Preserving Memories: Jewish Scrapbooking

Preserving Memories: Jewish Scrapbooking
Written by Rachel Simon, Shalom Scrapper

Scrapbooking - a hobby where women of all generations lay out their photographs and memories in a creative fashion - is an enormously popular hobby today.

In fact, there are 32 million scrapbookers in the United States alone (there are more scrapbookers than golfers!). People who scrapbook preserve all of the events of their lives – their weddings, children’s lives, interests, etc. I have been a scrapbooker for nine years now, and my pages come alive with memories (in pictures and text) of my family’s experiences: the day my husband proposed to me…the day my daughter Abby walked her first steps…the day my son Ethan had his first zoo trip. Many of my scrapbook pages also capture ordinary events: goofy faces, relaxing on the couch, playing a board game…my scrapbooks truly transport me back in time as I flip through the pages of our lives.


Not surprisingly, there have been basically no scrapbook products that cater to the growing Jewish segment of scrapbookers. And when there have been products, they have all been for Hannukah, which the world must believe is our only holiday! This is ironic, because our culture is rich in life cycle events that we gather as families and communities to celebrate. From B’rit Milah and Baby Naming Ceremonies to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, to the abundant traditions of our Jewish weddings – and all of the Passover Seders and latke parties in between - Jews never miss an opportunity to gather as one family and rejoice. And we always take pictures – especially of the food! Now more than ever, it is important that those memories be documented, preserved, and passed down for future generations. Because of the large gap in the under-served Jewish market, we decided to fill this void and start Shalom Scrapper.

Why Jewish scrapbooking?

Beyond the business aspect, there really is a noble intent behind our decision to start Shalom Scrapper. With more and more Jews marrying outside the faith, Jewish children being pulled away from engagement with their local temples by competing priorities, and increasing emphasis on commercialization of the holiday season, Jewish families need a vehicle to document, preserve, and pass down the values of our Jewish faith. Scrapbooking allows families to do that. Our papers give the perfect instrument to journal the meaning of the holiday, the traditions the family has established, and more. We believe in our hearts that when Jewish children see their Jewish upbringing documented before their eyes, it will have a profound impact on shaping their Jewish identity as they get older.

Not sure how to get started?

I was once a new scrapbooker, too – a little overwhelmed at my pile of pictures and not sure how to get my creative juices flowing. Here are my recommendations:

Sort your pictures – first by year, then by month, then by event. Put them in labeled boxes so that they are organized and accessible.
Buy some supplies – ease yourself in since there are so many choices. Take a visit to your local scrapbook store (look in the Yellow Pages), an online store (such as www.scrapyourtrip.com), or a big craft chain store like Michaels or JoAnns. They all have a nice selections of albums, adhesives, and paper. Make sure your supplies are acid-free and lignin-free, as these will ensure that your photos will not fade over time.
Start scrapbooking with an event that you are excited about – your wedding (this was my first project), your pregnancy, your last birthday party, your last vacation, etc. Buy themed paper and stickers to create the look you are after. For instance, if you are scrapbooking a birthday party, buy some cute 12x12 paper that has balloons on it. Add some stickers that say “Happy Birthday!”
Search on-line galleries for inspiration and ideas. Ready to scrapbook a Jewish event? Check out the gallery on www.shalomscrapper.com for ideas.
Don’t forget to journal. This is an important part of scrapbooking. What happened that day? What do you want to remember? Put in your own words your thoughts on the event.
Don’t be critical of your first endeavors. When I look back at my first couple of albums, it is neat to see how my scrapbooking style has progressed.
Have fun! I often like to scrap with my sisters and other friends – it is a fun way to bounce ideas off of each other and have a good time while preserving our memories.

I hope you enjoy scrapbooking as much as I do!


By Rachel Simon


[This article was reprinted with permission by the author from http://www.modernjewishmom.com]

opinions, anyone?

