Marielen Christensen

Marielen W. Christensen (pronounced "Mary Ellen") is credited as the founder of the modern multibillion-dollar Scrapbooking industry. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1976, Marielen began making creative pages to put her family photos on. She then put them in sheet protectors and three ring binders. By 1980 she had made over 50 albums and was asked to display them at The World Conference on Records in Salt Lake City, Utah. Interest in creating “memory books” was immediate and she began teaching classes and giving seminars.

In 1981, Marielen and her husband, A. J., wrote the first how-to book on scrapbooking (Keeping Memories Alive) and opened the first scrapbooking supply store in Spanish Fork, Utah. By 1994, Demand for their products grew and by 1994 they needed to move to a larger location. Keeping Memories Alive was also the first company to launch a scrapbook Internet site and the industry spread throughout the world.

Marielen received the Outstanding Achievements Award from Creating Keepsakes Magazine for paving the way in the industry.

The industry—which includes businesses devoted specifically to the manufacturing and sale of scrapbooking supplies—peaked in 2005–2006. With home desktop publishing, digital cameras, scanners, and the Internet, scrapbooking continues in popularity as a digital format.