Scrapbooking Milestones, Then and Now

Someone on Two Peas, posted something about their pea anniversary (the date they signed up to be a pea). It got me really thinking about my own personal scrapbooking time-line and milestones.

I started scrapbooking just before my son was born. I remember I had a friend who said, let’s go to this party together. They teach us how to scrapbook. I had no idea what “exactly” that was. But I went. This would have been 1994. I remember sitting there thinking… this stuff is so plain, but I’ve apparently been “scrapbooking” since high-school or earlier. I had albums full of photos that I had decorated with pretty stationary papers (about all you could find pre-1994), cut out titles and pictures to embellish the pages from magazines. I wrote directly on my page then, usually with just the date and who was in the photo, but sometimes I even included a poem and quote. Who knew I was a scrapbooker even then?

I never returned to a Creative Memories party again, but I did buy some things that night (an album, “safe” journaling pens, and a few decorative items). It wasn’t too long after that, I was in a Michaels and saw other types of albums, and then about 1 year later discovered rubber stamping stores and a year after that (in 1996) discovered a true scrapbooking store (Memory Lane in Mesa, Arizona … omg I miss that store, the staff (especially Pam… if you ever read this Pam, you were the absolute best!!) and a couple others.)

Eventually a few short years later I landed in Dallas, where I got a job teaching at the LSS, and then got the opportunity to teach at a GASC (gasp, that was way back at the beginning) LOL

I was an original pea – while I was still living in Texas. But at some point, the system crashed or their databases crashed and all that was lost. I think I even went through one account after that, but the account I use right now, shows that my anniversary is August 27. The day before my birthday. In 2003. Wow. It’s so odd to think of that. I’ve been a pea for nearly six years at this point. And if I remember correctly (yes I am getting fuzzy in my older age LOL) I first discovered two peas in early 1999, right before my daughter’s first birthday. So probably sometime in March or April. It is so weird to think of how two peas has grown since then as well.

Of course, my scrapbooking style has changed massively as well…..
Here are two pages I did in 1999. I remember that I loved cutsie, loved bright colors, didn’t have the first clue whether my photos looked good on certain papers, but hey I was having fun.

These layouts actually  make me laugh. I don’t know WHAT I was thinking, and am so glad that I have moved on, developed more “style” and I am able to obtain a wider variety of products now. I’m still VERY much a simple scrapbooker, but every so often, I make an elaborate layout… especially when I have time (ha! What’s that?!)

Here are a few more recent layouts (okay so they are at least six months old, because I haven’t scanned a layout in so long!) LOL

Hmm… I’m really glad I did this post. I realized, I need to post some more current layouts. I  have tons to choose from, and the scanner is brand new and awesome (I think I have to relearn stitching LOL) but I have nothing recent and I need recent. Check back often for some new pages.

Life Delights Memory Showcase

This was posted last year, and when I revamped the blogs, all the pictures disappeared and I happened to JUST notice it. LOL SO I’m reposting with the pictures.
Onto the blog entry….

So I’m behind the times, yes I know.

Yesterday I finally pulled out my Life Delights Memory Showcase kit because I was tired of dusting it off. So why did I wait so long? Because I just could not understand why I would want to make an album of that design. (the accordion stand up thing). Let me just say now, I am going to be making loads of them. What a perfect gift idea. Who knew? (yes I realize many of you have known for a very long time, I just happen to be behind the times a bit and couldn’t get it).

The things I liked about it: When I opened the kit (yes I just broke the seal yesterday morning!), I was thrilled with the ease of the layouts, the sizes of the photographs required and the idea behind a “family showcase”.

I didn’t want to wait to get any different photographs enlarged to cut down to a 5×5 which was requested so I cut them to 4×4 and wrote and/or stamped on the bottom of the mat.

I changed it up a little but I mostly used their diagrams with the exception of a few My Stickease changes, a couple of rotated pages and different sized photographs (plus two added embellishments and two added stamps)

Layout – Precious

I had some old pictures I was wishing to get into an album I am trying desperately to complete (considering my son is now 14 and my daughter 10!) LOL

Anyway, I made this layout with some odds and ends of paper I had laying around. Just trying to slowly get caught up.

Just a Quick One

As you can see, definitely NOT CTMH stuff. I used to belong to Scrap Jammies monthly kit club, and I have three years of kits all jammed into this huge plastic container.

It is taking up a HUGE amount of available table space, and I want it back. So I am going through and trying to use up all my old stuff. This was the result of playing with the stuff they sent in one of the kits, trying to follow their sketch and twisting it up on my own, because that’s just the way I am. All over a dang squirrel! Who knew?

