Topics for Adult Scrapbooking

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Topics for Adult Scrapbooking

I'm working on making some more adult themed stuff for my next Good Life bundle. What sorts of things would you like to see in a bundle geared towards adults? What sort of stuff would you use on a page about yourself? Tell me everything.

It may also have a vague witchy theme since it's October, so anything related to that is also interesting to me.

I'd put grown-up arts and craft supplies high on that list--brushes and pencils that aren't drawn for fat little fingers to hold, watercolor/acrylic/oil paint tubes, gesso splotches. Real cooking and good healthy food, home decor/remodeling, seasonal decor, goals of all sorts, budgeting and debt clearance, computer/tabletop/boardgaming, maybe the little splurges we allow ourselves for a new dress or a nice meal out after reaching a goal.

Personally, I'm also likely to use elements that others with my medical issues wouldn't--tag something as a cane day or a wheelchair day, a bad pain day, migraine, zero energy (though new parents can always find a use for that one, too). I lose a fair number of days or afternoons to being down with pain or exhaustion, but that's me, and while there are a lot of scrappers who have medical issues as well, not all of them want to put their daily challenges into a book of memories. I love to highlight the good days, but I think it's important for my scrapbooks to also give an idea of how limited most of my days are due to the pain and fatigue, so that a day where I am able to get out for 7-8 hours is recognizable to someone looking at my book as the banner day it is for me. (This is on my list of kits to make, if I can ever manage to finish it and have the bandwidth to upload items. I'm currently making things that take less than 1MB to upload.)

For October, I'd love to see some more traditional Samhain elements--trees, ravens, the moon, evening silhouettes, skulls, candles, crystals, wands, a chalice, a black- or silver-handled dagger... traditional Wiccan colors for it are black and red, though yellow-orange tones from ivory through gold are also common and purple is a frequently favored color for crone-type goddesses.

I'd personally be in on a lot of the things Holly wrote above. I also have chronic pain, "bleh" days, and I also try to scrapbook my real life, not a sanitized version of it. Which means some (a lot) of days suck, and I don't want to whitewash them out just because they're not cheery. So text acknowledging this reality -- that life ISN'T sunshine and rainbows 24/7, especially for those of us facing physical or mental health issues -- would be great. The more I scrapbook the more my book becomes a photographic/highly decorated journal as opposed to a highlight reel of one peak after another. (I do weekly spreads.)

As for specific topics, I'll agree again with Holly! Goals. Exercise and fitness. Food and cooking. Gaming. Maybe specifically other journaling-type topics, such as journaling cards and the like that encourage us to reflect on what we're thinking or feeling, what's awesome/driving us crazy, how we're handling the stress of the pandemic, etc.

I'm sure some people are gonna look at a lot of what Holly and I wrote and think it's too depressing. There are a billion and three kits for people who want full-time sunshine and rainbows stuff with no downs to go with their ups. But I suspect there are quite a number of us who would really be into a bundle that speaks to the self-reflective, examined life scrapbooking we do, to say nothing of those of us who don't have children and/or pets and/or significant others -- which are all demographics of scrappers who are WOEFULLY underserved.

Thank you for asking Marisa!

Due to the stay-at-home order and not having a yard, my life is all indoor at the moment. I've been focused on trying to nail down a healthy daily routine: Eating vegetables, Cooking (vegetables), Not gaining more weight (dang it), trying to Exercise at home (doing steps/walking, Nintendo Switch, stretching), Doing housework, Organizing long-neglected closets, Sorting through old stuff, Shredding old papers, Reading so many books, and Watching movies and TV.

Here are the things that I'd use, some of which were mentioned by Holly & Zoe: cooking, healthy eating, setting goals, computers, internet, around-the-house tasks, office supplies, watching tv, reading, reading, reading, books, books, books, exercise, fitness, making lists, organizing, ordering things online, and picking up takeout food.

Can't wait to see how the next Good Life turns out. It's always such a treat at the beginning of every month. Thank you so much!! (I especially love this month's wordart that has brass-like 'shiny/reflective' text. It's gorgeous. Please do more!!)

I'm with Holly on a lot of that too. Even with the Samhain stuff, even though I'm Christian, because I love variants on Halloween themes and that sort of stuff sounds just as good as the traditional "Halloweeny" stuff.

I'd be down for "grown up" art supplies and video gaming/tabletop gaming geared toward adults rather than little kids. (And this is said keeping in mind that many adults enjoy games geared for kids as much as games meant for adults.)

