why i still scrapbook...

I've been keeping journals and scrapbooks since I was a child. The year I got married was just about the time digital photo books were really becoming a thing.  It was then that I decided to make annual yearbooks to track and highlight the happenings of our daily life... and I now have tons of 12x12 photo books of our first years of marriage (and even one of our doggy's first year with us--her baby book, if you will!), and even more 8x8s chronicling our trips and special events.  I do love digital scrapbooking. Like, so much! There are drawbacks though:

Digital Scrapbook Cons:
-there have been glitches or technical problems that have required me to start over
-they can be quite expensive (our yearbooks are usually over $200)
-it's ordered when it's done, so there is no witnessing progress b/c it's all online
-once printed, you can't fix mistakes
-cannot easily incorporate keepsakes and artifacts, other than pictures or digital scans of items

Digital Scrapbook Pros:
-no messiness!
-making changes or edits is fairly simple while making the book
-sometimes coupons can make digital scrapbooks more afforable
-they are slim, and fit nicely with all the others on a shelf
-they are fairly durable

That said, I do still make the old fashioned scrapbooks.  It's just a habit/hobby I can't walk away from... and believe me, my pocket book and OCD tendencies wish I would!  I have always enjoyed markers, stickers, and papers. Always!  It's like my crack. Take me to Micheal's or Jo-Ann's or Hobby Lobby, and you can guarantee that I'll likely be in the scrapbook section...!  And there are drawbacks to manual scrapbooks too:

Manual Scrapbook Cons:
-expensive... it's a rabbit hole of goodies... and there is really no end... new papers, new products, new techniques...
-the scrapbooks usually wind up being very, very thick
-more often than not, looking at old books results in having to re-glue things
-it's very time consuming and very messy
-everyone thinks you'd LOVE to scrapbook their life, b/c hey, you scrapbook, and often offer to pay you to scrapbook for them (which literally makes me cringe and laugh simultaneously b/c yea right! do you know how much time, effort, thought and money goes into even one page, let alone a whole book!?!?)

Manual Scrapbook Pros:
-keepsakes and artifacts can be included
-some (if not most) mistakes can be corrected, or glued over
- it's a very tactically pleasing activity
-it decrease stress (except for the mess...)
-one's own creativity is the only real limit

Compiled with love and a little help from a kit!

Anyway, I guess I just wanted to encourage us old-fashioned types to go along with the new wave of scrapbooking, while never forgetting our true roots in the craft!

Happy crafting,
Lindsay