Scrapbook convention opens Thursday

By HEATHER ANN WHITE
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

ARLINGTON — Scrapbookers had one goal in mind Wednesday at the Arlington Convention Center: Crop till they drop.
From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., hundreds of women packed into the building, cropping and cutting photos, which they pasted along with stickers and other decorations onto colored paper. They were preparing for the Great American Scrapbook Convention, which begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.
Jeanne Wines-Reed, who founded the Arlington convention, said it is the country’s largest. She expects about 10,000 scrapbookers, the same as last year.
This is Wanda Sims’ fourth year at the convention, but she has been scrapbooking for about six years, she said. Sims traveled 4 1/2 hours from Beaumont with an 80-pound suitcase of art supplies and a friend. She said attending the convention has become an annual tradition.
“It’s my time,” she said. “We love it. It’s just us.”
Sims, a certified public accountant, said the convention — unlike her job — allows her to be creative.
Susan Carpenter of Derby, Kan., has been scrapbooking for 12 years, but it’s her first visit to the convention. The elementary school teacher has just completed her ninth scrapbook. It was in memory of her stepdaughter who died in 2003. Carpenter has also made albums centering on Christmas, family trips, her wedding and her family heritage.
“It’s absolutely better than a photo album,” she said. “You can journal in them so you don’t forget, and embellish the pages. It’s so much more attractive.”
Carpenter said she was excited about the weekend events, especially the technique classes. She has signed up for three classes, including one specifically for scrapbooking trips to Disney parks and another on using colored and textured paper.
Attendees can sign up for classes when they pay to get in the convention. Classes and workshops are not included in the $10 general admission charge, and some require supplies such as scissors and hole punches, officials said.
Volunteer MaryAnn Frytz said the conventions are a great way to meet people, share ideas and preserve memories.
Frytz, a 10-year scrapbooker, has made an album for each school year of her two daughters, an eighth grader and senior in Arlington. She has created more than 300 pages and has spent up to $300 dollars on one book, but she said saving the cherished memories is worth it.
“It’s very addicting,” she said. “It’s been around a long time, but it’s not a fad. Everyone takes photos. It’s not going anywhere.”
Organizer Wines-Reed, who is originally from Lewisville, said the weekend events will include door prizes from vendors, raffles, music, parties and contests. This year’s theme is “Encouraging the preservation of personal and family histories,” she said.
“It’s all about telling your story,” she said. “We all only have so long to live. It’s really about people preserving memories.”
IN THE KNOW Scrapbook convention

Cost: Weekend admission is $10; classes start at $15.

Where: Arlington Convention Center

Thursday and Friday: Workshops from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; show floor open to public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; cropping party from 6 p.m. to midnight

Saturday: Workshops from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; show floor open to public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; cropping party from 5 to 11 p.m.

www.greatamericanscrapbook.com
Heather Ann White, 817-548-5494
hwhite@star-telegram.com

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/14764318.htm