Scrapbooking combines art, creativity and vision with personal history and – just about anything you want it too. A group of dedicated scrapbookers is getting together this week at the Reid Thompson Library to help support library programming and resources.  

The Humboldt Creative Croppers are hosting a 3-day scrapbook event at the Library. Cost to participants is $15 per day with all the funds raised going to the Reid Thompson Library causes. The Creative Croppers started up in 2018, in part as a fundraiser for the Library. 

Our goal was for our workers to improve their (library staff) work environment, or things for programming for the kids or seniors,” says Sharen Graf with the Creative Croppers. “Anything that would help the patrons and the employees of the library.” 

As far as the art of scrapbooking itself, the participants come armed with boxes of physical photos, particularly those that date back into a family's history, says Graf. Rather than just pasting the photos sequentially into an album, the idea is to use available materials like fabric, coloured paper, buttons and other design elements, to brighten up the look and make the album itself a piece of art. The results are as varied as the artists and their imaginations. Graf says art has evolved.  

The group is composed of local members with no online membership plans. The idea is to gather and to share ideas, space and the fabulous results in a community of like-minded scrapbookers. The group meets monthly, as much as possible, with events usually running Thursday to Saturday. It’s been a labour of love for participants over the last few years, and it’s an endeavour that has certainly benefited the Reid Thompson Library. 

“Since 2018, we’ve been raising funds for the library,” says Graf. “We’re just under $8000 that we have raised for them. So we just want people to know that’s part of why we scrapbook, and maybe somebody else might be interested in joining for that reason.” 

People who are interested in finding out more about Humboldt Creative Croppers can get in touch with Sharen and the membership through the Humboldt Creative Croppers Facebook page.