved to a new more all-encompassing state where traditional 12×12 paper scrapping is not the only acceptable method. I feel like it is morphing into individual concepts, as individual as the many scrappers out there, which may make it seem like it’s fading, but in fact, it is just changing faces. Like with the advent of desk top publishing that put control into the users hands and put a lot of small publishing business out of work, increased internet resources, including, but not limited to, digital scrapbooking, has put a lot of the design process on people’s computers….where they can upload to make a book, digi scrap and use a print service, or print at home and add to a paper layout. I do feel like scrapbooking demographics are aging, and many of the younger crafters are embracing multiple crafts…cooking, knitting, quilting, as well as scrapbooking. All of these things working together along with a slow economy have worked together to put some magazines and some brick and mortar stores out of business, but I don’t think scrapbooking is going anywhere. But it might be wearing a new outfit.
Personally when I think of scrapbooking… I think about how intricate and how pretty the page is and then of course a photo on top of all that. I’ve realized over the years and 4 kids later that the scrapbooking part of it doesn’t really matter…it’s really the stories that matter. I’d like to say scrapbooking might be dead but memory keeping certainly isn’t!!! I also shy away from the label of “scrapbooker” and prefer to be the story teller or memory keeper of the family. The stories are easy to tell and sometimes all the product gets in the way of that!
I read this comment after I posted mine and I certainly concur! People hear ‘scrapbooking’ and they think of traditional scrapbooking that became popular in the last decade or two. My mom, 79 years old, has a ‘scrapbook’ that she did in her teens and twenties. The old fashioned kind; big, black with yellowing pages and those black corner slits holding everything in. It’s smelly (that old smell), yellowing and not very beautiful (as compared to today’s scrapbooks) but it is priceless nonetheless. It is about memory keeping and story telling and I am that person for our family as well.
I don’t know about scrap booking per se (or whatever your definition of it is) but after watching grown women (and men) in their 60′s crying after Hurricane Sandy as they picked through their ruins looking for their beloved wedding and family photos, especially the ones of THEIR mothers, fathers and grandparents, I would say memory keeping or ‘scrap booking’ is NOT dead. To those people, those were the things of value they were willing to rummage through garbage, wreckage and water for. Keep this in mind when you are speaking tomorrow Becky. It just broke my heart how they were desperately looking for a photo or a momento of some sort. People forget in this digital age that NOT all photos are on a computer. Our parents and our grandparents have priceless photo collections that they do not necessarily ‘scan’ into a computer (if they even have one and many do not-my parents for example) and something needs to be done with those photos. You know we forget that not that long ago we were actually going to the store to drop off and pick up prints not just leaving them on a computer to hang out where no one but you can see them (unless you take the time to print them or share them via email, Facebook, etc.). Okay, I’m off my soapbox. Granted, many of the photos lost and searched for may not have been ‘scrap booked’ the way we identify with it, but they are precious pieces of history even if they were just in a dresser drawer or thrown in a box. To those who survived Hurricane Sandy, those photos were the scrap book of their lives.
This comment made me sad. And thankful for the “scrapbooking” I do. (Project Life style, of course).
I am with Cheryl. It broke my heart to see those people looking for photos. I know I would be devestated.
I love doing my books for my family because I don’t have much of my childhood.
No. It’s has evolved, is evolving and will continue to. If you broaden your definition of scrapbooking or rather simplify it to anything that involves capturing photos and words then it’s stronger than ever. With Facebook, blogs, cell phone photography people are capturing and perserving their memories is more ways now more than ever. So many new(ish) styles digital scrapbooking and projects like Project Life, Smash Book style are drawing people in. If people are accepted in any form they choose then it will never die.
Never ask a scrapbooker………….LOL.
Seriously; I think scrapbooking was on its top when the economy was at its best, scrapbooking can be a very expensive hobby so there will be lots of people that quit during the economical crisis. But also a lot of people quit that started just because scrapping was the hip thing to do, they lost their interest and moved on to a different hobby. On the other hand: There’s also lots of people that are finally using their stash. I spend entire 2011 scrapping without buying a thing. And trust me, I made a lot of pages!
Are you kidding?! Not at all! It might change here and there, but overall, it’s very much alive. Creative minds will always exist, and also people who love photographs. Therefore, scrapbooks (or whatever they’re called at the time) and the industry will never have a problem,I believe.
It’s not dead — it’s just moved online! Seriously, the online stores have replaced the local stores. The online magazines have replaced the paper magazines. The online photo processors. The online classes. The online photo sharing. The online photobook making. Etc etc etc.
But traditional scrapbooking still lives! I just got together yesterday with a friend and we both made traditional pages. I hope we always will!
Scrapbooking is certainly not dead! Scrapbooking has been around for ages- my mom had a scrapbook, my grandma did, and my great grandma would have too if she had been rich enough to afford paper. Scrapbooking is a lot older than most people think, and it still has a very long life ahead of it.
I don’t think it’s dead at all. l People have a desire to have their ‘memories’ available in a nice format. But I think that after years of cutting, pasting, stamping and fretting over layouts – people are ready for something much more simple. I have the ‘other’ scrapbooks – about 10 of them….HUGE ones. But I haven’t worked on the current one that has been on my family room table for almost 2 years. I should never have taken that old college scrapbook apart to redo – but I did! I’m about halfway done with it – and I get overwhelmed just looking at the pile of pictures that are left. Society has become busier – so the cataloging of memories needs to be easier!
Thanks for what you do!
I think it is more alive than ever. It is just taking different forms. Project Life gives us a better way to document our lives without trying to make a masterpiece out of each layout or photo we do. I still like to to do a traditional layout every so often but now I have the freedom to do so with out feeling guilty for getting behind. Facebook and Instagram also give us another way to document life. It is just different media that some of us prefer. I love telling my story and leaving a legacy for my family to have for generations!
I don’t think it has died nor will it. We all want to keep a record of our lives. How we each do it is different.
Naturally,we dont think its dead– just evolving since Project Life a(nd digital scrapbookin)g has brought scrapbooking to a different place. I do think the traditional scrapbooking as we once new it (ala QVC,mega kits etc) has declined. I dont see the intensity in that arena as it was. Im happy to see it evolve, but I do think it has leveled off to some degree. We see different hobbies (knitting/scrpbooking etc) go through their height/peak of trendiness, then settle into its nitch.
I guess it depends who you talk to. I’ve been scrapping seriously for over 15 years–when my supplies included scissors (no paper trimmer), glue stick, card stock, stickers and a pen. I still have these books and still love to look through them because of the memories not the style.
Like most people have said, scraping has evolved. I now do the traditional 12×12 with papers and embellishments, digital in various sizes, and now my favorite has been Project Life which has almost taken me full circle. I would never give up one for the other.
I’m always in the middle of the scrapbook. Right now I’m completing my annual scrapbook for my 3 DIL which I give to them at Christmas. (And, boy do they ever love these). These annual scrapbooks will be about 20-30 pages each be hybrid ( traditional, PL plastics, and digital. Previously I have done just traditional, then went to digital, and now hybrid.
However, in my circle of friends and relatives no one else scraps. “I don’t have time” is what they tell me although I’ve tried to convince them if they would just take their pics off their phones and cameras, print them, put them in plastics, include some dates, and put them in book they could. So far, no takers. I can see why my DIL don’t bother–I do it for them–they just give me a disc with their pics.
This is my legacy to my grandchildren and perhaps one of them will follow in my footsteps. You should let your memories sit on your computer.
Changing, yes. Dying, no. The products we buy as well as the way we buy (shopping moving online) are changing and will continue to do so. If you don’t change with the market, then you do die.
I think the definition has expanded. 10 years ago a sideshow was not considered scrapbooking now it is, same with photo books, they were considered photo albums, now they are also considered scrapbooks. I think the definition of scrapbooking has evolved into what we all call now memory keeping and scrapbooking and memory keeping are now interchangeable.
