Therapeutic addiction!

Well, I've been doing it for a year - so it's not a whim! I am an AVID addict!

The idea behind this blog is to have somewhere to put my scrapping links where I can find them easily - but I'd just as well chatter a bit too!

I started scrapbooking, completely by accident. I was looking for a birthday card for my youngest brother and tutting at the price! Then I had the great idea of making him one, so this meant a trip to the nearest craft shop (the Range), where I not only picked up some cardmaking materials, but also one of their Goodie Bags. Oh dear. I had seen scrapbooking shops in the USA, but, although curious, I had never entered one - so had no idea what the hobby entailed. The Goodie Bag filled me in. As did the numerous magazines I bought in the weeks following. I was instantly hooked! All those old photos in the loft, suddenly saw the light of day again - and the zillions of digital photos on the computer, stood to attention "print me, print me!" And I printed quite a few! It's not all about the scrapbooking, either - there is now more purpose in photography. I've been known to go somewhere with the sole intention of taking photos to scrap. (That can't be sane!) I've spent hundreds (probably an underestimate!) of pounds on inks and photographic papers and scrap papers and albums and embellies and - oh everything - but every penny has been worth it, as it's a wonderfully relaxing hobby. (I should perhaps mention that, although all this started out with the intention of making cards, I never really got into that. I find cardmaking stressful, as you are making something for somebody else and you want them to like it. Pressure!)

So, a year into scrapping. Am I supposed to have a 'style', because, if so, then I am a failure! I like to dabble with different styles. I don't like to make two pages the same. I don't think I ever have. My tastes in materials are varied - I love (most of all) Basic Grey stuff, because I love the distressed look to it - but I also love girlie, romantic papers, especially those from K&Co and Fancy Pants. I love Heidi Swapp and Elsie. I love flowers. And swirls. I love to doodle - and even sew! Letters are probably my biggest weakness; I see them and I buy them, because you can never have enough 'e's (I need a CraftRobo or a Wishblade - but I can't really justify the cost, even to myself!). I love Scrapbook Inspirations and the American Creating Keepsakes (and subscribe to both). I love looking at the papers - you could say I almost collect them! But I do not have a style. Is that important? No! I think the only really important thing about scrapbooking is that you are happy with the last page you created. That it portrays how you feel about that photograph. Scrapbooking is not about competition and about who can make the best pages - it's about life and love; family and holidays; good times, bad times; memories. And how you choose to keep those memories is personal to you. That's the joy!

(Oh, maybe I should confess that I'm a bit of a pusher of this addiction. Fi Archer, Lesley Puls, to name but two. And my daughter-in-law, Nicola ... I'm not sure how my son feels about that! :))

Here are a selection of some of my most recent pages - made over the last few weeks.

Paul in Lisbon! (It's the photo which really makes this page!)



Hub and I on the Moors. He with his Fuji - me with my trusty Nikon!



Me and the boys in Rome!



Sintra, Portugal.



Paul in a bath at MFI!!



And these have been made over the past week.

Just me.



A favourite place.



And this is the last one I made. Hub, Paul and Mt Rainier.



The weather is so lousy, that this weekend would be an ideal time to attack some of those papers I haven't used yet - if only I didn't have an assignment to do - and if only I hadn't run out of coloured ink!