For Creativity and Social Time, Start a Scrapbooking Club!

Many avid crafters have jumped on the bandwagon of the scrapbooking craze. It is a wonderful way to let your creative juices bubble, while you have the satisfaction of knowing that your photos are going into archival quality albums that will preserve them safely for future generations.

The only drawbacks to scrapbooking is the time spent alone to create your page layouts, and the limits on creativity based on the amount of supplies you can accumulate in your stock. The answer to both of these issues is to get involved in a scrapbooking club so that you can share your love of the craft, as well as supplies and ideas, with other scrapbookers.

Scrapbooking clubs have popped up all over the country, from small groups that get together in homes to large, structured meetings in community centers and the back rooms of scrapbooking stores. Sometimes a scrapbooking club will meet weekly, others monthly, and some meet only on occasion for crop sessions that can last hours - even weekends!

An organized group that you meet with to work on your albums gives you uninterrupted time to keep on the ever-growing inventory of photos that we all seem to collect, and offers the opportunity to socialize with others that share your commitment to your craft. Just like quilting bees and knitting groups addressed the social needs of previous generations, a scrapbooking club is simply a fun chance to get together over food and crafts, and shoot the breeze.

Starting Your own Scrapbooking Club

If you are having trouble finding a scrapbooking club in your community, it is not hard to start one up from scratch. Find a group of women who share your enjoyment of updating their photo albums, and decide how often you would like to get together for a scrapbooking session. Once you decide on frequency of meetings, you can address the issue of location.

Many times a scrapbooking club will begin in homes, with dining room tables and card tables set up with supplies and work spaces. You can select a home that has ample space for your entire group, or you can decide to rotate homes to share the responsibility of hosting. It is great to have all members bring as many supplies as possible, so that you can all gain access to different paper punches and scissors during your meetings.

Food and beverages can be served, although messy snacks are generally discouraged! Finger foods that don't leave fingerprints on papers and photos are generally the best choice. If your group continues to expand in size, you may get to a point where you need to look into renting a space to accommodate all of the members in your scrapbooking club. If rental fees become an issue, you can simply charge dues to club members to cover the costs incurred. Scrapbooking clubs are an excellent way to socialize while creating beautiful heirloom albums for your family to enjoy. Find some friends, and get to cropping!