Scrapbooking is one of the most creative and personal ways to preserve your memories. It requires more time and care than merely logging onto Shutterfly to produce a photo book.

That's probably why I gave up on scrapbooking several years ago. The only things I've scrapbooked within the last couple of years were the baby showers friends threw for us, and that's pretty much because I was in hormonal overdrive as a pregnant lady in her third trimester.

Since our daughter was born, I've been a Shutterfly devotee, but a recent class at Scrappin' Attack now has me rethinking that instant gratification.

Scrappin' Attack is owned by Eva Smith and her daughter, Stacie Riley. (Smith confirmed "it's a mother-and-daughter thing" with a smile when I was told they owned the store together.) As a part of their commitment to all things scrapbook, they offer classes for students to learn how to hone their skills and use the many different tools for scrapbooking ease.

Because Thanksgiving is around the corner, I elected to take "Thankful For Family," a class aimed at teaching students about home décor canvas-based wall art using scrapbooking techniques. The online description said, "This wall canvas is all about FAMILY—staying consistent to the Season of Change, the paper and colors will showcase the fall season and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday."

When I called to reserve my spot in the Wednesday night class, Smith advised me to bring my tools. After I told her I no longer had tools—I left whatever tools I had back in Hawaii when we moved to California years ago—she assured me she would be able to take care of whatever I lacked. I didn't want to tell her that creativity and patience were among the things missing.

The night of my foray into canvas wall art arrived and I showed up with a couple of pairs of scissors—the ones that cut jagged and wavy lines—a ruler, some pencils and a glue stick. It was like a surgeon turning up for work with the pair of tweezers for the game "Operation."

At the long table in the back of the class, each student's name was prettily written on cards. We had sponge brushes, paper plates, and canvases neatly laid out in front of our seats. There were four of us that night—Smith said she likes to limit classes to small groups—and we each had different levels of scrapbooking experience, with me at the very back of the pack.

My "old school" ways, as Smith graciously termed it, have since met their maker. What used to frustrate me about scrapbooking has been sent the way of the 8-track thanks to several brilliant inventions, such as the Xyron, a contraption that turns ribbon into stickers, and mini-paper cutters that make for ease of framing.

Smith has a dynamic energy that reminded me of my favorite third-grade teacher. As she squirted paint onto our plates and told us to cover the entire canvas, I found myself relaxing into the process of running the brush back and forth. "This is so nice," I thought during what must have been my thousandth stroke until I realized my classmates were finished and ready to move on.

And that's when I met the coolest product ever: Mod Podge. Mod Podge has been around for 40 years. Mod Podge is an all-in-one glue, sealer and finish. Mod Podge is amazing. Not only is it fun to repeat several times over, but it also heals broken hearts and stomps out all that is wrong in this world.

Okay, I'm exaggerating. But Mod Podge is pretty darn terrific. We used it to set our paint, to attach the designer pieces of paper, and to fix any little mistakes made on our canvases. Shucks, I even liked the way it dried on our fingers and had to be peeled off, just like Elmer's Glue back in grade school.

When I made a mistake with my canvas, Mod Podge helped even out my mess. The only thing that Mod Podge couldn't fix were air bubbles that miraculously turned up after I spent minutes feverishly trying to flatten them away. Alas, even Mod Podge, like Superman, had a weakness.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the class, however, had nothing to do with a wonder-product available at the local craft store. The easy camaraderie that developed among Smith, my classmates and me struck me as something akin to the days of yore when women would participate in quilting bees.

We talked about our families and our hometowns. We laughed about husbands and proudly discussed our kids. And when one of us made a mistake—ahem—her classmates assured her it was like a "humility block" within a quilt, a personal touch to remind us nothing is perfect.

By the time we completed our project, along with a side project Smith had us work on so we wouldn't remain idle, my classmates were my friends and Smith was a gentle guide back to a time without responsibility or worry.

While I'm not sure my Shutterfly days are completely behind me, I'm definitely enrolling in future classes at Scrappin' Attack. As one of my classmates said while we packed up our new canvas art, "This is good for you. You need to make time for yourself." Some time to get creative and personal with memories wouldn't hurt, either.