Scrapbookers without families?

[Seattlejo]

So I've always been tempted by scrapbooks, but since I dont have (and wont have) any children of my own. So I feel silly when I consider doing a scrapbook of me/for me. Scrapbooking about my mother and my family might be fun, but there isnt going to be anyone to pass it on to.

Is anyone else in this boat? Do you still scrapbook? What keeps you going? a friend suggested making scrapbooks of places we've gone so that we can share with friends. Things like "oh you are going to Portland, here take a look at my scrapbook and see details about where we went"

[girlygirl]

I've seen scrapbooks people have done about themselves...a kind of a journal... You could scrapbook trips, other family members' milestones (I have a friend who keeps a scrapbook of her nephew,) pets, your childhood, current friends....Hope those ideas help!
Sonya

[qcbetty]

I don't have kids, but I still scrapbook! I have nieces and nephews, and 4 brothers.

Just because you don't have kids of your own, doesn't mean you're not important enough to someone for them to want to have your treasured memories!!

[ctracy]

... I dont' have any kids either and won't however, I have two very special little boys(nephews) in my life. It's kinda like their my kids/grandkids. I treasure everything for them and I'll tell them how very special they are. I do this by scrapbooking or in person. What about a pet?The scrapbooks I make for them they can have when they become adults(like 30). Go ahead and take the plunge.....What'ya gotta loose?

Cynthia

[jeanhal]

I couldn't agree more! Everyone desrves a place in a scrapbook. I do not have any children myself, but I have a grand child who rates a page or 2. I have 3 dogs who deserve more than a place in my heart. My parents get pages, as does my sister and, of course, my husband. An amateur photo friend took pix of our moving in process and then there was our trip to NZ. I could go on and on - and I have just started to scrapbook. My sister has always been single and she has great books on all her adventures. Go for it!

[propecia]

I don't have children but I do have 6 nephews and 2 nieces! I scrapbook them and when I am gone, they will have the scrapbooks that I made. I also scrapbook my kitty and any trips I go on!

Amy "Pro" K

[qcbetty]

I had to come back and add....it reminds me of a thread we had going here last week...

A woman once told me my life would be "hollow and empty" because I don't have kids. Excuse me??! Pardon?! How can someone be so insensitive to think that the only importance a woman has is to bear children?! I am important in the lives of family members and friends, whether or not I have kids....and so do you.

So get busy! And post your creations!!

[Laurie FW]

I inherited my childless great aunt's scrapbook from the 1920's, it is a treasured keepsake for me! It doesn't have enough pictures to suit me, but has much info on where she went, jobs she had, college life, etc. etc.!

My really good friend in Portland is unmarried and childless. She is the one who got me in to scrapbooking! She scrapbooks her trips (one was a trip to several old Victorian Homes that she made absolutely gorgeous pages on!), her family gatherings, her neices, nephews, her neighbors and friends, etc. etc. She is my children's godmother, so she does a few of my children every year as well. I think one of her neices or nephews (or my children?) will be very happy to receive this treasured keepsake when she passes on.

Just my 2 cents!
Laurie

[mommakate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanhal

I do not have any children myself, but I have a grand child who rates a page or 2.

How can that happen????? Just wondering.

And as for scrapping and not ahving children - its a passion thing for YOU and there is NOTHING weird, odd or strange about pursueing a passion!

Heck there are lots of us stampers out here who would pay BIG money for someone to scrap for us!!!

Smiles

Kate

[Sereikastamper]

I, as Mommy to two boys now, am going to start a just for me scrapbook. I want to have somewhere to build and create PRETTY pages...I have scrapbooks going for the boys but I wanted to mark my own personal milestones...I am going to make it a journal of my thoughts, my pictures I take of things that catch my eye, my poems and my dreams...it will be something that I can retreat to when I get so busy with life that I have to take a break and remember who I am as me...not as everyone else sees me...

[keagle]

SeattleJo -
When you are 92 ... and sitting in your rocking chair on your grand porch .. you will want to remember what you did in year 2004 ... with a scrapbook to pull out of the bookshelf ... you will always remember the wonderful life that you have lived!

I am childless, but scrapbook my gorgeous, brillant, vivavious (sp?) great niece who is the apple in my eye! She is 9 years old now ... and every time she comes to see me ... she pulls out the scrapbooks and just oohs and ahhs over what she has done so far and she is only 9!

I love Keri's idea to scrapbook as a journal .. your dreams, thoughts, happy times, favorite photos, colors, foods, etc.

You should go grab a few photos of the last time you got film developed ... take them over to your craft table ... pull out a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 paper ... place them on the paper ... and stare at it for about 10 minutes ... let your imagination take you to that wonderous place and envision what you would do with those few photos! I bet you will be an avid scrapbooker before you know it.

Kimberly

[EllenH]

Definitely go for it! Here's another thought for you - one of the things I would like to do is scrapbook 100 goals for my life dedicating a page or two to each thing I have accomplished that I set out to do. Maybe it will never reach 100 and perhaps it may never get done - but I'm such a determined individual that I can't imagine not going for it at some point in my life when I get the time. I think that we can really look into ourselves by doing something like this - so who cares if you're not scrapbooking kids - tell the story of your life.

[camsmom]

I have a scrapbook of =just me and my DH before we adopted Camden. My good friend isn;t married, and did tge coolest sb of just her and friends going around-clubs, bars, etc. It was really well done!! The only non SU things she had to add were some beer stickers!! LOL

[Billie Rose]

Hi Seattlejo!

There's way too much out there to pass up doing a scrapbook - don't deny yourself the joy of scrapbooking! As everyone else has said, you can scrapbook about yourself, friends, family, pets and trips. I've seen some wonderful hobby scrapbooks with subjects like photography, gardening and cooking. Having a scrapbook about your house would be nice to look back on, especially if you move or remodel. I'm working on a Christmas scrapbook that has pictures of my husband and myself with our respective families celebrating childhood Christmases, chronologically leading up to pictures of us together celebrating the season over the years. Events are always great scrapbook fodder! And don't underestimate the heritage you will pass on - even if it's not to your own child, there's family and friends that would love to have such a wonderful memento of you! I truly believe that memories and photos are the very best treasures of all!

Happy scrapping! I'm sure once you get started, you won't be able to stop!!!

Billie

[ctracy]

...After reading all these post I'm amazed of how many of us don't have kids and won't. It nice to hear other people just like ME. Way to go!


Cynthia

[stampcrazygirl]

Debbi....I can't believe that someone told you that your life would be 'hollow and empty' without kids! That's crazy! I have a son and can't imagine my life without him, but before I had him I didn't particularily want kids and didn't ever once think that my life would be 'hollow and empty'!

Sometimes people just don't think before they speak!

[pjbstamper]

Seattlejo - if you want to scrap but are still feeling a little uncomfortable about doing an album of yourself, feel free to come over to my house and work on my DD's. She'll be 7 in October and I only have about 4 pages done. :oops:

[Andrea Jackson]

The subject has really been answered already but I just wanted to say that I would absolutely love a scrapbook from any of my aunts or uncles... not just my parents ore grandparents! They are all increadibly special to me! I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way either. Go for it! A person's children are not the only people they are special to! (I think that made sense ;) )
~Andrea

[baronsmom]

I don't have 2-legged children either, & won't be having any unless we adopt. I do however, have 6 4-legged furry children. I am working on a 6x6 book of my "baby", Simon. Check out my gallery! I have dabbled in scrapbooking for years & have done pages of my dog, Baron, vacations in HI, my pseudonephew & now my cat. Do whatever moves you!
Suzanne[/code]

[camsmom]

maybe someone can suggest a pet swap, or even a "hanging out with" swap for 6x6 layouts to get the ball rolling!

[geojlc]

I sometimes do gift brag books. I did a neat gift for my sister-in-law where I took pictures of my cute nephew sleeping and paired them with lullabys.

[StarLitStudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stampcrazygirl

Debbi....I can't believe that someone told you that your life would be 'hollow and empty' without kids! That's crazy! I have a son and can't imagine my life without him, but before I had him I didn't particularily want kids and didn't ever once think that my life would be 'hollow and empty'!

Sometimes people just don't think before they speak!

Big, big ditto on everything!!

(But add "and two daughters" after 'son' and 'him' with 'them' !!)

The Editor-in-Chief of Creating Keepsakes magazine does not have children!!

[allie]

I definitely think you should scrapbook!!!
For the fun of the hobbie, a way to keep a journal, nothing brings back memories like photos, and who knows who's life you will touch. I'm reading a history of my great grandmother who I have never met. I feel so conected to her, I would love to have pictures to go with the events in her life!
Take the plunge, and have fun!

[Seattlejo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjbstamper

Seattlejo - if you want to scrap but are still feeling a little uncomfortable about doing an album of yourself, feel free to come over to my house and work on my DD's. She'll be 7 in October and I only have about 4 pages done. :oops:

haha , I'll be right over. :-)

[Seattlejo]

Big, big ditto on everything!!

(But add "and two daughters" after 'son' and 'him' with 'them' !!)

The Editor-in-Chief of Creating Keepsakes magazine does not have children!![/quote]

I didnt know that, thats really interesting.

[Seattlejo]

[quote="camsmom"]maybe someone can suggest a pet swap, or even a "hanging out with" swap for 6x6 layouts to get the ball rolling![/quote

Neat idea.. i've not taken part in any swaps yet, maybe i should...

[Kurstan]

We don't have kids yet so I scrapbook our outtings and fun things with friends.. like birthdays, weddings, etc. I got the idea of an 'annual' book from a friend so that's what I've started. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to fill a book with stuff that just took place in 2004, but my entries from June until now has pretty much filled it. I have to add pages

[Seattlejo]

Thanks to everyone for your responses. So many great ideas. I like the idea of making a scrap book a sort of journal. I'm just slightly afraid of being self centered. What i think I'll do is create a scrap book simply to document the hikes, road trips and vacations we have taken.

I really do want to be inspired.I keep picking up camping related stamps and stickers. I've just felt silly about the execution.

I like the idea of passing something on to a neice or nephew, but alas that isnt to be. I'm also glad to find other ladies out there that dont have children, or plan on having any, but are obsessed with stamping like Iam.

[kimeboss]

Ohhh this is a good post thread!

I have kids & Grands but...NO pictures from say 5 yrs ago to the early 70's (most of my adult life) They were lost in a "divorce", LONG story don't ask. :( If you've ever had a house fire you can relate pretty well.

Anyway, when it comes to memories they are all tied up in the 126 film (told ya this was in the 70's) pictures I started taking in High school on up to the 35 mm in the mid 90's. Photography was a Major hobby of mine back then. Soooo I have had to give this much thought, beside doing pages of the grand kids I have come up with pages for:
Gardening- I kinda try to dabble with herbs & flowers
Travel - not that I do alot of this BUT it's fun to make a scrapbook with journaling and odds & ends from those travels.
Military - since other half is a disabled Vet & son is active duty I try to get anything related in one place.
Animals - If you have or raise a breed of animal you could do a scrapbook on those.
Volunteer Work - History of the club, association, 4-H, etc.


It helps keep the blues away when I am missing my old photo albums.

Hope this helps!
Kim

[kimeboss]

sorry for double post :(

[jeanhal]

[quote="mommakate"]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanhal

I do not have any children myself, but I have a grand child who rates a page or 2.

How can that happen????? Just wondering.

How did I do this? Marry a man with 2 children, of course! I never wanted children, but I got them anyway.

Now figure this one out - I made a shirt once with the statement - "Bob's wife and daughter" on it. Another interesting conversation starter.

[scdecker]

I'm hoping your father and husband are 2 different men named Bob!

[HappyGirl]

One more without any children and I continue to scrapbook "for me". I don't worry about what will have to be my scrapbooks when I'm gone even if they end up in junk pile. It was something that I did for me and that I enjoyed doing along the way.

