By REBECCA SLOAN

By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BOARDMAN -- They're colorful, crafty, creative keepsakes, and once you've made your first one, you're hooked.
"Scrapbooking has been big for about four years now, and it's getting bigger all the time. It's a fun, creative way to capture memories," said Cindy Wilson, a manager at Michael's in Boardman, one area craft store that offers scrapbook-making classes.
For those of you who've never seen a scrapbook and haven't a clue as to what the fuss is about, just picture an archival-quality book that features your favorite photos mounted on colorful backgrounds with all sorts of nifty little embellishments such as stickers, stencils, scalloped borders and rubber stamps.
Some scrapbooks are built around a theme, such as a vacation to Disneyland or a child's birthday party. Others are just ongoing photo albums that document daily living, but with a little more pizzazz than the usual collection of photos mounted side by side on blank white pages.
Anyone can catch the scrapbook fever, but Wilson said the pastime is especially popular among moms.
"Once you have a kid, you're going to have all kinds of reasons to preserve photos in an interesting, colorful way," Wilson said.
Scrapbook fanatic: Ginny Eddy of Boardman, a stay-at-home mother of four, is a self-proclaimed scrapbook fanatic with "tons" of albums, many of which revolve around her kids' activities.
"I have four kids, ages 6, 10, 13 and 15, and they all play musical instruments, so I have a lot of albums with musical themes," she said.
Eddy loves her craft so much that she recently flew to Stone Mountain, Ga., to take part in an all-night scrapbook extravaganza at a four-star resort. The event was arranged by Eddy's sister, who lives in Georgia and is also a scrapbook nut.
"There was a group of about 30 or 40 women, and we scrapped around the clock. It was great. There was gourmet food laid out for us to eat when we got hungry, and we had contests for who had the best scrapbook page," Eddy said.
Eddy has been creating scrapbooks for almost eight years and in addition to completing scrapbooks for herself, she also gives them as gifts.
To make her scrapbooks even better, she recently purchased a top-notch camera so the photos she takes will live up to their creative backdrops.
"I don't think I would have gotten a nice camera or been interested in learning more about photography if I wasn't into scrapbooking," she said.
Costly craft: Eddy said the camera was expensive, but the scrapbook supplies are what really break the piggy bank.
"My entire dining room is covered with scrapbook paraphernalia. I have tons of stickers, about 50 paper punchers, a book that holds about 800 photos and a bunch of different decorative scissors for scalloping borders. It's an expensive hobby. I've spent thousands of dollars on books and supplies," she said.
A basic 12-by-12 scrapbook costs about $36. Add on the cost of stickers, double-sided tape, rubber stamps and paper punchers, and it can cost as much as $100 or more just to complete one scrapbook.
Local craft stores sell supplies, but Eddy orders most of hers over the Internet because she says she's looking for cutting edge variety that she just can't find locally.
"I've bought just about everything they carry at local stores. It seems like scrapbooking is bigger in other parts of the country than it is here. In Georgia, for example, there are stores devoted just to scrapbooking and scrapbook supplies are all they carry as opposed to just one aisle in a craft store like you see here," Eddy said.
Supply parties: Sometimes Eddy also buys supplies at scrapbook supply parties, which are similar to Tupperware parties.
"If you are just starting out, a craft store like Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics will have what you need, but if you have been scrapping for a while, you are probably going to want the variety you can only get over the Internet or through a scrapbook supply party," Eddy said.
Local craft stores that offer scrapbook classes require participants to bring their own books and supplies.
Wilson said the classes at Michael's cost about $15, typically last about two or three hours and participants must register at least 24 hours in advance.
Most of the classes at Michael's are geared toward beginners.
Old pros like Eddy do most of their scrapbook activities at home or with friends, and although her four kids keep her busy, Eddy always makes time for her paper passion.
"Any spare moment I get, I'm working on a book. This is my hobby for life. After the very first one I did, I was hooked," she said.