Trying every trick in the scrapbook

By NICKI BRITTON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Yes, we live in an age of digital pictures and camera phones. But scrapbooking — with genuine albums and papers and photos, no less — is far from dead. Hobbyists have a new source for fueling their addiction: Archiver’s: The Photo Memory Store has opened an outlet in Katy. The chain operates 34 stores around the country, but this 6,500-square-foot location is the first in Texas.

Barb Thompson moved here from Iowa in January to open the shop. She’s an experienced scrapbooker — she owns more than 1,000 rubber stamps. But her true kick comes from helping customers daunted by the store’s 15,000 items.

“My favorite kind of person is the one who walks in and says, ‘I’ve never done this before, and I’m not creative at all,’ ” she says.

Thompson advises newbies to bring in photos from a single event — Grandma’s 80th-birthday party, for instance. She then guides them through the store, helping them select papers and embellishments.

More experienced scrapbookers can enjoy “open crop time” — lingo for free use of the store’s equipment, such as trimmers and die cutters — as long as they use supplies purchased from Archiver’s.

The store offers a broad schedule of workshops geared to beginning and advanced croppers. Scrapbooking Basics is an introduction to the hobby. Other classes are tailored to specific interests, such as Pet Album and Baby Album workshops. Scrap Mania, a scrapbooking social held every Friday and Saturday night, includes dinner, coupons and product demonstrations.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/4657219.html