Scrapbooking Really IS Therapeutic! Now get busy...

Today's blog post is about something that I do indeed love: Scrapbooking, and how therapeutic it can be -- if you let it!

Lately we've had a lot going on in our family. A lot of good things, some quite worrisome things (health issues, which are never fun) and just a lot of activity in general. (With a house full of kids, a lot of activity is definitely the norm!) It's easy to put fun hobbies on the back burner when you're busy with life, but I've learned that it's a very good thing to embrace the things you really enjoy when you're going through a rough patch. It's good for the soul...

A good friend of mine who has a child with a very serious illness once told me, "When I get bad news, I allow myself 24 hours to wallow in my own self pity -- then I know it's time to move on." This coming from someone with a child that has a usually fatal illness...? Wow. She is indeed an inspiration. Okay, so this tells me, "Get on with your life already; stop wallowing; do something you ENJOY, and remember, Power = Knowledge." That's where I am right now... it's time to get moving (and CREATING.)

A lot of things change over time, but the one thing that is a constant with me is how therapeutic I find art, crafting and scrapbooking. It's a great way to pass time (especially when you're waiting!) and it's a great treat to look through happy pictures and reflect on the little details that would be forgotten if they weren't documented in photography. Most of the time I put the emphasis on my family when scrapbooking, especially my children's big milestones (think Birthdays, awards day at school, Christmas, etc.) but sometimes you just need to scrap whatever it is you feel like scrapping! It doesn't matter if it's insignificant in the long run, or if it's something that only you will find super interesting when flipping through your album. (Case in point: my husband will one day look through this album and grimace when he gets to the page with the Luke Bryan concert ticket on it -- and after he sighs, he will then think, "Thank God she went with her girlfriends!")

A great album format for scrapping just the little things is the SMASH book. (You can now find these at Target, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.) Not only are these albums easy to find and inexpensive, they are graphically interesting and spiral bound. Even if you don't want to go to the trouble of shopping for one, you can make your own little happy album with a plain spiral notebook that you probably already have laying around...You can make it your very own album, and fill it chock-full of things that YOU find interesting, or little bits of memorabilia that simply make you smile!

I sat down today planning to scrapbook. I looked through Christmas photos (yes, I'm not a current scrapper) and then Spring Break photos. I frankly felt too much pressure when I looked at such important photos. I wasn't in the mood to over-think the layouts, or to write some amazing journaling that my boys would read (and hopefully re-read) one day when they have children of their own. Instead, I just wanted to enjoy the creative process, see pics that made me HAPPY, and reflect on really good times. I did just that -- and had a blast! Not only was the process fun, but I now really like the pages I did, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

I think everyone should have their own little notebook -- scrapbooker or not. It can hold all kinds of things: poems that inspire you, paint chips of your home color scheme (yes, I've made one of those for my purse!) Pinterest ideas, or your own little book of memories and inspiration. (Mine falls into many of these categories, and that's why I like it!)

Here's a little peak of what I accomplished today:

In life we may not have all the answers, especially when we definitely crave them, but we need to remember to enjoy the little things, and most importantly, to have Faith. I enjoyed some "me time" today here at my desk, just as much as some others may enjoy a good massage, a nice run (I cannot relate to that, ha!) or even a little mini-vacation. The important thing is to just get busy, and to do what you love!