First Rule: Do Not Buy A Bunch of Supples.........

By:Joyce H

Friends are always telling me that when I retire from work, I will become bored at home. So for several years, I have been buying books to read and some cross stitch kits to work on, because after I retire, I will not have the funds to purchase these items. Then one day while shopping at a local supermarket, I passed the shelves displaying their scrapbooking supplies. Although I stopped and looked, I did not buy anything that day, but it did make me think I might enjoy something like that. I had been putting pictures into albums for years until about fifteen years ago. I thought scrapbooking would be a different way to save those more recent shots. So, I went back to the supermarket and purchased an album, some papers, pens, scissors, and a few other items. I even bought a tote to store them in until I found time to work with them...or until retirement time.

One day soon after my purchase, my grown daughter who has four children aged from infant to a thirteen year old, called to say she was coming to my house for a few minutes to show me some new "toys" she had bought for herself. She came carrying a large plastic tote and sit it on the floor. She said,"Mom, I've got to show you something I think you might be interested in trying!" She was so excited. She opened the tote. She pulled out a 12" x 12" folder with all of these exciting patterned papers for scrapbooking. Then she pulled out two pair of scissors with these interesting edges. Next were a few pens of different colors, points and textures, plus a couple punches to punch out a perfect country heart or a fancy swirl.

I "ooooed" and "aahhhed" and just enjoyed looking at her choices. When she emptied her tote, I stood up, walked into the store room and carried out MY tote. I shared with her the items that I had bought. We laughed so hard. We had not even mentioned to each other that we had even thought about doing scrapbooking. The funniest part was when my daughter signed us up for a one night workshop on scrapbooking soon after this. It was a small group, but we did learn many things for starting an scrapbook. The very first thing the instructor told us was, "Do not go out and buy a bunch of tools and papers until you get your pictures sorted and decide what you need for a particular project!" Oh, well...it was too late for THAT!!

I love scrapbooking because it gives me a chance to try out my creative juices. I am finding out I do better than I could ever imagine. My daughter teaches Graphic Designing on computer at a local Community College, so I knew she had a creative mind, but I was not sure about myself. Sometimes when I finish a page, I study it and wonder where on Earth that idea came from. It just works...sometimes! I also love scrapbooking because it is something my daughter and I can share. We even share with her oldest daughter, who has very good designing ideas.

Scrapbooking is such an unique way to display photos and other important items. I had scrapbooks when I was a girl in school and still enjoyed looking at them until they were damaged by water a few years ago. Picture albums have always been important to our family, but sometimes they get a little boring. Scrapbooks can explain more about those photos so the viewer can get a better idea what was going on when they were taken. These scrapbooks will be like family history books for generations to come.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease about twenty-five years ago. I have "flare-ups" about every three months and shopping at stores is very difficult for me most of the time. Therefore, shopping online and looking for new ideas and products on dMarie.com is so great for me. The site is so easy to search!

I guess the ways scrapbooking has changed my life could be that our photos are better organized now, I am more aware of the way I take picures, and I am not fighting over the remote with my husband, because I am in a different room working on those scrapbook pages!!

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Why is Scrapbooking Important?, by Judy Gail M.