Scrapbooking Obsession

I know how you feel...I was trying to describe what scrapbooking is to someone else. She had this glazed look on her face the whole time..it was pretty funny listening to what I was saying. I will say that scrapbooking has definately changed the amount and style of my pictures. I know try to think of the page as I'm taking pictures..lol

Amanda

Hello Angie,

I know exactly what you mean about scrapbooking obsession. It is so addictive and I love the idea that I can express myself creatively and at the same time produce something "useful". And there are so many products to buy and techniques to try out. even though you are using products designed by someone else, your layouts will be as individual as you want to them to be. Another thing I love about scrapbooking is that "anything goes" (as long as it is archival quality). I made my first layout in December last year but I can tell I found my favourite "creative expression medium", after a lifetime of various creative and crafty activities, from cross stitch to watercolour to silk painting.

In my case, I can safely say that scrapbooking IS my life. I suffer from a terrible illness called CFIDS which makes me so ill and exhausted and constantly in pain all the time that I can barely function outside my bed more than a week in every month and even on those days I have to pace my energy very, very carefully and just about manage to sit at a table for an hour at a time. And I choose to use every moment I can physically do something little to do scrapbooking!

I used to take a lot of photos before I got ill so I am trying to scrap them gradually. I have my internet laptop in bed with me and can look for ideas and products or design my layouts or edit my photos on the laptop slowly. I also have a "scrapbook ideas notebook" on my bedside table and whenever I see something I like I put it in my notebook - it is now full of sketches, thoughts on my photos, ideas for little embellishments, ideas for parts of pages, quotes, thoughts on particular photos, things I would like to buy.

One advantage of scrapbooking this way is that I have had a LOT of time to plan my layouts and when it comes to physically making them, I know exactly what to do. So much scrapbooking to do and so little energy! It can be really frustrating when you have so many ideas but cannot physically implement them. so yes, scrapbooking is also my "obsession".

Klara

I love scrapbooking. My Sister and her husband were on their vacation (the one that got us little Sarah LOL) and had mentioned that they weren't going to get souvieniers. However, in the airport gift shop my brother-in-law walked up to my sister and showed her a tee shirt. She laughed and bought it. It was a tee shirt for me "scrapbooking goddess, life as scene on a page."

I enjoy my hobby. It doesn't hurt anyone or creature. OK it might hurt the bank account during a really good sale but........

I live in a town where "crops" don't happen and if they do they are in the next state. :-(

In scrapping I branched out to card making and other paper crafting. My family enable my hobby as they call it my gift. It brought back my love for photography. As a youngster I used to win awards for my photographs. Now it is my goal to be published.

Hugs, Kate

I always grab whatever I can legallly get my hands on... you never know what you'll end up wanting to use!

Melissa in Seattle

Melissa -

Glad you said that - I have a bunch of medical brochures that we were just gonna toss, but they have some nice graphics of people doing various things, on nice paper, and so I thought they might be worth cutting out for some people.

So - I was going to bring some to the crop we're going to on Sat, and if anyone here wants some, let me know today, and I'll grab some and send them to you.

Thanks!

Jessica

I've enjoyed doing creative things most of my life. One of my great grandmothers (who died a few months before I was born) could do anything. She made quilts, custom-made drapes, did photography, baked, crocheted (she couldn't read a pattern, but all she had to do was see it and she could make it). Unfortunately, no one has any of her handiwork (she had to sell her things in order to support herself).

I've often thought that if there was any genetic basis to creativitiy and the desire to do creative things, I must have gotten it from her. No one else in my family seems to have any artistic talent. I find that I'm not quite content unless I have some creative activity going on in my life. In fact, I'm toying with the idea of getting back into sculpture and taking a class this summer at the local art center...as if scrapbooking isn't enough! But I'll be working

Are there any other scrapbookers in your area? Maybe you could organize a crop with them. A friend and I have been trying to start a scarpbooking ministry at our church.

Have you posted your photos anywhere?

Good luck with your desire to be published!

Angie

ladyblue at newsguy dot com