Hot scrapbooking hobby helps to preserve memories

Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 26, 2003

Jamie Hernandez didn’t know her grandparents.

But she’s going to make sure that doesn’t happen within her own family. She’s into scrapbooking.

Scrapbooking is one of the hottest hobbies now. Gone are the days when people glue a memento down on a construction-paper like page in a generic book. Today, there are unlimited accessories to dress up any scrapbook page, as well as protect photos for the future.

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Hernandez, of Clarks Grove, first got into scrapbooking when she attended a single mother’s group meeting where scrapbooking was the program.

She was so interested in it that she became an independent consultant for Creative Memories, a scrapbooking company. She does home classes and workshops and sells photo-safe albums and supplies.

Hernandez admits people can spend a lot of money on scrapbooking if they want by adding many different accessories, but they certainly don’t have to.

&uot;To me, it’s all about saving memories and journaling,&uot; she said. &uot;The nice thing is, you don’t have to go all out.&uot;

And people who haven’t sorted through their things in years don’t need to feel overwhelmed. She said people don’t have to put all their photos in a scrapbook. &uot;You can just remember certain events with a few pictures. To me, the journaling is the most important thing.&uot; A simple goal can be one completed scrapbook, she added.

Scrapbooks can be assembled on certain topics. Creative Memories has albums specific to vacations, ABCs for children, businesses, anniversaries, weddings, celebrating a life, grandparents, holidays, weddings, babies and school days. &uot;It can be whatever you want to do,&uot; Hernandez said.

She recently held an all-day scrapbooking event where people could get together and work on their scrapbooks while being able to use her tools and get creative ideas from each other. National Scrapbooking Day is actually May 3, but because Hernandez was expecting her baby before that, she scheduled her event early.

Irene Nelson of Glenville had gotten scrapbooking supplies from her mother for her wedding shower, but they just sat there until she was invited to a scrapbooking class.

&uot;I got some ideas and got motivated,&uot; she said, showing a page she was doing on family vacations. &uot;I’m very much a beginner, but this is fun.&uot;

Jessica Tovar of Albert Lea has been scrapbooking for a couple of months and is enjoying it. She’s working on books for her children.

The all-day event was Daylynn Musel’s first time to scrapbook. The Albert Lea woman was creating a page on her daughter’s preschool career. &uot;I like it. It’s a nice hobby,&uot; she said.

Kaye Grahn of Northwood took a scrapbooking class a long time ago, but never had time to keep up with it, she said.

So she particularly enjoys the opportunity to catch up at scrapbooking parties, she said. She’s done baby books for her children, one on building their home, and one on vacations.

Scrapbooking is also a good hobby for children, and Hernandez’s husband, Sergio, also is a scrapbooker.

Connie Kaupa of rural New Richland began scrapbooking when her son was a baby, but didn’t do much of it until she discovered Scrap in a Snap, a company for which she has since become an independent consultant. &uot;There are not a lot of scrapbook supply stores around here, so I thought it was smart to do something,&uot; she said.

Kaupa said she likes the fact that all the products can be coordinated. Everything is a standard size and fits perfectly. And Scrap in a Snap has the option of getting a different, complete kit every month, so people don’t have to invest in different supplies if they don’t want to. But there is every imaginable accessory, elaborate stickers and even dried flowers available for those who want them.

Kaupa said she generally does not go into people’s homes to do classes, but rather has them come to her home, usually on weekends, because of her husband’s work schedule.

&uot;People are amazed at how easy it is,&uot; she said of the hobby. &uot;They can’t screw it up. People have been blind folded to do a page and it still turns out pretty good.&uot;

Kaupa and Rachel Schei, another Scrap in a Snap consultant, will hold their National Scrapbook Day event from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on May 3. For more information, or to reserve a spot, call Schei at 256-8230 or Kaupa at 845-2576.