I stumbled upon a post which should be interesting to Jewish Scrapbookers - an Israeli scrapbooker looking to start a new Jewish/Israel themed scrapbooking line…who is looking for input as to what to include! Share your thoughts by commenting here: http://thescrapbooker.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/finding-the-israel-theme-in-scrapbooking/#comment-198

Jewish Scrapbooking in the Digital Age

Jewish Scrapbooking in the Digital Age PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 28 March 2009

Jewish-Scrapbooking.com is pleased-as-punch to be able to introduce you this month to two fabulous digital designers who offer beautiful Jewish kits, papers and embellishments for digital or 'hybrid' scrapbooking and cardmaking. Since many of our members have never tried digital scrapbooking (and it's pretty intimidating until you get started - believe me, I know!), we'll be offering tips and tricks throughout the month for incorporating digital designs into the projects you already love to create. Once you see the beautiful variety of images available for the Jewish scrapbooker, you'll want to try using them - and we'll be here when you need us!

First up for introductions, designer BARBARA SPECK!

It feels a *little* odd to be welcoming Barb Speck to Jewish-scrapbooking.com, since she's been a member here for quite some while and has shared some of her designs AND some of her own projects...but now she's on board as one of our sponsors for this month's Jewish DIGITAL scrapbooking emphasis. And, she is arguably the most prolific producer of Judaic designs for digital crafting out there.

Digital scrapbookers on this site are pretty outnumbered by 'traditional' scrapbookers, who adhere our embellishments with glue dots and cut papers and photos literally instead of using a computer program Smiley. But there's no saying you have to be a 'digital scrapbooker' only, or a 'traditional' scrapbooker only. Once you take a digital image - think of clip art, if you're more familiar with that - and print it out and use it as an embellishment on a card or a layout..you've made a 'hybrid' project! Barb knows all about hybrid - tucked into her shop you'll find she's created digital templates to use with Cosmo Cricket's shaped albums! (Click READ MORE below to see more!)

In paper-and-scissors world, it can take a long time in between one Judaic themed paper or embellishment release and the next...but Barb has put out several new Judaic releases just in the past year (in addition to all her other new kits!) It was the my (constant) search for new Jewish stuff for scrapbooking that first led me to try out digital scrapbooking, and I've been enjoying the flexibility of moving back and forth with traditional, digital and hybrid projects ever since.

Check out Barb's beautiful Judaic designs in her shop at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking.

Here is a direct link to Barb's latest Judaic release, celebrating Jewish weddings "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is Mine".

Barb's 2008 Hanukkah release, "A Hanukkah Happening," can be found here:

Kit: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4117
Card Kit: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4130
Combo Pack: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4131


And here are some of my favorites, Barb's Designer Resources Judaic Glass Charms!
Charms: http://www.ndisb.com/store/images/Bspeck_judaicglasscharms.jpg


And here's a collection of Judaic brushes, shapes and .pngs, as well as some tiny dottie shapes:
Shapes collection: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3426
Tiny Dotty Judaic Doodles: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1008

And for embellishing, try Judaic word circles, offered in foil or template formats:
foil: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2146
templates: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2145

Admit it...it's NICE to be overwhelmed by the amount of JEWISH scrapbooking products available?? Check them out and enjoy! Later in the month you'll see what our designers have created using Barb's kits as well.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 March 2009 )

sales sales SALES!

Sales on Jewish holiday scrapbooking stuff! Get it while it's hot! ;)

For paper scrapping:

Enjoy 20% off your order at Shalom Scrapper with the code gelt20 at checkout.

Club Scrap Hanukkah kits are 10% off right now in their "Gotta Have More" department! Look for the Limited Edition "Hanukkah 2006" kit.

For digi scrapping, both new THIS WEEKEND!:

from Lilach Oren: "Hanukkah Word Art" is now in my store - now on 30% off
At Digitals only - http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13452



and from Barb Speck:
"A Hanukkah Happening Kit"
This kit is on Sale 50% off this weekend only!



