NATCHEZ &8212; A work of art grew out of a box full of clippings and mementoes, surprising Angie Brown and perhaps surprising her husband, Ronny Brown, even more.

The handsome scrapbook, with its pages featuring colorful backgrounds, decorative letters and stamps, preserves the story of Brown&8217;s candidacy in the Democratic primary, which he won as his first step to being elected Adams County sheriff in 2003.

&8220;We plan to do the same thing with the general election,&8221; Angie Brown said, as she showed off the book, a blow-by-blow account of her husband&8217;s entering the race, coming out on top in the first primary in August that year but having to face a runoff. It was plenty of material to fill one book, she said.

Both husband and wife had expected one day to create a scrapbook. Angie Brown thought it would be &8220;like the ones we used to do in high school, where we just taped things in it,&8221; she said, laughing at how different it had turned out to be.

Angie had hoped to have the scrapbook complete in time to give it to her husband for their anniversary in June.

The sheriff had no idea she was making the book. &8220;We had all of this in a box. We were saying that one day we&8217;ll do something with it,&8221; Ronny Brown said.

He pulled a large notebook from his shelf &8212; the kind with rings and plastic sheets for holding paper items. &8220;I thought we&8217;d do something like this,&8221; he said.

He also envisioned saving all the clippings and mementoes for a day when he was retired and had time to do things like tape things into a scrapbook.

Angie Brown had different ideas, inspired by her friend Pam Frank, an expert in the new creative art of scrapbooks.

&8220;I decided to get started around the end of May,&8221; she said. &8220;I called Pam, and we started working toward the end of May and finished up the first of July.&8221;

Angie had not expected the pages to take as much time as they did, but she became fascinated by the process as she watched Frank expertly position, paint, stamp and decorate the pages.

&8220;She&8217;s very creative,&8221; Angie Brown said. &8220;She would just pick up a piece of paper and start drawing lines on it. She&8217;d put it away and then come back and draw lines of a different color. I wasn&8217;t sure what she was doing until she finally had the page all done. It was wonderful and just amazed me.&8221;

Ronny Brown recalled the day his wife brought the scrapbook to the office to surprise him. &8220;It shocked me,&8221; he said. &8220;They spent a lot of time on it. It&8217;s going to be a keepsake.&8221;

His one wish is that his father, Willie Brown, was still alive to bind the scrapbook in his expert way. Willie Brown was one of few bookbinders in the state during his career.

Angie Brown is looking forward to the Scrap-N-on the River convention that will take place at the Natchez Convention Center July 27, 28 and 29, hosted by her scrapbook mentor.

Has the scrapbook bug bitten her? &8220;I&8217;m amazed at all the equipment and the different techniques,&8221; she said. &8220;I&8217;m looking forward to the convention.&8221;