Sometimes,
Self Care,
Dear Diary,
Wanderlust,
Artcrush 5 by NBK Designs
Fonts Shark in the Water and Stalemates
I’ve found scrapbooking fills a need in me for creativity, community and therapy.
I first discovered scrapbooking when Mia was very young. Although I only went for cross stitch supplies, I discovered the craft store held classes on quilting, silver clay and paper scrapbooking. The best evening for me was Tuesdays – scrapbooking – and I naively thought that it would be a way cheaper hobby than the other two. This was to be my “me time” away from home and the kids. I soon discovered monthly crops at a couple of different stores. Well, hey, an opportunity to have a whole day to myself. I jumped at the chance. There were many different ladies who went to these and I have fond memories of scrapping together. Even when both stores closed, a group of croppers kept on with the organisation of the crop in the village hall – thanks ladies!
I have been part of creative teams, for both paper and digital stores and designers. I have been challenged to use product I wouldn’t normally choose and found that has expanded my creativity even more. I’ve been a part of the creative team for a magazine and taught in person at retreats and also taught online classes. The ability to share my passion through those outlets, and the online galleries was really satisfying. Not to mention it was also a great ego boost to get such positive feedback from others in the scrapbooking community. This may sound vain, but I have low self-esteem and suffer from depression, so getting positive recognition has always been such a boost.
As I became more involved with digital scrapbooking, I visited the crops less and less feeling somewhat of an interloper. In retrospect, I should have never stopped going. Although I am quite an introvert, it was a lovely group of ladies and it kept me somewhat sane having that day to myself each month away from home.
I now find community online at The Lilypad. I’m not a great chatter myself, but I love to look at what other people are creating and join in the challenges, finding new techniques and stretching the way that I look at this hobby.
As well as all of that, scrapbooking has kept me sane though very dark periods of my life. I have been able to escape within my creativity. On one hand I can lose myself by focussing on good memories and on the other I can vent away and put all my feelings out there on a page. It can be such a release to put down in words what I don’t have the ability to speak out loud.
I don’t scrap chronologically, I just create whatever I want to at the time, however I am feeling inspired. Despite having quite a few paper scrapbook albums (all of which need organising), I’ve never actually had a digital page printed. I know this is something I should get sorted, but the fact that I haven’t really reflects that my scrapbooking isn’t done for other people, for passing down stories, although, obviously that would be good if I ever did get anything printed out. No, scrapbooking resolutely stays as something I do for me and me alone.
