Remember kindergarten, where you got to cut out all the cool pieces, color them and then glue them together.  Well, now at 36 I am revisiting my childhood.  I’ve become an avid scrapbooker.  It is definitely my hobby of choice and I hope someday my creations, the kids albums will live on and give them a glimpse of me and themselves that they may not remember otherwise.

Many of my friends are shocked that I don’t pursue digital scrapping (especially since I spend the majority of my life in front of a computer or three,) and I did take a class at the last convention I went to to check it out.  It was really cool and I learned a lot about editing graphics, etc. that I didn’t know before . . . but really, truly, I want to go back to kindergarten.  I want to get my hands dirty, get creative and at the end of the day hang my fabulous unique creation on the refrigerator.  Well, ok, maybe I’ve moved on from the refrigerator, but everything else is the same when I scrapbook.

I have to be honest, another wonderful thing about this hobby in addition to getting the memorialize my memories with my writing and photos, is the fun I have with my friends when we get together to crop.  We all set up on a plastic table with all our supplies, bring food to share (or order in depending on our personal economies at the time,) and spend the HOURS working on our projects, chatting and swapping suggestions and sharing supplies.  There is no pressure, no right or wrong and just complete joy in seeing something be created from nothing.

Even now at 5 and 6, my kids LOVE to get out the albums I have created and walk through their early lives.  Not a week goes by that they don’t ask to scrapbook and make their own mess.  And I’ve even grown from simple scrapbooking to altering items to give as gifts.  In fact, this year, ALL my clients got altered clipboards and I LOVED making them.

Does this sound like something you would enjoy?  I highly recommend it.  I got started by visiting my local scrapbooking store (sometimes also called stamping stores) and signing up for a class or two or even just ask some questions.  I have always found the locally owned store owners more than willing to share and teach their methods.  And it is just too much fun to describe.

So with the best of wishes, I invite you to join me to Color, Cut and Glue your way to bliss!

~hope