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Rita's "Not Your Ordinary Scrapbook"

From "Carol Duvall Show"
episode CDS-1513F

By Carol Duvall

More scrapbooks and scrapbooking!!! Except that these were quite different from the ones we have shown before. The first two were made by my daughter-in-law Rita for me, and the third was made by Rita for herself. All were mini books--in fact, one was not a book at all. The main idea here was to show that you don’t really need to feel intimidated if you are one who has not yet tackled that huge pile of unfilled photographs. Start small and enjoy now.

The first "scrapbook" was small in size and subject matter. The book itself was a three-ring binder that measured only 5" x 6-1/2". The subject matter was a two-day trip I took with my brother to visit the city where we were born, to see the house where we lived and to visit the grade school where we spent the first years of our academic lives. Mike and Rita went along as chaperones. The photos I took might have been spread out over two or possibly three pages in a standard photo album. Rita made them stretch into a mini album all their own and one that is frequently perused and enjoyed.

Included in the book in addition to the photos were other mementos--a ticket from the trip across Lake Michigan on "The Badger", a paper napkin, a map showing where we sailed, a city map showing the location of our hotel, paper coasters, etc. The photographs were often made more interesting by cutting them in half and making one picture span two pages, by inserting a portion of a photograph on top of a commercial one, by making a full-page montage (remember the pages were small) of more paper pictures of Milwaukee images (a copy of a baseball cap, a bottle of Milwaukee beer, printed slogans about Milwaukee, etc.). It’s small, it’s kept out and handy, and I love it.

The second scrapbook wasn’t a scrapbook at all, and the time it covered was also brief. This trip was one that Michael and Rita and I had taken to New York to meet some friends, attend the theatre, and enjoy some jazz. Rita purchased one of those curved holders that sit on a table top and into which pictures and papers can be slipped. Into the one that I found on my coffee table, she slipped a couple of meaningful photos that she had laminated, a ticket to the theatre, a postcard picture of the hotel, and a paper napkin from the jazz club, creating a small memento that is a daily reminder of four wonderful days. How much better than all those pictures that I still have hiding in drawers.

The third scrapbook was a book but, again, not what is accepted as a scrapbook today. This too is small--a spiral notebook measuring 5" x 6"--and this is where Rita recorded her memories of a cruise my two sons and daughters-in-law and I took down the Amazon. The covers, front and back, are filled with the signatures of many (including the captain) who worked on the ship and who made our trip so enjoyable. Rita asked for only their signature and where they were from. It is like reading a world map! Inside are a few pictures cut from the travel brochure, along with a few tiny mementos gathered along the way and many of her paintings of where we were and what we experienced. She sketched what the rest of us were photographing. The drawings are small and charming, and the entire book is a lovely reminder of a grand holiday that we shared.

Knowing that many of our viewers are also very talented when it comes to sketching and painting, Rita made a list of the things that she suggests any traveler take along if planning to make a "compose as you go" scrapbook. Her list included the following:

small book--spiral ones work well
favorite pen
pencil
eraser
tiny watercolor set
small brushes
glue stick
small scissors (optional)
pieces of vellum, watercolor or handmade paper, etc.
small bag to hold everything except the paper