When I was about 12 years old, my best friend Tina had this weird obsession with the Oscar-winning actor Timothy Hutton (the teenager from the movie Ordinary People). She cut out every “Timothy Hutton” picture and article she could find from her Teen Beat and Tiger Beat magazines and we were only allowed to refer to Hutton as “Timothy” not “Tim” because a riveting interview noted that was what the actor preferred.

And instead of becoming a stalker, Tina decided to make a scrapbook entirely devoted to Timothy Hutton. I didn’t even like Timothy Hutton, but something about making a scrapbook appealed to me in a relaxing sort of way and we worked on the scrapbook every chance we had.

Flash-forward to almost five years ago when my son Andrew was born. My sister, Julie, gave me what she thought would be the greatest gift ever—a scrapbook with every possible accessory. “This is for you,” she said as she tossed the gift my way. “God knows I would never do all of this crap, but I thought you’d love it.”

For the record, I absolutely love scrapbooking. I could literally spend hours decorating one single page, trying to make it absolutely perfect. And that’s the problem. This is not the good ol’ days of the Timothy Hutton scrapbook. When making scrapbooks now, you need to go to the end of the earth on each page and make it the most beautiful and original piece of art anyone has ever seen. How is this relaxing?

Anyway, soon after Julie gave me the scrapbook, I went with a friend to the house of a woman who hosts scrapbooking workshops three evenings per week. “Lorraine’s” house was filled with every scrapbooking item one could possibly want. There were around 7 women already working on their scrapbooks when we arrived. “Why don’t we go around and tell Susan what we are all working on,” said Lorraine.

“I am scrapbooking my entire life,” said one woman. “Right now I am gluing in my first few gray hairs. And don’t worry,” she snorted. “My glue is archival quality.” All of the scrapbookers knowingly laughed.

“I have already finished eight-volume scrapbook sets for each of my five grown children and my husband,” said another. “Now I am working on an album entirely dedicated to my dearly departed dog, Mumsie, and all of her predecessors.” Everyone oohed and aahed.

Last, one woman said, “My mother-in-law’s cousin’s neighbor, Mary, is having surgery and I thought I would make Mary a scrapbook detailing every step of the pre-op, surgery and recovery.” The whole room applauded.

When the evening was over, I had a few questions: What happened to a simple photo album? Must we have a scrapbook for every move we make? Was I allowed to make just one scrapbook or would I now be forced to scrapbook every detail of the rest of my family’s lives?

And although I thought my sister had gotten me enough supplies, it obviously wasn’t sufficient. By the time I left the gathering I had spent $247.56. Apparently, some of my supplies were considered “illegal” in the scrapbooking world and I was lucky I wasn’t thrown out of Lorraine’s house.

Now, it has been a while since I put anything in a scrapbook. It became so overwhelming and stressful when I realized how far behind I was, how perfect I wanted everything and how little time I had.

I don’t feel alone, however. A lot of my friends have also not scrapbooked in a while. Even my friend, Barbara, who actually hires someone to do her scrapbooks, is a year behind. “I still have to get all the pictures ready and I just haven’t had the time,” she said.

In order to get myself motivated to start scrapbooking again, I contacted a few people. First, I spoke with Melissa Mckissack, Lead Instructor at Archivers in Niles. “We suggest that people take it from where they are right now and work backwards when you have time,” says Melissa. “That way you can keep up and do new pictures as they come in. Keep reminding yourself to take it one step at a time.”

I also spoke with Jennifer Bockenstedt, Marketing Manager for Archivers. “You have to find something that fits your lifestyle or else you won’t be able to keep up with it,” she says. “For many people, taking 4 hours on one page is totally impractical. A lot of the vendors have been gearing their stuff to take away the anxiety by making collections that include paper, embellishments, stickers, etc.”

“Basically, let yourself off the hook and don’t make it so difficult for yourself,” says Bockenstedt. “You don’t have to do it all. Just remember the core of what you’re doing is making memories for your family.”

To check out Archivers go to www.archiversonline.com. You can get really great tips on scrapbooking or sign up for the various classes offered.

Finally, I spoke with Buffalo Grove resident Kim Raphaeli, Co-Owner, along with Staci Kamp, of Heart and Soul Memories Scrapbooking Retreats. “Scrap your heart out and rejuvenate your soul” is their motto and they are all about having fun.

“We do 9 retreats per year in Lake Geneva and Palatine,” says Raphaeli. “You can come for one day, any combination of days or the entire weekend. Scrapbookers get cropping space, catered meals, snacks and beverages, complete use of our $10,000 tool table, demos on all the hot new products, make and takes, goody bags, door prizes, contests every hour, and more. People can also sign up for spa services and classes.”

“A lot of people come to these retreats as a family reunion, with college friends, playgroups or on their own,” says Kim. “They bring everything from a little suitcase to a storage bin six feet tall by three feet wide.”

“Scrapbooking is going in so many different directions now and the retreats offer a place to do it,” says Raphaeli. “Some people have even come to put all of their pictures that have been in boxes for years into albums. Then they use the albums to pick photos for their children’s Bar Mitzvah montages.”

And for those of us who have been procrastinating picking up our scrapbooks again, Raphaeli says, “Don’t make it so complicated and don’t over think it. The simpler the better. Really, the first thing to do is just set the time aside and get started.”

“We’ve been doing this for five years and we’ve never had an event that wasn’t sold out,” says Kim. “All we do is laugh and have great time the entire weekend. We can have 100 people per event and we take reservations up to a year in advance.” To sign up for a retreat or to get more information about Heart and Soul Memories Scrapbooking Retreats go to www.heartandsoulmemories.com.

Well, with all of that information I will hopefully pick up my scrapbook again soon! If you know someone or a group of people you would like to see featured in this column, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also, please send in those great bathroom stories.

© 2007 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois