Creative Memories Has Everything Couples Need to Create Unforgettable Scrapbooks

The Short Version: Scrapbooking is a fantastic activity for couples to do together to memorialize the most cherished moments of their relationship. Creative Memories offers a wide assortment of high-quality, diverse scrapbooking materials. An industry leader since the 1980s, Creative Memories has experienced a resurgence in the last few years due to increased interest in scrapbooking during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The company offers albums, stickers, paper, and tools made just for scrapbooking.

My mom is markedly sentimental. My childhood home’s closets are stuffed with drawings, school assignments, and elementary-school awards, little pieces of the past my mom can’t bring herself to get rid of. She keeps meticulous photo albums labeled and dated by month and year.

I can feel the same urge in myself when it comes time to move out of an apartment, and I pack boxes of keepsakes – from birthday cards to notes that were probably meant to be tossed – to take with me.

While sentimental folks may be accused of being cheesy from time to time, a healthy amount of sentimentality can be an uplifting, even powerful, thing. Take it from Marnie Beltz, the Director of Communications for Creative Memories, the company widely known for starting and leading the scrapbooking industry.

Creative Memories was founded in 1987 and was reinvigorated by current owner Caleb Hayhoe in 2014 after a period of financial struggles. Since then, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has offered everything a person needs to create beautiful and cherished scrapbooks.

Scrapbooking can be a bonding activity for couples to do together to reflect on their relationship and all the things they’ve experienced together. Scrapbooks can also make for meaningful gifts for birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries.

Marnie told us about scrapbooking, Creative Memories’ story, and how couples can get the most out of scrapbooking. “Looking back on the things and people you love – you know, pets, family, date nights – and putting it into a book is an honoring experience,” Marnie said. 

Creative Memories was built on a love of scrapbooking and that quintessential Minnesotan friendliness. The company was founded in 1987 in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, with the mission to provide the highest-quality scrapbook products and unbeatable service. Today, Creative Memories operates a 110,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. 

Creative Memories believes life is beautiful, and folks should share, remember, and cherish it. While scrapbooking’s popularity has experienced its ebbs and flows throughout the years, Marnie told us that since Creative Memories restarted in 2014 growth has been consistent, then saw an upsurge in sales in 2020 that has continued since.

“The effects of COVID really revved up the business because people were looking for new ways to make themselves feel good and focus on the happy times,” Marnie said. “It’s one of the most powerful things about what we do, about what scrapbooking does. It makes us feel connected to our memories.”

Marnie said that Creative Memories fosters a large community of scrapbookers. Creative Memories scrapbook advisors help customers learn scrapbooking techniques and new ways to make beautiful scrapbooks. The company holds virtual events for all levels of scrapbooking interest.

Advisors host beginner classes in many areas across the United States. Marnie said folks interested in taking a beginner scrapbooking class should search by their zip code and filter by beginner classes and physical events.

Nearly any occasion can warrant a scrapbook. The process of making a scrapbook is just as important as the finished scrapbook product, especially when making a scrapbook with the help of a loved one. For couples, a relationship scrapbook can be a great way to reflect on their shared memories and love.

Scrapbooking is like a photo album’s more personalized cousin. While photo albums traditionally hold photos in clear sleeves, scrapbook albums are far more customizable. Instead of photo sleeves, each page is a blank canvas that can be decorated however the scrapbooker sees fit.

This means non-standard-sized photo elements can be included. Receipts, post-it notes, train tickets, and museum admissions can all be included in scrapbooks. Scrapbookers use various decorative materials in their albums, including different kinds of papers, stickers, and borders.

“There’s absolutely nothing like holding photos in your hands,” Marnie said. “We have options and materials for all levels. Scrapbooking can be super easy or have some extra steps– it can be whatever you want it to be.”

Creative Memories has albums where people can put photos in sleeves and add a few personalized details. There are also products for making scrapbooks from a blank canvas. Whatever kind of scrapbook a person wants to make, Creative Memories has the goods to make it happen.

The online store offers album covers, like the Everyday Paper Album, which Marnie said is perfect for couples to do together. Creative Memories also offers pens, cardstock, pages, protectors, adhesives – the list goes on!

Couples who want full-sized scrapbooking albums should check out the Fast2Fab album bundles. These bundles come with everything a couple needs to make beautiful pages with no experience needed.

One of the best aspects of Creative Memories is that it offers everything in one place. Customers can find tools like border punches, cutting systems, and measuring mats.

Marnie said her favorite elements of a scrapbook were the written ones. “I think everyone in the world has inherited a photo album, and you look through the photos and don’t recognize any of the people,” Marnie said. “So one of the real differences is getting some of those details down and why the people and memories matter to you.”

Scrapbooking presents a unique opportunity for couples. When couples decide to scrapbook together, they go in with the shared goal of honoring each other and their relationship through the scrapbook. They get to reminisce about every stage of their relationship, from the romance of the moment they first met to the excitement of moving in together.

Couples can use scrapbooking to memorialize whatever they want to remember most about their relationships. Presenting someone with a scrapbook can be an especially thoughtful gift and gives people the opportunity to express their love for their partner. 

The written portions of a scrapbook can be an excellent place for a person to tell their partner what they love and appreciate most about them. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to express love and appreciation for a romantic partner – scrapbooks make it simple.

If couples don’t want to scrapbook but still want to get some of Creative Memories’ high-quality supplies, they can choose from a wide selection of card kits. Marnie told us it’s always nice to have a nice stationary set around the house, and makes writing little notes to a partner all the easier. With Creative Memories’ card kits, couples can customize their stationery.

Beyond the sentimentality that scrapbooks are known for, the process of crafting one has its own merit. Marnie told us many people find that scrapbooking promotes mental flow, relaxation, and mindfulness. It’s a great activity that engages the hand, mind, and heart.

“Scrapbooking is really powerful, right?” Marnie said. “You get to see and feel your loved one’s thoughts and feelings and what they wanted to remember. It’s special.”