Last week I was in shock and awe at the announcement that Two Peas in a Bucket is closing! For those of you who don't know, Two Peas is a huge online store for scrapbooking. I've been a scrapbooker now since 2007... Seven years! Many times I have purchased products from this store, but I've also gained inspiration from their design team. I've watched countless videos there and even taken a few classes as well. Glitter Girl got me through some really tough times. I watched her videos while I was too pregnant and sick to actually scrapbook myself.
Sometime in the past year and a half, I have put traditional scrapbooking (that is, for me, making 12x12 pages) on the back burner. I have continued to take photos and use Instagram and keep up with project life. I've used this blog to write monthly updates about Lucy. But I have not been diving into my pretty paper stash and using my endless embellishment assortment to make scrapbook pages.
When I heard about the closing of this large online shop, I started to wonder, "Is scrapbooking dead?" I know that scrapbooking in the traditional sense isn't as trendy as it used to be. It seems that DIY projects and home decor are so much more commonly seen on blogs and on Pinterest. Project life is pretty much the only scrapbooking that you will see on a typical lifestyle blog. The closing of this shop gave me a sinking feeling in my chest because I felt like scrapbooking is no longer just less common, but it might be completely dying.
The thing is, that scrapbooking is really, really fun. It is so satisfying and so therapeutic. There is just something about those supplies. There are so many beautiful papers. The embellishment options are so vast. I love combining techniques such as paint, ink, stamping and doodling. I love putting together different textures of wood, paper, vellum and random elements such as enamel dots and gems. The fun part of scrapbooking, for me, is the artistic combination of all these things. Even the act of using scissors and glue is relaxing. What makes it better is that scrapbooking preserves memories. I can put a meaningful photo together with some meaningful words and use my pretty products to display it all. Then I place those pages side by side in book after book and I have the best stories of my life recorded on the shelves in my living room. It is the best.
So after I got this news, I set out to scrapbook. No more excuses! The baby sleeps in my craft room. (Not my greatest idea!) So I pulled recent Studio Calico kits into the living room, which I keep purchasing month after month despite my lack of crafting. In the evenings I have been scrapbooking away after Lucy goes to bed. I'm scrapbooking mostly extra photos I have from after her birth. These pages are mostly for fun and they are special to me and hopefully someday will be for her.
I got over my little sad moment of anxiety and realized that scrapbooking will never be dead to me. Even if all the stores close and the fancy products aren't made anymore (which probably won't happen) I will still find some way to scrapbook. Even without new products and supplies, I can get still get creative with my photos and that is what scrapbooking is, anyway. (Well, I should also mention that I already have enough products to last a lifetime...)
I'm glad I take the time for this craft, whether it is trendy or not. Maybe others will get hooked on this hobby if I keep writing about how fun it is! We should get together sometime and cut and glue paper together. :) I am just curious, are there any scrapbookers who would like to comment on this topic? I would love to know your thoughts about where this hobby is going. Any non-scrapbookers are welcome to chime in as well, I would love to hear what you think!