STOUGHTON - Nine women came together for the winter scrapbooking retreat at the Stoughton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion from Jan. 12-14.
Barb Hemphill organizes the three-day retreat and has been dedicated to her scrapbooking for many years.
This year she was working on a special engagement album for her grandson Carter and his fiancée Rhea. Other times Hemphill has worked on vacation albums or from her farm.
Scrapbooking is a way to organize photos that stand out and have colourful backgrounds, fancy edging and neat lettering. There are many ways to create one of these pages.
Hemphill is always trying to get new people to join in on the fun, and the women who attended said it was enjoyable and a wonderful time to socialize.
Each person has an eight-foot table that is covered with art supplies, with the tables formed in a square so everyone can see each other.
At the back of the hall, supply tables are set up with paper, scissors, stamps, stickers and colourful paper, which Hemphill brings for people to purchase if they need anything.
Dian Fowlow and Betty Lou McIntosh started with this form of art 26 years ago and love every minute of the process.
Fowlow was working on a book for her grandson, spanning from his birth until his Grade 12 graduation, while McIntosh was organizing old farm photos so the family could enjoy them.
Debbie Beare and Jolene Martin attended for the first time. They both agreed the retreat was a fun time to socialize while completing some of their projects.
Linda Beckman started coming in 2019 and hopes to make an album for her uncle in Medicine Hat, Alta., while Leona Piper had a special project on the go, which cannot be named.
Colleen Beckman and Gloria Knous had several projects happening, with Beckman needing to make cards and Knous creating an album of her younger days.
For eight years, the retreats have taken place and Hemphill would welcome anyone who wants to attend. They have regular gatherings on Thursdays.
Two more retreats will take place, with one in February and the final one in April.
In the meantime, they will continue to make masterpieces out of their albums to have a lifelong memory to look back on.
