Nicole Fleming wanted to organize her high school pictures into a keepsake she could display at her graduation party.

When the packaging junior decided to take all of her photos and fill the pages of a blank book, a new hobby was born — scrapbooking.

Fleming didn't waste any time when it came to designing and creating her first book. She filled more than 500 pages with pictures, stickers and memories.

"It took me hours upon hours to finish," Fleming said. "I can't even estimate how long I worked on that book."

Fleming estimated that it takes her anywhere from 15-30 minutes to design a well-detailed page. Pages that deserve extra detail can take up to an hour or longer.

In addition to being a time-consuming hobby, scrapbooking can be expensive, Fleming said.

"To make a smaller scrapbook wouldn't be too expensive," she said. "But the costs of making a book, especially a big book, definitely add up."

Scrapbookers spend money on all sorts of supplies, ranging from big purchases like the actual book, to smaller ones like decorative stickers, paper trimmers and pinking shears, rubber stamps and pens.

Laura Mixter, a family community service junior, has worked at a scrapbooking store near her hometown in Southgate for the past six years.

She still picks up occasional weekend and holiday shifts. Mixter said that being in the store tempts her to spend money on scrapbooking materials.

"It's really hard working (at the store) because I see the new products advertised, and then they arrive. … I've spent a lot of money that way," Mixter said.

Mixter has been scrapbooking for the past seven years. She said she has made dozens of scrapbooks.

"I make books about anything and everything. I am constantly taking pictures," Mixter said.

Though Mixter is an avid scrapbooker, she said she doesn't have as much free time as she would like to create books.

She said another reason she doesn't scrapbook as much during the school year is her lack of space.

"I have so many (scrapbooking) materials that I can't even fit them all into my dorm room," Mixter said.

Kelly Yarger, an employee at Pages in Time of Lansing and a Potterville resident, said scrapbooking stores have grown in popularity during the last five years.

"When I started scrapbooking, the only places to buy supplies were Michaels and Meijer," Yarger said.

Yarger recently attended a scrapbooking convention in Anaheim, Calif.

She said that people of all different age groups attended the convention, from people in their early 20s to older senior citizens.

"There was an unbelievable amount of people there," Yarger said.

People of all different age groups attend scrapbooking events held at Pages in Time of Lansing, Yarger said. The store hosts an event every Friday night for people to come in and work on their books together.

Other places in the Lansing area offer similar events — some even lasting the entire weekend.

"Our events that we offer draw a pretty large crowd," Yarger said.

Creating scrapbooks is a way for Fleming, Mixter and Yarger to not only organize their pictures, but also to create a book of memories that they can keep forever.

"I've always been really creative and artsy. Scrapbooking is a fun way to get my creativity all down on paper," Fleming said.