Scrapbooking in its basic definition is alive and well and will always be as long as we are taking pictures. But the uber-excessive decorative scrapbook pages are definitely falling by the wayside. Scrapbooking is evolving as it always has since photography became accessible to the masses. It depends on how you define “scrapbooking.” In the olden days, it was a crappy paper book with photo corners and a pen. Then it became “magnetic pages” and plastic sleeve albums with a write-on strip. Then it evolved into theme stickers, fancy-cut scissors and punches. Then it evolved into an full fledged art form with die cutting machines, embossing tools, rubber stamps, various inks, adhesives, paint, bobbles, sewing, etc. Now I see it evolving into more digitally-driven or hybrid solutions, streamlined appearance, simple clean lines, less is more, and an “I don’t have time for that other crap” ideology.
Scrapbooking to me: photos displayed in some sort of book with some sort of writing and/or documentation is a scrapbook, no matter if it’s fancy and decorated or not. My neighbor is 65 years old and started putting together photo albums of his granddaughter. He would peruse Michaels’ sticker aisles to find bobbles to supplement the photos He would then write a little caption for each photo. When he showed me his albums I said, “Joe! You’re a scrapbooker?!” He was totally shocked at the label I gave him. He said, “I wouldn’t exactly call these *scrapbooks.*” I said, “Those are TOTALLY scrapbooks!” I guess it depends on your perspective…
I am curious why they would even think that? Has something happened or has a trend been seen by others? Of course it is a baited question since all the guests are totally going to be biased as they should be ( : Will they have someone to”defend” a different answer? Could be interesting. I don’t think it is dead, i think it changes with the times. Just like PL and digital and things like that. And it could be it would depend on the answer where you asked it, another State, another country, etc.
For me it depends on how you define “scrapbooking”. If you are talking about traditional paper scrapbooking, I wouldn’t say it is dead, but its definately on life support! From someone who has been a scrapbooker since my teen years, I have completely changed the way I “scrapbook” in the last couple of years…moving from paper and adhesive to almost entirely digital or in the Project Life format. Actually Project Life is now exclusively the ONLY scrapbook I do for my family! And, you know what? I have actually FINISHED two entire albums…cant say that has ever happened to me before:)
All I know is….I TRULY MISS IT! I miss the stores (Idaho Falls ALWAYS struggled) and I miss the crops and I TRULY miss the creativity it provided me. The memories that I had the chance to document and enjoy are still there, but I don’t make the time like I once did for the whole process. Dang! I miss it!
I know what you mean….. I miss the weekends where everyone would get together and spend HOURS creating pages and layouts. It’s almost worth saving everything up and then getting together with a group of people to smash out some project life pages…
It was a community and that community is becoming all digital with blogs and things…. not meets..
I MISS IT TOO!!
I don’t believe that its dead but it has changed and grown to include many different ways to preserve our memories. As someone who is doing Project Life and the good old fashioned 12×12 and other size pages I can say that I wish manufacturers would provide some of the good old classic colors and simple patterns and designs. As time and money have limited what I am able to do I find that I use the same basic colors over and over and I love it. However it can be hard to find just some good old fashioned kraft colored, white or black cardstock. I love the way Project Life has helped me get back to the basics.
I will definitely be tuning in to Studio 5 tomorrow as I live just outside of Salt Lake. Can’t wait to see you and Stacey!
I agree with much that has been said here…and the one thing that is dead for me is buying, buying, buying. It was either Project t Life, old age or my 2 children under age 4 that made me realize that my “traditional” scrapbooks were nothing more than pieces of art. I wasn’t story telling – just presenting my photos in a beautiful way. Not all bad. But, I am now different. Needless to say, I’ve lost the desire to aquire and am embarking on a journey that is different than my past.
Traditional scrapbooking – for me – is pretty dead and gone. I no longer have any desire to buy traditional scrapbook supplies and do “layouts” like I used to. Since discovering what my own personal style really is (just photos + words – no extras) and realizing I was investing way too money and time in traditional layouts, I’ve pretty much given it up. I’m IN LOVE with simpler, less expensive, and more basic/streamlined ways to preserve memories such as Project Life (of course!) and even just your basic photo book from any online company is wonderful. I love having a timeless, classic look for my photos/memories rather than looking back on my pages and wondering “Why the heck did I cut my pictures in all those shapes or add that embellishment that back then I thought was so cute and now I don’t particularly like?”
As long as I’m doing something with my photos and trying to record a few memories, I’m happy! I don’t need the extras and embellishments to feel like I’ve properly documented. It’s so liberating!!
