By Bonni Ferguson
As the pressure of a new semester mounts on Brigham Young University students, scrapbooking becomes more popular as it serves as a means to channel stress and preserve family history.
'I enjoy because it''s an outlet,' said Crystal Scholes, a 20-year-old audiology and speech language pathology major from Roosevelt, Utah. 'It makes me relax.'
Andrea Johnson, a 19-year-old pre-nursing major from Murray, Salt Lake County, also views scrapbooking as a source of relief. 'I like putting all of my memories down on paper and making my own creation,' she said. 'It''s something to do to relax.'
Provo, a hub for craft gurus, has a large market for scrapbooking, said Ana Thomas, a 53-year-old designer at Roberts Crafts in Provo.
' is the most popular class we have,' she said. 'Almost half of the store is devoted to scrapbooking.'
Ana Thomas said scrapbooking has become part of Provo culture. 'We are into family history... preserving memories more than other places because of our culture', she said. 'That''s why it is so popular.'
BYU students also link family history preservation with scrapbooking''s popularity.
'It is huge in Utah... and I think it has a lot to do with everyone feel like they''re doing family history,' said Johnson.
'It''s big at BYU for the same reason,' she said. 'It''s the same Mormon population that cares so much about keeping records of heritage and family.'
'It''s kind of your life history,' said Scholes. 'It''s your journal and all the pictures combined.'
'It''s definitely a popular thing among BYU students,' said Campus Craft and Floral employee Jennifer Thomas, a 20-year-old home and family life major from Boise, Idaho. 'I know that almost all of keep a scrapbook or are planning to do a scrapbook of some kind.'
Although many students consider themselves experienced scrapbookers, most agree that scrapbooking classes would be beneficial.
'Had I gone to the scrapbook convention in Salt Lake last weekend, I would have had a lot of fun', said Johnson. 'I would have found a lot of new ideas and new products to use.'
'If BYU offered a scrapbooking class, I would go,' said Jennifer Thomas.
'I went to a scrapbooking class once and it was... really cool because off of each other''s ideas,' said Scholes.
Roberts Crafts will host scrapbooking classes in mid-February for any community members interested. BYU students can take their questions and ideas to these meetings.