There are
2 Papers/Overlays
3 Solid Papers
3 Patterned Papers
13 Felt Pieces (Star of David, Dove, Corner, Menorah, Wordart, Buttons, Dreidels, Mat, Icicles, Frame, Flame
2 Flower Sprigs
1 Tinfoil Covered Chocolate Gelt (loved these as a kid!)
1 Beaded String
1 Large Bow
1 Stitched Star of David
2 Tiny Bows

Available in Barb's store here: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4117
Happy Scrapping, everyone!

Demo - Democratic Political Widget

EMS Arts: Jewish holidays and a CU Freebie

Look what I found!


EMS Arts: Jewish holidays and a CU Freebie

The designer is a Netherlands transplant in Israel for the last 22 years. Going to have to take a better look around her blog!

Happy rest-of-Sukkot!

It's a Mitzvah!

Maybe your child brought home a brightly colored tzedekah box s/he decorated at Hebrew School or summer camp, or received as a favor at a bar or bat mitzvah. If you had 'crafty project envy' when you saw that beautiful glossy box and festive stickers, fear not! With Giving Arts/Creative Judaica Kits "Tzedekah Village" kits, charity boxes aren't 'just for kids' anymore. Alter one of these beautiful folded boxes to suit your own style, choose your cause, and feel inspired to give and give again. Then when you're finished with your box -- think about all of the other uses you can come up with for the leftover stickers. Scrapbook pages, greeting cards, calendar pages...your imagination's the limit!

The boxes created by designers at Jewish-Scrapbooking.com varied as much as the ladies who created them...

For Debby, who lives in Israel, the Israel-themed stickers caught her eye, and her finished box has a decidedly patriotic theme.

 

 Jessica Barnett's boys live in a cowboy-themed room, which inspired a thoroughly Western design for her tzedekah house..and check out the beautiful dog and kitty in the window, taken from one of the kit's stickers.

 

  Lynn Anne Cutler didn't know where to begin - one plain white box, so many ideas!  So she began with a couple of embellishments she'd been itching to play with - Krylon's chalkboard paint and a box of Rainbow Tape - and played up the vibrantly colored stickers with lots of contrast and a global, tikkun olam design.

 

 

 

Visit our Sponsor Spotlight gallery for more design ideas, including different color and decor ideas, and a design sure to delight flower-lovers.  

But that's not all...the beautiful stickers, which are words and phrases in English and Hebrew in rectangles shaped like labels, plus some larger (and smaller) artistic images, lend themselves to other papercrafts as well. 

Rachel found the text stickers and tiny square image stickers to be the perfect size to 'label' and embellish the map that serves as the title page for an album dedicated to her family's recent visit to Israel.

Julie Gelfand created a sticker border on a layout that will help her daughter remember the days when they gave tzedekah directly to Jerry Lewis for his children's charities.

 

 

 For something a little different, Lisa Spiegel created a Tikkun Olam journal for her daughter, using one beautiful sticker as the cover's central image,  and more for each of the tabs on the album's pages.

 

 

For more ideas, visit our Creative Judaica Kits Sponsor Spotlight Gallery , where you'll even find some projects created by our very special 'guest designers' working alongside their designer Moms.  Check in at our forum , too, where you'll find a chance to win a kit of your very own later this week!

Creative Judaica Kits retail for $9.95 at their website , and include one alterable box, two sheets of stickers (one Judaic and one universal), a product guide and decorating ideas, and a donation record card. Bulk packages are available for party favors and classroom use, and there's even a fundraiser program for your favorite mitzvah-conscious group. Items included in the kit may also be purchased separately, in quantity. Many thanks to MIchele and the Creative Judaica Kit Company for allowing our team to unleash our creativity on these mitzvah-minded kits - we had a blast working with them, and they're sure to get good use!