I look back at some of those embellishents and think to my self “what were you thinking” lol
Now with just words and photos…. its easier and looks better cause in the future we wont dislike our photos or words.
I don’t believe that its dead its just evolved it to what each of us wants it to be …a big trend at the moment is Pinterest is this not a form of scrapbooking I think it is….
long live scrapping in what ever form it takes…
I started scrapbooking with my Mum when I was 13 and now i’m addicted to recording my life in whatever way possible. I was encouraged to start proect life once I found a diary of my grandmother’s from the year she died. I loved the idea of reading that in 1972 on February 16 my Dad came home with a black eye…. I wanted to see that. So I started Project life to record my life for my kids and grandkids and into the future. Scrapbooking is not dead. The generations to come are getting more creative (no more weird stickers and paper strips) and are creating things for the future. We take more photos now than ever before and the thought of the computer “crashing” and us loosing everything is motivation to keep it going.
Good luck with your discussion.
I thought I didn’t have anything extra to add but I was just on Facebook and saw that Simple Stories just reached 10,000 likes. Your page has over 34,000 (wow!). What has happened to the SB industry is a simple case of economics. We all have too much stuff. Demand has gone down. Life is crazy, not enough time to do the intricate pages. Supply of time, down. Demand for “traditional supplies”, down. The point? It’s not dead. At all. The interest and passion is there. How we are going about it is changing.
Since I just spent an hour organizing my Project Life supplies (while watching “The Avengers” and eating chocolate covered cherries) for a scrapbook night with friends this Friday, I would have to say, “No.” Keeping a record of our lives will never go out of style.
Are you me? Can I come hang out at your house?
…I’ll bring chocolate frosted tesseracts…
I think scrapbooking of old…12×12 pages with lots of emblishments has been replaced by “mini books” and Project Life. Brisbane’s top scrapbooking shops all closed down in the past 2 years however the low price point stores (Kmart, Big W, Spotlight) stock a small supply of scrapbooking stuff more for craft line than scrapbooking. I remember spending hours on a double spread, buying cardstock and products and using a max of 4-5 photos and that was it for one story.
The introduction of digital cameras meant that instead of taking 2 rolls of 36 exposures on a holiday we could come back home with 500-700 digital photos because it didn’t cost any money to keep taking photos therefore lots of stories remain on our computers.
Introducing Project Life has been just what people needed in terms of telling stories, price point and these days “TIME”. Most people are mums (and not all of them) but most people telling the stories are mums with more than one child and time is very limited so to introduce a system that requires a pen and a photo was brilliant and means that anyone could do it – you didn’t have to be creative to put a page together.
I love when people do their little “mini” books Elise, Dear Lizzy etc. because they are little books with more traditional bits and pieces.
I have lots of 12×12 albums with stories told but storing those albums does become a problem because if they don’t fit in the house they have to be stored in the garage and if they are in the garage no one looks at them.
So in answer to your question, with the introduction of digital photo books and the closing of scrapbook shops I think that scrapbooking has evolved and we are perhaps working smarter, not harder to tell our stories.
I’m so glad that you put all the effort into developing Project Life because in today’s world it is the “GO TO” product for creative scrapbookers or non creative people. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
DEAD!as in the OLD ways of scrapbooking. But I only say that IF a person doesn’t use Project Life and not only because of you Becky – - but because the “old ways” of scrapbooking not only COSTS WAY MUCH MORE than Project Life – - but all the stuff you have to purchase – - paper, stickers, stamps, tape, binders, jackets etc…..I have found that having Project Life in my LIFE – - is way easier and I have accomplished more with my Project Life books because it INCLUDES EVERYTHING then I have in all the years I have scrapbooked.
Ok – - that’s just my thoughts
The retail numbers must be down as an industry for them ???
We have seen local small stores close, magazines go out of business, others limit how often it gets printed. So there must be a shift — thus the topic is it dead? Maybe napping relative to the boom it had.
Yay so fun, I am excited to see you even if it is just on tv!
