by Kimberly H.

Created on: April 28, 2008   Last Updated: May 25, 2009

Keeping photos in an album is a wonderful way to showcase your fondest memories, but as photographs became more available to the average person, there were many that got bored with this concept of page upon page of four straight sided photos. It was only natural that these creative minds wanted to create something that required more of an eye for those things artistic, and this is where scrapbooking began.

Some of the earliest scrapbookers in American history were the famous Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson, and back in the day their scrapbooking layouts were rather predictable. A few borders and subtitles created the pages, as well as a few newspaper clippings or memories of particular events. But with a lack of colorful materials and embellishments, it was very difficult to create something that was nothing more than drab or boring. But when things like construction paper and colored drawing materials became more available, things started to look more bright for a new generation of creative scrapbookers.

The demand for artistic materials, paper, patterns, and embellishments have become a huge market for scrapbooking companies, such as Creative Memories. The availability of materials is now so great that it is easier than ever for creative minds to put their photos to use and create something that not only benefits them in the making, but benefits the hearts of our further generations to come as they gaze upon page on page of colourful memories.

Many of us have old shoe boxes overflowing with old photos that we just don't want to part with. But why not shed some light on these fond memories instead of leaving them in the dark? One of the biggest benefits of scrapbooking is looking back on the happiest moments of your life and creating something that really does those memories justice. A scrapbook houses your most treasured photographs and gives them a home that both you and your friends or family can enjoy. They can be organized in a fashion that not only makes finding photos easier, but also makes the process of looking at the photos much more enjoyable.

Some of us may have lost a loved one at some point in our lives, and I find that dedicating an entire scrapbook to their life really showcases just how important they were to you. We sit for hours crying at the loss of our significant other, family member, or dear friend, and creating an album that really showcases the life of this person somehow reminds us of the good times we shared with them, and often

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