You are invited to the
2026 Then & Now Scrapbook Retreat
4pm May 1 - 4pm May 3
What does "Then & Now" mean exactly?
As we scrapbook, there are often memories from the past that come to mind
- A similar experience enjoyed when you were younger
- A special moment shared with the person in the photos
- Reflections on how a place or person has changed
- Little things like the price of something, fashion changes, hairstyles
- Where a tradition began and how it is upheld
Would you like to spend a weekend gently weaving stories of the present with the past? A weekend where the cooking & cleaning is done for you, where you are sitting with lots of scrap happy ladies and you will not be interrupted. Yes? Then read on for more details.
I will be creating my samples in coming weeks - the pages shown here are just for inspiration and are not in the 'Then & Now' style.
In a nutshell...
The Then & Now Retreat is a weekend where you focus on story telling in your albums.
We celebrate our love of memory keeping and creating with paper. You will make pages that help link memories from the past with current ones. We will laugh a lot and enjoy 48 hours away from the daily grind at home. You have the opportunity to learn something new at our two optional croptalks crop talks and your chats with other retreat participants.
We gather at the Swan Valley Adventure Centre, Middle Swan, WA
The venue is well run, the cropping room is open 24/7, is well lit and you have a full, spacious table to work on. The food is yummy, and dishes are done for you. You will sleep in share rooms, on comfy beds with linen provided.
That’s all I need to know! I’ll register now
Then & Now Retreat explained
The inspiration for this retreat has come from conversations over the past year or so. For more and more people the photos keep piling up on devices, the time to scrapbook diminishes and the feeling that we won't get to tell all our stories grows concerning.
Rather than making multiple albums covering different eras of our lives, let's think about weaving the stories from the past with the current events we are taking photos of.
This may show up as an additional story on the page, old photos added in with new ones or new photos taken to expand on the story from an older photo.
We are not creating a discreet project only for Then & Now pages. Rather, raising our consciousness of how stories and photos across different times in our lives can work together.
You work with any photos, in any size album, blending stories of Then & Now.
Some examples of how this can be done
You've just taken a cruise to celebrate a milestone birthday. Add in photos and stories from past cruises or birthdays.
You haven't scrapbooked Christmas photos for the past 4 years. Combine them, focusing on the traditions observed each year or how individuals have grown and changed in that time.
Your son just graduated high school, and you haven't scrapbooked any of it. Choose three things he loved most about his time there and tell stories about how he began, developed and mastered in each of them over the 6 years.
You are working with photos of your most recent garden makeover. Weave in stories about how you learnt about gardening, people who taught you or what past experiences influence your plant & design choices.
You have chosen to embrace your grey hair. Gather photos of past hairstyles and colours
What do you say, are you in?
Registrations close at midnight on April 16,2026 unless booked out prior to this date.
Full payment $380
Two Payments: Deposit $100 by March 16; $280 by Apr 16
As a reminder, your registration includes:
- All meals
- Shared room accommodation for two nights
- A well-lit hall to crop in
- Two optional crop talks
- A large table all to yourself
- Loads of prizes and fun
- Friendship and laughter as you create alongside like-minded women
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your registration before April 16, I will refund your payments less a $50 admin fee. If you cancel after this time, I will save any notes and gifts for you but cannot offer a refund.
