To scrap or not to scrap scrapping, that is the question.

I jumped headlong into the realm of scrapbooking when my first child was just a baby. I see now why it lured me in with such force; 1) I had something to scrapbook about with my new super-cute baby, 2) I had plenty of time to scrapbook, and 3) I had space to leave my projects out. I was even a consultant for a home-based scrapbooking business for 2 years. I was terrible at it.... no, no, really terrible. I'm not being modest. The only plus for me to selling people things at parties was the free stuff and discounted product I received to feed my habit. And feed it I did.

I had Emma's baby book embossed. I loved putting it together for her.

I included the calendar pages from the First Year calendar that I kept. Look at all those things I filled in.

I had a calendar for Mandy too and filled in about 2 days for the year.

I didn't even get one for Rem and saved myself some guilt.

I love scrapbooking. The themes, the papers, oh my!

Not only are scrapbooks fun to make, they are also fun to look through. Emma enjoys paging through her book and "remembering" when she was a baby.

The picture above has me thinking about bangs again. Hmmm.... scrapbooks are good for so many things.

Mandy's baby book is a rare consultant only special from Creative Memories. I had so much left over pink paper, stickers, and embelishments from Emma's album that it was a cinch to work on her album.

I started gung-ho on the project and worked diligently on the album....

My stars! Is there anything more precious that a chubby baby fresh from the bath?

Yes, that's Mandy, not Rem. I'm willing to admit my children looking a whole bunch alike. 

So, I was working gung-ho on Mandy's album and somewhere about the 9th month of Mandy's life, my scrapbook supplies started disappearing. Mysterious?

Emma discovered crafting. There is nothing she loves more in the whole world than using my beautiful (and expensive) supplies. You would think I could work along side her, sending scraps her way, but it feels like a full time job keeping her and now Mandy occupied while I'm scrapping, productive, and out of my stuff.

And that's where the story ends....

And then Rem came along and said, "Where's my scrapbook?"

He may have not said it in so many words, but he and I have a connection. I know what he's thinking.

Now I'm wondering whether I should brave the expensive, time consuming spectrum of the scrapbooking world I love. I'm not going to even start to mention all the projects I have started on other scrapbooks that I haven't finished either... it's a sickness.

Such cute things for a baby boy's scrapbook!

 I'm heavily invested in the tools for scrapbooking, but I don't have any boy-ish anything. I would need to buy an album, the papers (the sets above are $9 each). The order I would make would be around $100.

Another option is to do digital scrapbooking. Instead of actual papers that you cut with actual tools, I would create the layouts in Photoshop and then print the whole page out and put it in an album. I would still need an album, and the digital papers cost money too (about $1 each or $5 for large sets of papers and embellishments). I estimate this route would be about $50.

Photobooks: no actual effort involved. I recently put together a photobook online through Blurb. Many sites are doing them now. I did the album for my cousin's wedding -- it was on Saturday, I designed the album on Monday and had it less than a week later. Fast and fun!

Philip & Melanie by Alysun Peters | Make Your Own Book

The prices start at about $30 for 15 pages and go up from there. I would probably spend around $50, but wouldn't do the book until Rem was a year old. It would be similar to blogging and I already enjoy that. It's a good option for Rem's baby book. Pretty sure my boy would forgive my laziness. Maybe.

Take a moment to leave a comment about what you would do or do do with scrapbooking for your babies. (Is it ever not awkward to have 3 do's in a sentence?)

I also have a poll on the sidebar that you can vote on. I'll let you know what I decide.