Maybe the statement is that it’s not as “trendy” as it used to be. I hit the point where I got frustrated with looking through Creating Keepsakes and seeing one photo pages with 50 different techniques and canceled my subscription for a while. It became overwhelming. People not only didn’t have money, but didn’t have time to keep up with every new trend (one month it’s wire, one month it’s glitter, next month it’s stamping). So, in that sense, yeah, it’s dying off – even scrapbook stores couldn’t keep up. I think that’s why they hit a wall. It wouldn’t be long before the “new” stuff was on clearance just a few weeks later. Now, people want a simpler way to capture memories and tell their stories and gave themselves permission (thanks to people like Cathy Zielski and Becky Higgins) to simplify.
Yes, and the people winning all the contests, being featured all the time, and what not were either on design teams (and had access to free stuff) or did very involved pages. I realized that neither applied to me and what I did or wanted to do, so that’s when my love affair ended. I was sad when Simple Scrapbooks ended b/c they were a great example of the kind of traditional scrapbooking I wanted to do (back when I did it:) Less of a focus on trendy and more focus on classic and simple.
Absolutely not dead! For some it’s a hobby, for others it’s as integral to our lives as water. It’s a necessity. It’s our record. My family has always ‘scrapbooked’. They just didn’t call it that. I’m thankful for this. My Maternal Grandmother had Alzheimers Disease, and I was young, but have fond memories of her sitting in bed, going through old photo albums and naming every person in there. She didn’t know my mother’s name at the time. I have to think this influenced my desire to have books, and take a gazillion photos, and remember our lives, now & for later! I don’t have kids to pass any of this onto, neither does my sister. I do this for myself, for the creative outlet, as much as for the record, and because I enjoy looking back at it all! Wonderful memories, and some not-so-wonderful, but that’s life, right? It’s all worth remembering. It’s all worth documenting, in whatever way you choose. It’s just a bonus that there so many ways to accomplish that now! Evolving & ever-changeing I would say, but definitely not dead!
Not at all! I still attend 2 weekend events every year. One is a small group of 10-12 women, where we rent a scrap house in PA, and the other is a bit larger with 40-50 women. The second was started by a good friend of mine who just loves to scrap and puts together this awesome weekend with vendors, and classes. I agree that it has changed. I know even for myself…our everyday is Project Life, my son’s School Days album is traditional 12 X 12, and then every year I put together a digital album for my husband for Father’s Day. They all serve certain purposes and needs.
OK, I’ll be the bad guy here. I think it is dying. And it makes me very, very sad. I used to scrapbook weekly with a group of friends. Sometimes there would be 8 or so of us scrapping on a weekday night. Now, I’m the only one who scraps, and honestly, I’ve only scrapped a few times this YEAR. I used to scrapbook at least twice a week! I attribute it largely to the fact that the magazines are dying out, and they were my constant stream of inspiration. But they can’t survive if the product lines don’t survive, since scrapbook magazines rely on revenue from advertising from those product lines. The problem is, when we simplify scrapbooking like we do with Project Life and other methods, we reduce the need for scrapbooking products, which reduces income for potential inspiration sources like magazines. Sure, there are inspiration sources online. But I sit at a computer for large chunks of my day for work, and honestly, I’m not nearly as apt to spend time looking for inspiration from a screen as I would from a printed, in-my-hand magazine. I’ve seen my own desire to scrap wane over the years, and although I still have a passion for it (and all of the elements involved – journaling, photography and memory-keeping), I am not inspired regularly, and so my actual scrappin’ time has dwindled significantly. The simpler versions don’t seem to satisfy my urge to create individualized, creative pages (that’s where I find the most enjoyment in the hobby), and so I don’t see that they’ll be something I would seriously consider long-term. Sorry! Am I the only one who feels this way?
When you mentioned this during the class chat today I totally thought you said “Scrapbooking the dead.” That would have gone in a whole different direction!
I’m super excited to watch the show; it will be really interesting to hear the discussion! I think it really depends on your definition of “scrapbooking” … maybe making layouts with paper has lost some popularity (personally I find it hard to justify the cost in Dubai, the products costs double!) due to the increase in digital methods. Plus its so much easier to share digital creations, photos etc nowadays than ever before, plus its so instant!