Thanks! This is great feedback. I'll definitely reference this for my next bundle, and likely future bundles as well.

How about retirement? (It's certainly an adult theme. My husband will be retiring shortly.)

I second the requests for more adult Samhain Hallowe'en element/papers. (I'm not a Pagan either myself, more a nontheist Pantheist and I'm interested in these elements too) As well, I'd also like elements/paper about health, exercise and weight loss. (I must get around to scrapping my weight loss.) I also would like to see Euro style board games/tabletop games too. The only item on the site suitable for this is a meeple paper & overlay which I uploaded to the Commons. Also playing cards/poker. With people staying home more, they are playing a lot more games.

Along with health concerns like pain, mobility etc. I'd like to see items that are grief and memorial/funeral related (not just for the funeral itself because grief lasts a long, long time). It's very hard to find them because it's a major taboo in our society. My son-in-law from India has commented he notices how uncomfortable we are with death and grief in our culture. Although I'd personally prefer nonreligious items, there could be some religious based ones too as well for balance and since some people find it helpful. Please don't only do positive word art, grief is really hard and many people who haven't experienced grief themselves pressure the grieving to be positive. (If you need suggestions for word art, I can help having been bereaved myself and gone through grief counselling and groups.)

These are some great suggestions, Anne. Grief is a part of almost everyone's life at some point. As I mentioned in my post, there are scrappers out there like me who don't whitewash what we put in our books. If it happened to us, it's there: the good, the bad, the ugly. Your ideas put in a bundle could start expanding the breadth of what is available to scrappers to document their lives besides sunshine and rainbows. Sunshine and rainbows are great, but they're not always tonally appropriate for what we're trying to talk about.
Pain/illness issues (from minor to major), mental health issues, bereavement, financial troubles, divorces/heartbreak, etc. are all fertile ground that I don't see getting explored anywhere. These are things that aren't rare or unusual. Everybody goes through them to some degree or another. And maybe sorting through it in our scrapbooks as we remember and reflect can help fortify us for overcoming these challenges.

Zoe, I agree with you. I think scrapbooking should explore some of these issues. They are also part of life.

Although I consider myself a positive person, I find society's taboos on some of these issues makes everything more difficult. (My late son had severely disabilities and my best friend as a child (who remained a good friend until his death from cancer after my son's) had schizophrenia. Many people are uncomfortable with these issues and I think the lack of materials on them reflect this discomfort. Although I haven't done a layout yet on my grief yet, I very much want to do one.

I hope if/when you do some scrapbooking of your grief, Anne, it brings you a measure of comfort and peace. smiley

Thank you Zoe, that's very kind.

Great ideas. Look forward to what you will all come up with

We spend our time, gardening, cooking, canning (currently have quite a few photos of food i have put up for winter whether canned or frozen),crafting, woodworking, household projects, riding quads, boating, hiking, fishing, hunting, and enjoying nature. We love game nights, whether it is clue/monopoly or canasta/pinochle and anything in between. Also, hanging out by fire pit with friends and yard games such as cornhole.

After posting in this thread, I decided to design kits to upload to the commons for several themes I suggested here. I've done one about grief and have an upcoming blog train contribution about retirement. I've also just finished one about journals and/or calligraphy and/or fountain pens (interests of mine.)

Good for you. Interested to see your one about grief.

I would like some elements/embellishments for Thanksgiving as that will be here soon. Thanks

Tina, I'm working on a Thanksgiving kit. It's only a month away here in Canada. (We celebrate it this year on October 12th, a month before the US one. Our is isn't tied to a specific historic event but is a harvest celebration.)

Wonderful! I'm looking forward to it.

Tina, my Thanksgiving kit and word art quotations are finished.

It's called "Giving Thanks". I'll be uploading it to the Commons near the end of the week (when I can upload another bundle.)

@Tina: We have a lot of Thanksgiving goodies up already. I'm sure we'll have more in the future too. Major holidays are a common theme.

Marisa the Adult Themes would be wonderful I am heading 60 very soon .. and everyone has mention some wonderful ideas .. I love The Samhain Hallowe'en element/papers. to but I love anything Halloween ,Thanksgiving & Christmas & Valentine's Day .. I like the ideas everyone had

I mostly do computer and office, and music stuff as a hobby ( I run a fan site for a 80's band ) I forgot I do some recipe cooking too .. so computer, Office, Music . Cooking stuff would be great in my book

I am excited to get this too. thanks