HOW TO GET YOUR HUSBAND TO SCRAPBOOK AND LIKE IT
by Nicole Humphrey
As it would go, men don’t tend to be the most creative beings on the planet. In fact, creativity for them often entails deciding which chips will taste best and compliment the sports team he’s watching on TV.
But in reality, men are really creative and can enjoy our hobby as much as we do. (ok, perhaps NOT as much, but maybe at least half as much).
To begin, you need to purchase your husband a camera. I strongly recommend a digital camera with an automatic setting. The film will annoy them because they aren’t going to want to change it when they are done, and when that perfect shot of the fish they are holding is lost to having to change a roll of film, the camera is likely to go right into the lake. Send him with plenty of batteries too. A camera card is optional, but strongly suggested. They aren’t going to take the time to check out their photo to see if they should delete it if it turns out badly. So more than likely the camera will contain a whole lot of shots that should have been deleted to begin with.
Next, you need to encourage him to shoot some photos. You have to look at this from his point of view. He needs to be totally moved by the photos, so I recommend sending him on a fishing trip with a buddy and encourage the buddy to take some photos for him. Other events that work well are sporting events, hunting events, and anything else your husband finds more interesting than mowing the lawn.
After you have printed his choice photographs, you will need to casually suggest that it’s time to get them into the photo album. DO NOT CALL IT A SCRAPBOOK!
Tell him it’s important for him to preserve these cherished moments, so he can brag to all his buddies. Never use the word “acid free” or talk about safety.
It is imperative that you work on calming him and easing the stress he might be feeling about this. Offer him a cold drink and some brownies. This usually works.
You might at this point offer to get him his very own photo album, or have it ready for him.
Do not, I repeat, do not get out all your supplies and tell him to go to town. He won’t know what to do with all the stuff, and it will intimidate him.
Instead, hand him some cardstock and his stack of photos, and then some adhesive (anything that does not require “runners” works great for men). Get ready for some strange things to happen. More than likely he will begin just cramming photos all over the entire page.
At this point, you might tell him that you have some other photos that you really need help with. This is the key. Hand him some photos and the cardstock you’ve chosen and explain that these photos really need to be in the family album.
He might jump on the task, but more than likely he’s going to need a little help. Begin by gently suggesting a piece of patterned paper, or a few stickers or diecuts. If he asks for something specific, do not tell him no. Yes, you might have searched all over your city for the perfect patterned paper to coordinate with your pictures from last weeks trip to the zoo, but if he wants it for something, don’t even hesitate. Hand it to him! If you start telling him no now, he isn’t going to want to do it again.
At this point you might wish to get him another cold drink. In fact, you might need a nice cup of coffee or tea at this point too.
Be prepared for your husband to just start grabbing tools and trying them out. It is imperative that you stand nearby to help him out and show him how to use them, or you might be replacing brand new blades.
Men like to mutilate things. Be prepared with the scissors and cutter, since cutting definitely falls in that field. Same with corner rounders and corner punches. They can handle them and will probably have fun – it still involves cutting things.
If the photos he’s putting into his “photo album” are of a golf game, you might wish to suggest that he find the original tee and place it in his book. He’s going to of course argue and say he cannot do that because then what would he use next time he played, especially if it’s his “lucky” tee. So gently and patiently show him how to reproduce the tee using paper and remind him that this way he will still have his lucky tee the next time he goes golfing. Remember, this is not a “paper piecing”, it is simply a reproduction of his golf tee. Always remember that.
You might wish to grab him another drink at this point and you might wish to grab another hot cup of whatever you chose earlier too. Trust me the painful part is just about over.
Once the “non scrapbook layout” has been fully assembled and all of the components have been added, such as the sticker because it’s cool, and the “non paper pieced” golf tee, etc. it’s time to finish up.
It’s time to simply get his story. This is a very tricky part, as it’s the journaling but he is NOT to know that. Sure, you’ve heard the story 45 times already, but it’s imperative that you act as if it’s the first time!
What was your golf score honey? Where did you play again, I forgot the name of it? How many times have you gone there? It took you how many tries to get a hole in one?
Yeah, so you get the point. Suggest to him gently that he write the details down. He isn’t going to like this idea, but you might wish to remind him that he plans to show it to his buddies and do some bragging so it would help if he had all the details written down in NON girlie writing.
You might then wish to tell him what a great job he did on his very first “photo album”. Tell him how proud you are of him and then send him off to watch the football game on TV and tell him you’ll clean up.
It’s as easy as pie….or a nice meatloaf….
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