I struggle to be honest since I love to create with paper, but our humid climate does not love glue, and I worry that when we eventually leave, all my albums would get lost or damaged (I have plenty of experience with the not so careful packing companies out here). Having said that, all of my PL albums are paper, bar last year (which I am waiting to arrive from Ziblio). When that arrives, I will decide if I want to go ahead and move to digital. I truly do believe that paper products are way too expensive; for the cost of a paper pack and some embellies locally, I can purchase a whole PL kit (including shipping from Amazon) and record a whole year of memories for about the same cost. Its a no brainer really! And in support of digital, hopefully, it will always be available to re-print, multiple copies can be made and its so much easier! Its all good ….
I also believe that memory keeping is very much on the increase, its just in a different format than say 10 years ago.
Sue
LOL, I didn’t mean to say “I struggle to be honest”, really should read my writing before I hit post, oopppsss ……
Sue
Oh, no! Just because it doesn’t interest some people anymore, it certainly is not dead! It’s always amazing to see other people find this hobby and fall in love with it just like we did a number of years ago. I am doing my second year of PL, but it never replaced my traditional scrapbooking layouts. I keep PL very simple, just for the purpose of documentation and as a place to keep more photos, since I will never scrapbook them all.
….gosh i hope not cos i have A LOAD of wasted stuff in my scrappy room otherwise!!!
i think it had morphed into this new….’we dont have enough time’ style…but i think it is up to each person….their own style will still shine through!!
well for me anyway!!!
let our own style shine…and remember its all about the story telling in what ever form it comes….. go forth and SCRAP!!!
As people pass through different stages in their life… their hobbies and interests and even priorities will change. For some individual people, scrapbooking may be dead. But as a whole… not a chance! We have just got to broaden our definition of what scrapbooking is. Whether it is done on the walls of caves, or traditionally with all the fancy stuff, or Project Life style, or digital, or in smash books, or if it’s on social networking sites (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc), or if it’s old school style with pictures just stuck to a page with photo corners, or even if photos are just stuck into photo albums with a few words jotted on the back, scrapbooking has existed since the dawn of time and will continue to exist clear through the end of time. Styles may change. Individual priorities will change. But scrapbooking isn’t going any where!
This is so funny because I just asked a discussion thread last week. It came about because a friend of mine said she will no longer be scrapbooking and if getting rid of all her stuff. She just doesn’t like it anymore. I got to wonder if maybe the speak booking is going away and a new wave is coming. It’s clearly not entirely dead because there are thousands that scrapbook, but it is clear lss has a hard time staying open and competing with on-line stores. Without a lot of scrapbooking store visually for everyone to see one could assume scrapbooking is dead. It’s alive and well just more virtual in the sense of blogging, YouTube, message boards and virtual crops. Scrapbooking has also grew new trends along the year, like Project life, that changes the whole idea of “scrapbooking” for some. Scrapbooking shouldn’t be based on the style or method they use, but the fact that they are preserving memories through pictures and/or journaling. I am seeing a lot of smash books come back in the picture, you have junk journals, mixed media, digital, and of course PL. Scrapbooking is alive and well just takes on different forms for different people.
Great question Becky and wish I could listen to your talk.
Scrapbooking is alive and well and just changing with the times. Scrapbooking will never die as long as there are people with photos and memories.
Long Live Scrapbooking.
No it;s not dead. It’s just evolved with the times. It might be called a different name now but the root of it all is scrapbooking.
Not dead, but changing for sure. I know my own spending has changed, I stopped subscribing to magazines and buying because things are on sale. When my scrap stash became overwhelming it made me guilty ($$$ spent) and I lost my joy trying to keep up with the latest trends. I never felt like my pages were good enough even though my family loved them. I thought about jumping in to the project life pool since the beginning, but didn’t purchase a thing until just recently. I will start January 1 and I’m looking forward to documenting life a week at a time. I’ve read blogs and admired the PL pages and think it can be as simple or complicated as I want it to be any given week. I hope that this brings my joy back, and think it will. So dead, no not dead, but for me changed in a big way.
I don’t believe scrapbooking is dead. For me it’s harder to find time! But I plan on using the Project Life to scrapbook my grandson’s pictures. I love looking at photos whether it’s on the computer or prints but it’s also about being creative. I’m starting to make more cards to feed the creative muse now instead of elaborate scrapbook pages.
