chendra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,882
Location: The 33rd State
Jun 27, 2014 16:58:50 GMT
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Post by chendra on May 22, 2021 18:04:38 GMT
I know scrapbooking is considered a pastime for "older women" now, but I was just thinking back to about twenty years ago when two of my coworkers were mocking me for my "old lady" scrapbooking hobby. This was from people who played bridge and golfed (which I pointed out to them)! 😄 Was scrapbooking ever considered an all-ages hobby for all? Now I actually AM a woman of a certain age and still scrapping.
I think when a pastime stops attracting many new people, the people that stick with it grow older and it's perceived as passé. Everything circles back around though, as we have seen. Apparently hooking rugs is a big deal now; I remember that there was a latch hook rug store in the mall when I was a kid back in the 70s.
P.S. When someone retired/left my workplace, who did those same people ask to create a special scrapbook? I only agreed to do them occasionally, because as we all know, they are laborious and expensive. It's certainly not nearly the most expensive hobby and you can acquire materials at reasonable prices if you know where to look, but the cost and time, plus seeing complex pages made by others may be quite daunting to a potential newbie.
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Post by 950nancy on May 22, 2021 19:58:31 GMT
Oh I hope my comment didn't come off as knocking CM! That was not my intent at all. I wasn't sure how to describe what I was seeing. Maybe I should have said "classic" CM? Do we think the "average scrapper" is active in online groups? Is what we see in online groups representative of the scrapbooking community? No, it's just that I don't see anyone scrapping in the old-school CM style any more. But again, I don't know any scrappers in real life. I've never been to a crop, etc. Back in the "before times" I used to go to large crops 4 times a year. There would be between 100-200 croppers at each one. I would say a majority of them scrapped simply or CM style. There were still a lot of photos being cut into shapes. I think there are average scrappers at crops and they are generally different than the average person online. I think the people online tend to try more styles and use the internet for more ideas. Their process/techniques tends to change more. When I go online for ideas, I'm not looking for the things I already do as much as looking for some new things to try. I really don't think there is an "average scrapper" that encompasses the collective group. |
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Post by joblackford on May 22, 2021 21:16:36 GMT
I think what we're trying to get at is 'what is the demographic that the scrapbook companies are marketing to" And I think they are mainly people who shop the big box stores, they might have shopped at the LSS when there was one in town but odds are, there isn't. They like pink and florals and themes and stickers. They often are scrapbooking a specific album (baby book, a trip, a wedding...) or for a particular purpose (retirement album or school days/0-18 for graduation). They don't necessary scrap for the sake of scrapping not are they especially concerned with trends or new technique - tried and true works for them. Mostly lots of photos and flatter pages. They aren't really the online shoppers, forum/blog/instagrammers. Scrapping is social, with their friends or their CM/CTMH consultants. I think forums like us attract people who go all in on their hobby - whether by buying all things, making all the things, or just talking about all the things. We don't always stay all in...and sometimes we stay because of people/friends we've made. But I think we're a small percentage of scrapbookers in general (and I say that as someone who is probably closer to the 'average' scrapper than the cool, creative folks here.) This is what I think too. I don't think the "average" scrapbooker necessarily even goes to crops. I think they probably start making scrapbooks after they had kids, they scrap events, want to have a photo album of pictures and memories and enjoy colors and patterns but mostly buy based on themes and the events they are scrapping. I don't think they want to "waste" a page by only having a single 4x6 photo on it. The words on the stickers at Michaels reflect what the average scrapper needs to my way of thinking - superlatives, family relationships, events, and trips. Joann arranges their open stock paper mostly by theme, maybe somewhat by color (although I think the themes also determine the color schemes - pink, blue, Disney, holidays) because I think that's how the average scrapper shops. They need a cute paper for a baby boy, and stickers that say "baby boy" and then they might pick up some fun tiger/taco paper that catches their eye from the Amy Tangerine section without knowing who Amy Tan is, just because it's so fun. We have an LSS just up the road from the big box stores and I think the scrappers there are different - they crop in groups, they shop collections as well as searching out specific papers for specific themes. I don't know that many of the Joann shoppers go there although I bet a lot of the LSS shoppers also shop Joann/Michaels. I don't know that they are "average." I think some of the portrayals of scrappers on TV are not far wrong - Leslie Knope, Bless This Mess, I'm pretty sure Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer