scrapbooking

Scrapbooking

That's a lot of scrapbooks!

One of my favorite obsessions, oops, I mean *hobbies* is scrapbooking. Sure, I have lots of things I like to do in my free time (ha, ha)–some practical, like cooking and baking, some educational, like reading, and some mindless, like studying fashion and watching TV. But the one hobby I have sunk the most time (and money!) into is scrapbooking.

I started my attempt at chronicling events and memories in college. My early attempts were pretty crude, as I had no idea what I was doing, what kind of tools were available, or even what albums were good. Those early attempts got the job done, though–not only do I have the memories recorded, but it served to hook me on this new hobby, and I never looked back.

There were people who laughed at me when Bunny was born, and told me I’d never keep up with it now that I had two children. I heard the same story when Moose and Ladybug were born. Yet, even though I’ve allowed myself to fall behind as much as a full year from time to time, I always get caught up, and I’ve devoted equal attention to all four children’s scrapbooks, as well as our family album, and the special albums I work on from time to time. I really view myself as “family historian,” and given my love of history in general, it should be no surprise that I take this job so seriously.

Baby Ladybug's Hands and Feet

Boys...

...and Girls!

Possibly My Favorite Layout Ever!

I like to think my layouts have improved over time. One thing I know for certain–I love putting the pages together, and I love even more that I have concrete records of the fun times we have shared together.

The Fashion Project

I’ve decided, now that we’re going to have a little vacation from school, to undertake a new project. A new scrapbook, to be exact. The unusual thing about this one, though, is that it’s going to be all about me. Or about my clothes, anyway.

To be honest, I don’t make a whole lot of appearances in our scrapbooks in general, partly because I’m often the one taking pictures, and partly because I’m not very photogenic. But, I’ve decided that I’d like to have more of a record of myself, and I also want to keep track of some of my very favorite outfits.

I’ve discovered that, for the first time in my life, I really like my wardrobe. Sure, I have some clothes that I don’t *love* that just serve a purpose, but I also have a lot of clothes that I *really* love. I’ve also recently really delved into the world of accessories, and I’ve found that I love finding the perfect necklace (or scarf, or earrings, or ring, etc.) to go with an outfit. And even though I may not be happy with my weight, or the way I look in pictures, I do still have clothes (and accessories!) that make me feel fabulous when I wear them, and I’d like to document that.

I also recently got a book (Klutz Paper Fashions), that while intended for children, makes me really happy, and I’m going to be using the fruits of that for my scrapbook, too. I would probably tell you that I got the book to have some mindless entertainment in the evenings, to work on something kind of crafty, even though that’s not really my thing, but the truth is, this is as close to be a fashion designer as I’ll ever get. I can’t sew or draw, so using stencils to create fashions is the best I can do, but I’m still really excited about doing it, and I think my creations will be the perfect embellishments for my album.

I even found the perfect scrapbook for this project–it from the Die Cuts With a View All Dressed Up line!

So, I found a way to combine my favorite personal fashions with my love of (if not skill for) fashion design, and do it in a way that also involves one of my favorite hobbies, scrapbooking. I have to say, I’m looking forward to getting started!

Book Review: “Sisters, Ink” Series

It took me over a year (due to publication dates, not because they were boring or anything), but I finally finished the Sisters, Ink series of books by Rebeca Seitz.  There were only four books in the series: Sisters, Ink; Coming Unglued; Scrapping Plans; and Perfect Piece.  Each book focuses on one of the Sinclair sisters, a very diverse group of young women who were all adopted by Jack Sinclair and his late wife.  Throughout all of their shared troubles, including starting a new business together and learning to deal with a new step-mother, Zelda, who could not be more different than their beloved mother, the sisters get together to share their favorite hobby, scrapbooking, and solve all their problems (and consume a lot of chocolate along the way!).

The individual books each deal with their own theme, in addition to the above-mentioned themes that are present in all the books. The first two focus on the only two unmarried sisters as they deal with relationships and ponder marriage.  I thought these two books were excellent–Sisters, Ink, about the red-haired lawyer sister Tandy, really drew me in, and made me want to get to know the sisters, learn about their pasts, and anticipate what might happen in their futures.  Coming Unglued, about artistic Kendra, was an excellent sequel, answering some questions raised in the first book, as well as creating some new ones to be explored in future books.

I wish I could say I enjoyed the last two books as much as the first two.  I thought that Scrapping Plans was the worst of the four, partly because of some previously mentioned Lutheran bashing, and also because I felt that the main story, about Martha-Stewart -in-training Joy’s dealings with infertility and adoption, was unrealistic, and too easily resolved.  Perfect Piece was a better book than Scrapping Plans, but it was lacking the same spirit of the first two books.  In this book, the oldest sister, and mother of three, Meg, dealt with a brain tumor, and then her husband’s emotional infidelity as well.  I felt the author had a completely unrealistic opinion of how quickly someone who just had brain surgery should recover, and, like the previous book, felt that the tension wrapped up a little too neatly.

