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There are oils, acrylics, clay, plaster, wood, marble.
Paintbrushes, pencils, charcoals, paper, canvas.
Cavemen drew on rock walls. Michelangelo applied paint mixed with plaster to a curved ceiling.
Regardless of the medium used, the artist told a story, creating a gift to everyone by preserving moments.
Because you have the desire to tell a story and preserve memories, scrapbooks are your powerful medium. Mark the seasons of life, milestones and adventures. By engaging the senses, scrapbooks tell a visual story that words alone cannot.
Memories and moments fade over time. Mental images become blurred.
A bride has sketchy memories of her wedding day. It came and went so fast! Your trip to Europe was a whirlwind and there are so many details which become less vivid over time.
Picture this. On a chilly, winter evening with a warm cup of tea in your hand, you reflectively turn the pages of a beautiful book, filled with images and words. Perhaps you stumble upon a ticket stub from a Broadway show or a receipt from a restaurant, and then that photo of you standing in Time Square. Beside the photo is a caption in quotation marks. Thankfully, you wrote it down. All your senses become engaged. Memories are clear. The sounds, the smells, the funny thing that was said which you had forgotten, and the feeling you had in that moment.
It’s time to get those memories out of that shoe box in your closet. These precious moments deserve a real home. Put on your “beret” and be an artist; a creator of stories. Piecing together your scrapbook is a project that will be fulfilling for your soul as it allows time of reflection and gratitude. The process itself is calming and therapeutic. This is a personal gift of art you give yourself, and perhaps to others.
Why not let a scrapbook be your amazing wedding gift?
Save that “Save the date” card you received in the mail. Download a copy of the engagement picture they posted on online. Gather photos of those crazy dating years. Take tons of photos of the wedding, all from a unique perspective. Include faces of wedding guests. Capture a candid of the groom smiling at the bride. Save a piece of ribbon from a floral centerpiece and maybe a few petals. Ask the Best Man and Maid of Honor if you can have their handwritten wedding toasts. Pictures, words, textures, colors and memories—capture all you can.
Once all of this is laid out beautifully in a gorgeous, handmade leather scrapbook, you have a phenomenal gift like none other. You will have provided detail to fill in those foggy memories of a hectic day. You’ve given the gift of preservation in a classy, elegant gift with perhaps a touch of whimsy that only you can create. Your gift will last for several lifetimes and will be shared with generations.
Whether you are creating for yourself or for someone else, scrapbooking is journaling and storytelling is art. Very personal art.
Art endures forever.
This is the second article Kelly Haysley has written for the Epica Blog. If you would like to contribute an article of your own, send your submission to info@epica.com, and we’ll consider it for publication!