Back in 2003, I started a "scrap" book. I say "scrap" because it was made from literal scraps... movie ticket stubs, programs, pressed flowers. I had no idea there was a scrapbooking "world" out there... didn't know about patterned paper, or letter stickers, or any of that amazing stuff. I was just a 22 year old girl, making an album about my engagement:
It's funny and special to look at now... check out those zig-zag cut photos! I flagrantly ignored all rules of design and had fun doing it.Then my cousin gave me an entire box of scrapbooking supplies for my wedding in August 2003. OH. MY. GOSH. I nearly imploded... there was stuff for this?! Sign me up! I found Creating Keepsakes magazine and went crazy making an album about my honeymoon:
I ate, breathed, and slept scrapbooking for six months. And then I couldn't stand it anymore! I focused so hard on getting every page perfect that it was exhausting. So I quit.In 2007, I started to re-consider scrapbooking. I saw Elsie Flannigan's pages in Creating Keepsakes and realized that scrapbooking could be spontaneous and fun. So I decided to start scrapbooking again, and made "All About Me" (alternately titled "I'm Going To Try Every Single Technique I Can Think Of On One Page"):
Whew! Embellish much? I was so excited about the concept of scrapbooking myself, and I knew this was something I wanted to continue doing. I scrapbooked all summer and fall, trying out an artsier style than I had when I first started. I loved the idea of freestyle scrapping, just going with what I felt and being spontaneous. I made this layout in September 2007, and it was one of the first pages I felt good about:
I didn't scrap much that winter, but in February 2008 I decided I wanted to enter the CK Hall of Fame contest. I worked so hard on my submission and put my whole heart into it. My style was getting a little bit more linear and better composed as I realized that I wasn't as drawn to the artsy, random look I used to be. This is one of my HOF submissions:
Of course, I didn't make it into the Hall of Fame, but I was determined to continue. I loved this hobby! I continued to refine my style and started using my sewing machine on layouts:
In April 2008, Rachel invited me to join Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, and it rocked my scrapbooking world. For some reason, scrapping within the confines of a kit really changed my style... in the best way possible. I started using my sewing machine on almost every page, and I grew so much as a scrapbooker over the next six months. In December 2008 I made this page with the Regret Kit:
It's the first page where I see the reflection of the scrapper I am today... I still love this page a year later, and I can't say that about the former pages!
Whew! Embellish much? I was so excited about the concept of scrapbooking myself, and I knew this was something I wanted to continue doing. I scrapbooked all summer and fall, trying out an artsier style than I had when I first started. I loved the idea of freestyle scrapping, just going with what I felt and being spontaneous. I made this layout in September 2007, and it was one of the first pages I felt good about:
I didn't scrap much that winter, but in February 2008 I decided I wanted to enter the CK Hall of Fame contest. I worked so hard on my submission and put my whole heart into it. My style was getting a little bit more linear and better composed as I realized that I wasn't as drawn to the artsy, random look I used to be. This is one of my HOF submissions:
Of course, I didn't make it into the Hall of Fame, but I was determined to continue. I loved this hobby! I continued to refine my style and started using my sewing machine on layouts:
In April 2008, Rachel invited me to join Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, and it rocked my scrapbooking world. For some reason, scrapping within the confines of a kit really changed my style... in the best way possible. I started using my sewing machine on almost every page, and I grew so much as a scrapbooker over the next six months. In December 2008 I made this page with the Regret Kit:
It's the first page where I see the reflection of the scrapper I am today... I still love this page a year later, and I can't say that about the former pages! I continued my sewing streak and started appreciating colors other than pink. In April 2009 I made this page:
I think it's very "me": hand cutting, journaling strips, stitching. I'd like to think those are my trademarks!
I think it's very "me": hand cutting, journaling strips, stitching. I'd like to think those are my trademarks! Now it's November 2009, and I've made hundreds of pages! I learn more all the time and hopefully I will continue to grow into a better artist. This is one of my most recent pages, made in October 2009:
I still see that old scrapper in there: bright colors, a love of embellishments, lots of patterned paper. But I see a lot of changes, too, and I'm glad of that. Who knows where I'll be in another 5 years?
