Scrapbooking for Caregivers

by Nancy Monson, the author of Craft to Heal: Soothing Your Soul with Sewing, Painting, and Other Pastimes

Scrapbooking is a passion for millions (and a multi-billion dollar industry) but you don’t have to be an artist to put together a page of memories. Initially, "I was a bit intimidated by the process of scrapbooking," admits Gibbons, who quickly got the hang of the craft (and the scrapping bug, so much so that she regularly plans scrapping parties with her friends, and has even written a book on the subject Scrapbooking Traditions, as well as come out with a line of coordinated products). Likewise, you’re never too old to learn something new, says Cotton, a common refrain she hears from caregivers when she suggests taking up a craft or hobby. Nor is the expense of scrapbooking prohibitive (see the sidebar on tools of the trade you need for the craft). Here, then, all excuses aside, are tips on getting started: