The physical benefits of scrapbooking became evident to me while working with a young brain injured individual in Rehab. This person used cropping tools to increase her fine motor skills, as well as photos to help with memory recall of loved ones and others from her life. Cutting with scissors or a paper trimmer and handwriting journaling helps build good fine motor skills as does using shapes and stencils. Visual/perceptual skills are also utilized with activity.

Following directions of therapist or using an idea book help with organizing thoughts and following verbal and written instruction. The organization skills needed to complete a scrapbook page can assist a head injured individual with skills needed in many aspects of their life, from Activities of Daily Living to work skills for returning to employment. The step by step tasks of building a scrapbook page allow individual to process information and put steps together to form a completed task. Then putting all pages together to form a completed scrapbook reinforces idea of task completion and overall understanding of getting an end product from their labor of love.

Overall craft of scrapbooking can be therapeutic to all of us in some way. The companies that create scrapbooking supplies and tools are often coming out with easier and less complex ways to create scrapbooks. Someone with limited hand motion or cognitive skills can learn to master this wonderful craft with minimal guidance. I highly recommend scrapbooking as a therapeutic tool for anyone and hope that if you know someone who would reap its benefits, you will pass your love of this art form on to them.

Kathy Johnson, COTA Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and Crop Camp Coordinator

This new art form has several methodologies. The nature of stone makes it a work of art naturally. This can be further enhanced using certain treatments, applied to stone strategically, to enhance effects already within it. Stone is also fast becoming a medium of choice for innovative artist, as this material soaks up paint and gives a depth to color that isn’t achieved on traditional mediums. Sculpture is most ancient form of stone art; however stacked sculpture is a new form that involves adding stone to a piece to achieve a desired effect. A gift of Nature, majesty of Earth, to cherish and uplift your spirit, and beautify your environment. Bask in reflective beauty of your World. Stone art provides a true Cornacopia of originality and creativity.

A great place to get inspired is museum of stone art at http://art.pebblez.com

Peter Lewitin is an author and artist whose works are on display at http://art.pebblez.com