The HUGE tag on the right page pulls out and has all the journaling on it. It also has a small photograph attached to the bottom of it. I still feel like the layout is missing something and I’m so weird, but blank tags seem to call out to me. They need something. So while I love the layout, I am still not sure it’s done.

Work Layout

Sometimes I think I forget how fortunate I am to be able to work from home. I am a mom first and foremost but after that I am a freelance writer. That’s what pays the bills. I am a scrapbook consultant next, and while teaching classes and workshops certainly brings me in a bit of cash each month, it is the writing that pays the bills.

I was excited last month to realize it had been two years since I had started writing for one of my gigs.
I created this layout and the title is how many minutes there are in two years. (I love the song Seasons of Love from Rent)

Obviously this is so not CTMH stuff. The ink that was used is, but the rest was part of a kit I have had sitting here FOREVER. I have challenged myself to start to use up my old kit stash so I can begin really using all the great CTMH stuff (and well, I need to make room for more CTMH stuff)

Valentine’s Layout With Old Photos

I was staring at the photos and Silhouette kept popping into my head. So I gave it a try and am pretty pleased with the results.

My son is 13 now, so you can imagine how long ago this was.

The Layouts I Promised…

I know I’ve been promising them for awhile now. Here they finally are. These were done a couple of weeks ago, I need to show off some of the recent stuff I’ve been doing, and I will get to that. I promise. Sorry for the pictures and not scans. One of these days I’ll set aside some time to scan everything into my ‘puter – until then – digital snaps are what ya get.

I had some fun with the letters:

P.S. I love Imagine – can you tell?

The Layouts I Promised

I know I’ve been promising them for awhile now. Here they finally are. These were done a couple of weeks ago, I need to show off some of the recent stuff I’ve been doing, and I will get to that. I promise. Sorry for the pictures and not scans. One of these days I’ll set aside some time to scan everything into my ‘puter – until then – digital snaps are what ya get.

I had some fun with the letters:

P.S. I love Imagine – can you tell?

A Couple of Layouts

I got about 12 layouts done this past weekend, and also just under 10 really cute cards. I haven’t photographed everything yet, but when I do, I will post. In the meantime, here are a couple of my favorites. Sorry about the pictures. There is just NO easy way to get a good picture. I have got to learn how to scan and stitch again. LOL

This layout was made with a kit from the monthly kit club I get. I stayed pretty true to the sample, and used Pumpkin Patch pictures. I’m glad to be done with these pictures.

This next set was done also from a kit, however I changed the photographs and concept quite a bit. I wanted to challenge myself to create a layout expressing my feelings about my Close to my Heart business and what I hoped to gain from it. There is hidden journaling, but I did place the quote “I Can and I Will” on the left page.

I’ll post a couple more layouts later.

The Results Are In!

I promised I’d update with some of what I worked on this weekend. So here it all is.

I started out needing to get some new samples created for my CTMH business. You know, I was halfway through the instructions they post for us to copy and create when I thought, darn it I wish I had just done my own thing this time. So next time, you can count on seeing what they do, and what I have done.

(I have absolutely no use for bookmarks and tiny gift cards LOL – I’d rather create a few layouts and a couple of cards)

So here are some of the items I created this weekend, that I will use to show off our kits. (sorry the pictures are not real great, the colors seem off. For instance, the first card is the right color but the second card is made of the exact same paper and does not match. Weird.)

The first card, a full sized card is made using “Silhouette” Papers and “Soul Mates” stamp set.

The second card is a small 3″x3″ gift card made using the “Silhouette” Papers and “Joy Forever” stamp set.

Two 6″x6″ layouts using “Good Times” Paper Pack and “Party Invitation” Stamp Set. These will eventually make it into some type of 12″x12″ layouts. I don’t scrap small albums too often.

These next ones were my favorites to recreate – I plan to use them on a layout even though they are cards (except the one that is a tag – that’s going on a layout) They were also created using “Good Times” Paper Pack and “Party Invitation” My Acrylix Stamp set.

And here is what I did today with my leftovers from my weekend scrap session.

This is a mini-album except I plan to pin it to a 12×12 layout of my son’s 13th birthday with special journaling inside it. It only has two pages. I could have added more but I knew I was planning to use it on a layout.

Well, I am currently working on the layout for his birthday where this will be used, and when it’s finished I will show it off.

Oh, and there is a reason that I chose that particular quote on the album. He told us just before his birthday that he wished he could stay a kid forever, and he’s also a quick eater and we joke about that a lot. The significance behind “lying about your age” is an inside thing between us. It will totally make him smile when its complete.