Lara crafts her way through lockdown

It has been a few weeks of the lockdown and you must tired of looking at those four walls of yours.

So why not try looking at something better, something beautiful you have created with your own hands perhaps? To help you on this new endeavour, the Randburg Sun spoke to Lara Hanna, a scrapbook and crafts teacher who has love not only for photography, but for creating beauty in interesting ways.

We found out more about her and why scrapbooking is one of her favourite things to do. Lara shared when she was a child, she always loved colouring in and cutting paper and now, as an adult, she still loves to cut out paper and finds the whole process quite therapeutic.

The 90s came around and with it came an introduction into scrapbooking, an introduction so thrilling, she likened it to a child going to Disneyland for the very first time. All the joys of scrapbooking with the added benefit of being able to add her photography into it too made this the best hobby she ever stumbled across.

She said scrapbooking was designed as a way to creatively store photos in an environment that is ‘acid and lignin free’. “These two things are the culprits for the damaged photos and all scrapbooking supplies are designed to protect our photos and keep them intact for the generations ahead.”

For her, the best part about scrapbooking is that you really don’t need a creative bone in your body. “We have perfected this craft to such a fine art that we now have step-by-step kits which teach you how to create the beautiful layout. In the beginning, you feel as if you cannot do it but quick enough you get the hang of it. Before you know it you start to add your own touch of magic to your layouts.”

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She added that that once your creativity has come to life, you will be able to expand your scrapbooking to other amazing ideas such as gift cards, boxes, mini albums, bookmarks and all sorts that are just as easy to make.

Some of her most memorable pieces are those of her family and finding creative ways to store these images which she hopes will last for generations to come. This, mixed with local and international travel with her loved ones, makes creatively storing these memories a great time to reflect on all the fun they had.

Therapeutic and calming are the words uses to explain how scrapbooking has helped her through the years. Although you can definitely sit by yourself and scrapbook, she prefers class settings where you can engage with people who later become your creative family. According to her, scrapbooking is easy enough for a six-year-old to grasp and an 88-year-old can carry on with.

Visit Lara Hanna’s Scrapbook ‘n Things website at www.scrapbookandthings.co.za, and if you enjoy these tips, why not visit her store Stepping Stones Garden Village, 283 Honeydew Road West, North Riding, once the lockdown is over.