"Scrapbooking" is the art of safely and creatively showcasing photos and memorabilia in albums using archival, acid-free albums and products. Pages are embellished with stickers, die cuts, artwork, and journaling. It has grown into a phenomenon throughout the world, and has been called the "quilting of the '90s and '00s" by The Washington Post.

The "new wave" of scrapbooking - using archival, acid-free products, is documented to have begun in 1980, when the Christensen family decided to share their 50 volumes of memory books with the crowds at the World Conference on Records. Reaction was so overwhelming that the family wrote the first book detailing how to scrapbook, Keeping Memories Alive, and opened the first retail store selling only archival scrapbooking supplies.

Utah is hailed as "scrapbooking country." The trend began in that state, with many more stores being opened and products being designed. The premier scrapbooking magazine, Creating Keepsakes, is based out of Utah, and was started by Lisa Bearnson, a scrapper with a dream. It was recently acquired by media giant Primedia Publications.

Creative Memories was the first direst sales scrapbooking company. It was launched in 1987 by Cheryl Lightle and Rhonda Anderson. Similar to Tupperware, consultants give "home parties" and sell CM supplies. They also recruit members to their downlines. Today, Creative Memories has more than 65,000 consultants all across the world. Several other direct sales companies have launched since, including Close To My Heart and Scrap In a Snap.

There are currently nine magazines in the U.S. just for scrapbooking: Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Paper Kuts, Ivy Cottage Creations, Better Homes and Gardens' Scrapbooks Etc., Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook Premier, Scrapbook Retailer, and Memories In Store.

Scrapbooking has been written about in Newsweek Magazine, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, and Entrepreneur Magazine, among others. It has been featured on The Oprah TV show.

According to the Hobby Industry Association, the scrapbooking industry grew from $350 million a year in 1998 to more than $500 million a year in 2000. The most recent statistics show that scrapbooking is now a $1.4 billion a year industry in the U.S. alone, with 21% of American households participating in the hobby in the past 12 months. (Source: "Scrapbooking in America" study, conducted by Craftrends Magazine and Creating Keepsakes Magazine.) The Hobby Industry Association now estimates that scrapbooking is a $2-3 billion a year industry.

PBS's More Than Memories is a program dedicated to scrapbooking. The hobby is also featured regularly on the Home and Garden television channel, QVC, and the DIY Network.

Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Rosie O'Donnell and Leeza Gibbons are outspoken fans of scrapbooking.

"Crops" are events where scrappers get together and create pages. Compared to quilting bees, these events provide women and men with the chance to work on their scrapbooks together. These crops range from a few people to several hundred people.

Scrapbooking events and retreats are several days long and provide scrappers with a chance to "get away from it all" and scrap. One company, Scrap and Spa, allows women to scrap and enjoy spa amenities as well. Scrapbook cruises to exotic locations are also common.

Scrapbooking conventions are large events across the country with vendors, classes, and cropping time. Memories Expo is the largest of the national conventions, attracting up to 8,000 visitors at each event. Memories Expo travels to several cities each year.