My problem with scrapbooking is the space it takes. The books are so big and they add up. It goes against my move to simplify and de-clutter. I’ve switched to digital books because I can get a whole year in a sleek, thin book.
I agree with a lot of what’s being said above…not dead, but evolving. It’s a wonderful hobby full of color, textures, styles…expressed in paper, writing elements, paint/ink, stamping, glitter, and more kinds of embellishments than one can count. I always say it will die when creativity dies, which is never! =)
However, the economy has undoubtedly had a big impact…having the money to spend on a hobby rather than necessities. And perhaps a lot of scrappers have either had to return to work/work a second job, limiting time to enjoy their hobby? And I know for myself that I have to spend my precious scrapping dollars carefully…so, while I love going to my local scrapbook store, I typically have to turn to the big stores that offer coupons and clearance sections…or go online to sites like scrapbuck and ebay.
One thing I HAVE noticed is the decline of scrapping magazines. If you quilt, there are more than you could ever read! But there are few dedicated scrapbook magazines left…only one really good one (IMHO), being Creating Keepsakes. I understand that many like going online for inspiration, but I love cuddling up with a cup of tea and my mag and getting AWAY from a screen of any type! =)
Not dead…..just different. I’ve gone almost exclusively to digital books (including PL!). Faster, easier, and the end result is great. My kids love looking at them just as much as their other “traditional” scrapbooks.
Scrapbooking is not dead…just changing…My scrapbuddies and I live for getting together and going to conventions to scrap. We actually went on a retreat and got so so much done, it was like we had it all saved up and it was time to work. Everyone uses different techniques and we grow and learn from each other, from the very simple, to the super embellished. I think since we have amassed so much stuff we are slowing down on our buying and actually using the things we already have! I am combining the 12×12 layouts with my project life pages. I take tons of pictures and to me they all have to be in the album…so for me, its very much alive!
No, it’s not. What a ridiculous question.
I don’t think scrapbooking is “dead”. I think it has and will continue to evolve.
In the early days, there seemed to be a lot of rules, and acquiring product, and people jumped on the latest craze or products. A lot of LSS sprung up and they would have educational classes on the “how to” aspect of scrapping.
A major part of scrapping was the social aspect of going to crops or watching QVC on the CK or crafting shows and days.
Now with the internet and on-line buying, many LSS are out of business. People have “been there, done that” with crops, going to shows, etc.
Now, I think that there is more “tolerance” for different styles of scrapping: whether highly embellished, an art form, journalinig personal thoughts and experiences, to embellished photo albums.
Many years ago, I started to use divided page protectors (long before PL products) when I bought “Qwikits” line that was on clearance. I well remember some “scrappers” looking rather askance at my “scrapping” as if it wasn’t “real scrapbooking”. I get a little chuckle now when I see how people have embraced the PL concept of using divided page protectors.
I pretty much agree with everyone…it is not dead but definitely changing. I live in mexico, and getting scrap booking supplies here is almost impossible since all the companies ran out of business since it was just way too expensive. however, i used to stash myself every time I went to the states and this was heaven for me!! however, I go back to the states around every 3 to 4 months and I have problems finding all those wonderful local scrapbooking stores too!! A couple of weeks ago I was in Georgetown and couldn’t believe I could find one scrap booking store in DC to stash myself !! This made me sad, since it is happening often. My favorite store in Boca also ran out of business, and has happened to me in Vegas too!! even Target doesn’t carry KI memories like they used too. so, definitely the traditional scrapbooking (which, BTW I still love) is …changing, I guess
No but I have myself taken 2 steps back I don’t want to leave my 7 children 200 scrapbooks. So I am making a this is your life album for each of them and when I am finished I will continue to add to them.
I used to think that maybe scrapbooking was going away……… until I found Project Life. I was so far behind in my memory keeping that I had given up on ever doing it again. Now I find it so easy to get my photos into albums and the journaling cards work out so well. So to me, Scrapbooking is not dead, just different than what it was when I started in 1998. Thank you Becky for easing my anxiety about memory keeping! I will always be grateful to you. And I have gotten some friends to start using your system too and they are so happy!
Image going from bankrupt to millionaire, I did.
..click here.