[STAMPSILLY2004]

This is a great thread. I have also made a scrapbook using old postcards I collected that show views of my hometown from the 1900's. Most are around the 1909 age. My hometown does not even exist anymore in the sense that I knew it. It was very prone to flooding and after the big floods of 1993 they decided to relocate it two miles to the north out of the river bottoms. I have been collecting memorabilia {sp} from there ever since and I put together two scrapbooks--one for my Dad and one for my brother} for last Christmas. I still need to get my own done. It was such a fun project. I used vintage looking papers and stamps, lots of pewter brads, brown magic mesh...--lots of things to go along with the feel of the photocopied postcards. I also found a neat old fair booklet that was full of advertisments from the towns 1908 fair and I used copies of some of the cool ads in it to add to the pages. Don't overlook fun thing like that. You don't have to have all photos to do something.

Another scrapbook I did of a collection was all of my sister's vintage porcelain dolls. She has collected dolls for years {many are from the early to mid 1800's} and I had a great time putting together an album documenting them. For this one I was able to use lots of wonderful stamps of victorian type flowers, beaded purses, victorian shoes, Eiffel Tower {some dolls were French}, the list goes on. Once again I really embellished the pages up with lots of fibers, tags, beads, brads etc.


Besides collections to scrapbook there are hobbies, trips, favorite vacation spots, college memories, you favorite sports team, pets, friends, childhood memories, gardening, flowers, a house renovation, homes you have lived in, building a home, a favorite car or vehicle.. the list goes on.
Sorry this post got so long. I am passionate about scrapping and tend to get carried away! :lol: It saves my santity!

Gina

Quote:

Thanks to everyone for your responses. So many great ideas. I like the idea of making a scrap book a sort of journal. I'm just slightly afraid of being self centered. What i think I'll do is create a scrap book simply to document the hikes, road trips and vacations we have taken.

Isn't that the beauty of being childless, that you get to be a bit self-centered? I have 2 kids and sometimes miss the days when it was "all about me" Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but my life is really not my own anymore.

There is certainly no rule that scrapbookers have to have kids and scrapbook about kids. We have been to Washington DC about 4 times (without our kids) and I plan on making a wonderful album on our trips. (if I could just get those darn kid's books caught up!)

[MaggieMayLove]

Hi,
I see this subject has been covered quite nicely but just had to put my two cents in as well. I am an avid scrapbooker and I do have, probably too many, pages of the cats, the dogs and the horses, even the fish, it's great fun and such a nice reminder to look back on. Don't forget to include your feelings, you will appreciate them later on. And you never know who will be looking at your gorgeous albums later on, do it, scrapbook away, you'll love it!

[ReindeerTrout]

My kids are all in their 30s... my grandkids live all over the country. I have "plans" to scrapbook my stuff, but I've been too busy lately helping my neighbor make a scrapbook of her friend's wedding... I didn't even go to the wedding, but the creative experience is cool nonetheless!

Having typed this, I'm going to go fill my 6x6 K & Co Life's Journey album with photos from my youth! (They're all sepia-toned... lol)

Have a ball... scrapbooking is really fun... even though I'm a relative novice at it, I'm loving it!

[tc82742]

[quote="jeanhal"]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mommakate

Quote:

How can that happen????? Just wondering.

How did I do this? Marry a man with 2 children, of course! I never wanted children, but I got them anyway.

Now figure this one out - I made a shirt once with the statement - "Bob's wife and daughter" on it. Another interesting conversation starter.

you married your moms 2nd husband?

[ReindeerTrout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by STAMPSILLY2004

I have also made a scrapbook using old postcards I collected that show views of my hometown from the 1900's.

Gina

That album sounds GORGEOUS!! I would love to see that album...

[qcbetty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawn g

Isn't that the beauty of being childless, that you get to be a bit self-centered?

And by the way, we have a saying:

"We're not child-less.....we're child-free"
LOL

That statement can get parents up in arms! We LOVE kids. We just love it more when they go home! ;)