Lain Ehmann Talks about Guilt-Free Scrapbooking

Today, I have a special surprise for you: a guest post from Lain Ehmann! Read on to see what she has to share with us.

Being a reader of Stephanie’s blog, you’re probably already well-acquainted with the idea that scrapbooking can make you a happier person. You know the run-down: Memory-keeping helps you notice the small things, it shines light on the areas of your life that you enjoy the most, and it gives you a way to revisit the good times in your life. It can even make your teeth whiter and your breath fresher! (Not really, but I got carried away…!)

So even though I’m a big believer in the healing powers of scrapbooking, that’s not what I want to spend time on today. Instead, I want to talk about the flip side: What about when your scrapbooking becomes a source of guilt and pressure instead of fun and release? Or when you (gasp) just don’t feel like scrapbooking? What then?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. Besides being a big extoller of the virtues of memory-keeping, I’m also a poster child for the benefits of guilt-free scrapbooking. Read on for my remedies when your scrapbooking isn’t bringing the joy you hoped it would.

1. Let go of guilt. We have so many things in life we have to do: Wash the dishes, fold the laundry, watch the last season of The Kardashians (just kidding!). Why add scrapbooking to the list? Sure, it can be a source of fun and relaxation, but if it becomes one more thing you HAVE to do, akin to dusting the chandelier and sweeping the floor, what’s the point?
   
   Sure, you want to scrapbook every worthy photo, put it all in archivally safe albums, and sit with your family at regular intervals to admire your work. You want to own the latest and greatest, partake of cutting-edge techniques and trends, and attend classes and workshops to further hone your skills.
   
   Or do you? To me, my goal is to document my family’s memories in a manner that makes sense to me. Anything beyond that is either gravy – or excess.
   
   There is no room for guilt in scrapbooking, period.
2. Leave the camera at home. As I write this, my family is on vacation in Colonial Williamsburg. Yes, I brought my big Canon XSi DSLR with me. I also selectively leave it in the hotel room. I know that if I tote it with me for every second of the entire trip, not only would I have bursitis in my shoulder, I’d also be bitter and grumpy over the fact that I “had” to take pictures while everyone else was having fun and getting lost in the moment.
   
   Of course taking photos is important. But even more important is to actually enjoy my vacation and relax – and that means occasionally taking a vacation from taking photos. (P.S. I always have my iPhone with me, so if a must-catch shot occurs, I can whip out the Apple. The quality won’t be the best, but I’ll get the shot!)
3. Look at alternative ways to scrapbook. Stacy Julian once said that a memory plus a photo equals a scrapbook. I’d like to broaden that even further:
   
   Memory + Way to Document That Memory = Scrapbooking
   
   That means a blog can be a scrapbook. An art journal can be a scrapbook. A memory quilt can be a scrapbook, as can a tattoo, a wall mural, or a photobook. Embrace all these methods as you seek to scrapbook your memories. Broadening your definition of “scrapbooking” makes room for new technologies and methods that will make your scrapbooking more adventuresome and fresh.
   
   If you know you can “scrapbook” (in the traditional sense) a handful of photos and then honor the other 1,999,980 in other methods, it removes a lot of the stress (and guilt! See #1 above!).
4. Scrap the stories you want to tell in the way you want to tell them with the products you love. When you spend a lot of time online checking out scrapbooking and crafting blogs, websites, products, and more, you can fall into the “Should” trap. You think you “should” be scrapbooking more deep and meaningful stories. You think you “should” only use the latest releases. You think you “should” use wallet-sized photos and scrapbook on an angle and use 6.2 brads per page.
   
   Bah.
   
   It’s your scrapbooking. You can do what you want, to make YOU happy. If that means only scrapbooking stories of your puppy, or only using green cardstock, or only creating multi-photo, two-page spreads, that’s your prerogative. It’s your darn scrapbook! Do what YOU want. And if that means even taking a break every now and then, that’s okay, too. No one will think less of you if you don’t scrapbook every photo, or every day, or even every month. Life ebbs and flows; your scrapbooking passion is strong enough to weather the down times.
5. Embrace your style – imperfections and all. You DO have a scrapbooking style. Embrace it. Do what you love, even if that means all your pages use the same basic design, or all have machine-stitching, or all have at least one misspelling or grammar error. It’s okay. In fact, it’s better than okay: It’s YOU. Embrace you. After all, if you don’t tell your stories, who will?

Author and teacher Lain Ehmann inspires scrapbookers through her unique blend of humor, common sense, and creativity, with a focus on simple scrapbooking. Visit her blog, to download a free copy of her Super-Secret Guide to Fast Scrapbooking.