from The Office both make "average" scrapbooks IRL. Lots of photos, maybe cut into shapes but maybe not (I know some people would NEVER), colored cardstock, short captions not AE "stories." Women with not enough time sounds about right - catching up on old photos for their families. Tons of generalizations here! Sorry. None of this is supposed to be judgy, it's just who I think they sell the product to. Most people don't fit into neat groups, and I'm basing my assumptions on the way wholesale and retail seems to work. It doesn't always make sense from the consumer side. I noticed that Joann has a permanent spot for one Shimelle 6x6 pad and it's one I would not expect - Glitter Girl. I don't think that was one of her more successful collections at all, and now she's not even designing for AC, but that's the only pad Joann is selling from her back catalog, along with a random assortment of open stock bright busy papers that I would not have said were her best work. idk. They must sell well for them to keep them years after their release. |
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,980
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jun 7, 2021 4:39:47 GMT
Like some of you, I wasn't introduced to the hobby via Creative Memories or other MLM scrapbook/stamping companies, have never participated in an online or in-person class or crop due to lack of interest, etc. Therefore, I don't have a concept of (& am always curious who others picture when posters reference) the "average scrapper." Thanks for sharing your perspectives.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jun 7, 2021 12:16:52 GMT
I have completely lost sight of what is average anymore. So many of my old friends don't scrapbook anymore, I'm one of the few who continue. My friend Wendy has her youngest child just graduated and she's been working on an album of simply school memories, one album. Just to put out at the graduation party. I don't foresee her scrapbooking any longer than that, until maybe she has some grandchildren. She hasn't been consistent with scrapbooking over the years at all and she never scrapbooks herself or just regular, old life events. She is happy with the big box store products and multi-photo layouts.
Other than her? I have no friends that even scrapbook anymore. I have no LSS. I haven't been to a crop in years.
But even my style has evolved. I am much more now about documenting the memories and far less about techniques. After 20 years, I have realized that my favorite layouts aren't the pretty ones, but the ones with the best journaling and stories. It's part of the reason why I switched over to project life.
I do enjoy the variety of projects posted here, though. I do enjoy some of the discussion. I don't keep up with all the talk and trends. But I still enjoy seeing your creations, even if I do it differently.
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Post by refugeepea on Jun 7, 2021 14:41:53 GMT
My first thought was me.  I typically use cardstock, paper, and diecuts (from manufacturers or from my dies or machine). I have been doing a bit more stamping in the last couple of years. At one point I was an active Mormon stay at home mom and I know for a long time that was the image of average scrapbooker. Especially the stay at home mom part or at least woman that just scraps the family.
I guess what makes me not average is knowing a lot of the different companies. I know some of the "celebrity" names though that's really not a big thing anymore. I've also been scrapping since 1995 and my stash is probably bigger than most. I mostly do pocket page scrapping and I don't think it's a thing for most "average scrappers".  |
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Post by refugeepea on Jun 7, 2021 15:03:47 GMT
Gosh I really think ones take depends on where you check in at. I'm part of the RTS Facebook group and there are a lot of us. The vast majority are boomer/gen X empty nesters, lots of grandmothers. Also everyone seems to be like me, old school TwoPeas style scrappers who keep up on all the trends and love to shop. I'll have to take a look again. I joined and I did see a lot of the old style CM type of layouts. Nothing wrong with that at all. I've had better luck with Instagram in finding new ideas and this forum seems to move quicker.
Female, with not enough time. . I've also heard from non-scrapbookers, females with too much time on their hands.
Of course I'm not familiar with what is going on in Utah, Arizona and California where scrapbooking had a huge presence and influence. Everything may be going strong there. Very dead in Utah. No CK conventions. I don't know of any crops. I don't think CM took off in Utah like other states. Very few scrapbook stores. I can only think of maybe two in Central Utah. There was a Scrapbook Expo, turned into Let's Create Expo, and then canceled. The best in person scrapbook shopping we can do is if Echo Park or AC has a warehouse sale and I do not live close. Simple Stories is closer, but there's a tiny section in their corporate offices of items. It does feel a bit weird being there too.  |
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I typically use cardstock, paper, and diecuts (from manufacturers or from my dies or machine). I have been doing a bit more stamping in the last couple of years. At one point I was an active Mormon stay at home mom and I know for a long time that was the image of average scrapbooker. Especially the stay at home mom part or at least woman that just scraps the family.