My only other criticism of the series is that it seemed to plagiarize the television show Gilmore Girls quite a bit.  From the main setting being a small town called Stars Hill (complete with over-the-top annual festivals), to Clay’s Diner, and Tanner, the over-zealous town champion who loves holding town meetings for the betterment Stars Hill, a lot of things in the books seemed familiar, in a “I’ve watched this show for way too long” kind of way.  I’m assuming it was unintentional, but for anyone familiar with Gilmore Girls, it is impossible to miss.

It was a good series of books, but the third one really left a bad taste in my mouth, and in some ways, ruined the whole series for me.  I do know that I wish I had the sisters’ scrapping studio for my use, as well as their disposable income to purchase all the supplies I want!

My Favorite Things–Scrapbooking

I don’t use nearly as many supplies in my scrapbooking endeavors as a lot of people do, but I do have my favorite items. I have to admit, once I find something (item, company, store, etc.) that I really like, I tend to stick with it, so I haven’t tried out as many different things as I probably should, but I still have a nice set of items that I like to use when the urge to be creative sets in!

Die Cuts with a View Paper Stacks and Scrapbook Kits in a Stack–I especially love the different premium stacks that are out there right now (All Dressed Up, anyone?), and I really love how things are already coordinated. I’m terrible at matching papers, and this makes it so much easier for me! I’m particularly hooked on the different seasonal stacks that are available.

Jolee’s Boutique Sticker Collages–There’s a collage for every possible situation you can think of. I don’t even want to begin to calculate how much I’ve spent or how many different ones I’ve purchased over the years.

Therm O Web Mounting Squares–I can go through hundreds of these when I’m on a roll with scrapbooking!

Colorbok The Perfect Album and Refills–I like the wide variety of colors the albums come in, as well as some of the finishes (like the pink glittery one I have for my daughter).

Deja Views Fresh Print Papers–The colors and patterns on these are so pretty. I have several 8×8 stacks, as well as some 12×12 open stock. The blue raspberry is my favorite.

Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter–Love the jewel themed colors–so pretty!

Paper Trimmer–I have a Fiskars, but I don’t think the brand even matters. All I know is, I can’t believe I used to scrapbook without one, especially since I can hardly cut a straight line with scissors!

Whale of a Punch Retro Flower–I tend to overuse this punch, because it’s the only large punch I have, but I think the shape of the flower is just so fun.

Making Memories Brads–Good variety of colors, shapes, patterns, styles and sizes.

Zig Writers–My go to pen, whether the primary colors or the metallic, because I love the double-ended tip.

Sakura Souffle Pens–These can be kind of a pain to work with, because you have to write so slowly, but the finished product looks really cool.

Scotch 3M Quick Dry Adhesive–I don’t use glue too often (see mounting squares above!), but when I do need it, this is the kind I pick up.

Sticko (formerly Stickopotamus) Adhesive Letters–I like the script writing and the fact that you can (or at least used to be able to) pick these up at Target.

Basic Grey Two Scoops Collection Pack–OK, I’ll admit, I haven’t bought this yet, but I’ve had my eye on it for awhile, (such pretty colors and patterns!) and it’s only a matter of time–one of these days, I’ll get it at Hobby Lobby for 40-50% off, and that will make the regular price of $18.99 a lot easier to handle!

Cutter Bee Scissors–The small size makes them perfect for detail work.

Shutterfly–I’ve decided this is my favorite place to use for photos. The prices are decent, they offer good sales, and my favorite part–instead of printing the date the pictures were printed on the back, they print the date the picture was taken. Very helpful in getting journaling done in scrapbooking, especially if you can’t remember when something was.

Michaels–I buy a good portion of my supplies here. Good selection of basic supplies (pens, adhesives, etc.) and a decent selection of Die Cuts with a View and Deja Views. Not to mention, they have excellent coupons (40-50% the regular price of one item) and also a lot of sales.

Archiver’s–Gotta love a chain store dedicated to scrapbooking (nothing against my local scrapbook store, otherwise known as LSS, but it’s way too expensive for me to shop there regularly!), and their class selection is pretty good.

JoAnn online–the in store selection (at least where I live) is pretty abysmal, but they have an awesome selection of all my favorite things online, and you can usually find free shipping.

Hobby Lobby–not my favorite store, but like Michaels, they have good coupons, and even better sales, and the good prices alone earn it a spot on my list. Depending on what I’m looking for, if they actually have it in stock, it can be a steal! Finding what I what can be a challenge though–I honestly don’t think they keep track of inventory at all.