I posted this little musing on UKS but I know that not everyone who reads my blog is a member there and I am really interested in a discussion on this topic.So I’m re-posting it here as well.
As you may know, we are a Mac family. But we get PC Pro anyway, just because there are usually interesting articles and reviews. The current issue has a piece on cameras, so DH passed it on to me as soon as he was done. The article is a good one, but the cover story caught my eye – 100 Technologies that changed the world. Which got me thinking about the things that seriously shook up scrapbooking.
For me, there are a few things that changed how people scrap.
1. Obviously, digital photography, and the ability to alter your photos, resize and crop them, without needing to go to the photo processing place has to be up there near the top.
2. Surely, to go along with that, has to be Krista Boivie in the 2002 Hall of Fame, who was, I think, the first person to bring digital scrapping to the world. Can you believe it was that recently?
3. And perhaps CK (or was it Memory Makers?) as the first scrapbooking magazine is a contender. More so that the first online forum? The first scrapbooking online forum was, I think, DMarie. That was 1997 and I THINK it beats out 2Peas, although it was surely a close run race and I could be wrong. The first “test” gallery post on 2Peas was in 1998, so I don’t think I am. Of course 2peas soon took the lead. I wonder who was the very first ever scrapbooking blogger?
4. The Hermafix photo adhesive runners are surely a big one – prior to that it was glue or the Creative Memories photo tabs that you had to apply one by one, manually. And the temporary adhesive runners by Herma were a big step forward as well, letting you reposition stuff easier.
5. 12 x 12 cardstock was possibly the biggest change, giving scrappers a bigger canvas to work on.
6. And hand-in-hand with that has to be 12 x 12 albums as well. Which came first or did they arrive at the same time? I think they must have – no sense in 12×12 paper without an album to hold them! And hand-in-hand with the albums had to be the post-bound album to replace the horrible CM strap hinge system. Ugh.
7. You have to add the Fiskars personal trimmer (why does that ALWAYS make me think of shavers rather than scrapping?) which was the first to accommodate 12×12 paper. Before that, it was just a knife and ruler, or the CM guillotine that was only small enough to crop photos.
8. And the first Creative Memories shape cutting system – which actually was not a good thing when it meant people cutting up original, perhaps their ONLY, photos into circles or ovals or stars. But for cutting cardstock and paper, and for matting your photos perfectly, it was a big help.
9. We have to mention Becky Higgins and her first Creative Companion – I believe that was the first case of seeing sketches and a jump-start to building a layout.
10. Then, I think, the Sizzix and QuicKutz – not sure which was first (pretty sure it was the Sizzix) that brought home, affordable die cutting to the masses, and made cutting titles less of a chore.
Some of these things we take for granted now, but when they “hit” they seriously changed how we scrap.
What have I forgotten? Is there anything that you recall that was a milestone in scrapbooking that you think challenges these things for the Top 10? Do tell. what seriously changed YOUR scrapping?
scrappystickyinkymess 
17/09/2011 at 2:22 am
Thanks for mentioning me. I can’t believe that I was one of the first people to use digital scrapbooking. I remember reading the rules of the competition thinking “can I do all digitial?” I am glad I went with my gut. Since that first digital design I have never looked back.
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21/06/2011 at 10:29 am
I’m much newer to scrapping than I thought – apart from the hybird emergence, your list shows 9 things that had long happened when I got bitten. The biggest influence on me and my scrap booking, the nerve to talk about it and even to set up a crop – all came from being a member of a forum; UK Scrappers. No doubt MA, that makes you the influence !
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16/06/2011 at 5:09 pm
I was always too afraid to get into scrapbooking, thinking my perfectionism (and accounting brain) would not allow me to just have fun and think outside the box. UNTIL I heard about Un-do. “Wait.” I said, “If I attach something then change my mind, I can pour Un-do on it, move it to another spot, and reattach it?” BOOM. Scrapbooking entered my life and the fear of “messing up” left! I’ve never looked back and now I refer to myself as a “recovering perfectionist” because I’m having too much fun now that the fear is gone!
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13/06/2011 at 12:04 pm
As far as British scrapbooking taking off – I think QCC, and the other shopping channels were a huge influence in bringing it to the masses.
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13/06/2011 at 12:03 pm
Digital Photography has to be the number one change. It means people take lots more photos, they are quite likely to print them themselves, in varying sizes, and can modify them easily as well – that has completely changed scrapbooking in every way.
Cutting systems –
Sizzix was first, but I think QK was more accessible (ie cheaper). I think it made titling, shapes etc easier – BUT it was the start of an obligation to own expensive equipment in order to feel like a true scrapbooker. Prior to that you could genuinely join in with some relatively inexpensive supplies. I hate that many people feel they must buy a system, and there as with all technology, there is the need to upgrade and replace as new stuff comes out. Not so bad with a new trimmer, but when you’ve paid 100s for your sizzix dies and they are now obselete, then it’s disappointing. (saying that, I have used my original sizzix dies recently for a couple of non scrapbooking projects)
If we are talking revoultionising technology, the you can’t ignore the CraftRobo. It’s not terribly easy to use, and there are alternatives now, but how often did we dream of a device that would cut rather than print, and when they launched it I really did feel like it was a dream come true.
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13/06/2011 at 10:55 am
I think the real benefit of UKS was to give scrapbooking a “british” face, We could bemoan the whole Mom v Mum thing (and yes, as an American myself I am still firmly in the MOM camp because I see horror movie mummys in my head when I hear cries of “Mummy” while out and about!) , Autumn v Fall, color v colour, etc. and moan too about all the cool stuff available in the USA and how long it would take to get over here. I think it made UK-located scrappers really get creative, making stuff from scratch that people in the US could just walk in and buy, or finding reasonable substitutes “over here” and gave them a place to share their solutions. And I do agree SS magazine was a big step forward, especially for those who didn’t really like the somewhat fussy style of a lot of early scrapbook pages, with their paper dolls and cartoon characters, tilted photos, and way too many font faces. The stripped down SS style, heavily influenced by graphic design, really did make a difference and brough a lot of people to scrapbooking when they say pages could be clean and simple and more about the photos and less about the added elements.
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13/06/2011 at 10:34 am
Great post … I think I’d add a) the existence of UKScrappers website which was my way in to learn and connect. And 2) Simple Scrapbooks magazine which, through its simple and clear designs, made scrapbooking very accessible.
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