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Post by riversong1963 on Sept 17, 2019 14:04:33 GMT
With all the threads about old products and past trends, I thought I'd ask. When and why did you start scrapbooking? I started in September of 2001, right after 9/11. Ironically, it had nothing to do with 9/11, and to this day, I still haven't scrapbooked about that. We had gone on a family trip to DisneyWorld in late August, and I bought a scrapbook kit in one of the gift shops. It had papers, cut-outs, and die cuts. My husband bought me the latest issue of Memory Makers magazine, and I was hooked. My first project wasn't the Disney album, though. It was a scrapbook calendar that I made for my mother as a Christmas present. My "kids" are now almost 25 and almost 20. I'm so glad I have all the scrapbooks from when they were little. Who's next?
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,329
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Sept 17, 2019 14:13:23 GMT
It was 1998 and I was overdue with child #2 when I got invited to a Creative Memories party. I told my friend if I wasn't in labor I would come over LOL. So I went and was interested and bought a couple things, but it was a few months later when I went to CM party #2 that I left hooked on my new hobby. I actually miss the early days when everything I owned fit into my Crop In Style tote bag.
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Post by austnscrapaddict on Sept 17, 2019 14:16:08 GMT
I started in 1996 right after foot surgery, I was laid up and wanted to organize photos while I was recovering. I bought a ton of Creative memories stuff. I still have that first album, so sad. I've taken a couple of breaks, had several moves and life changes, my kids are now grown and I'm a grandparent, but I still enjoy the hobby.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 8, 2024 6:29:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 14:22:01 GMT
I officially started in 1995, when I got married. I thought I had to have a wedding album and so I made a scrapbook one. I still like to look at it because it is kinda crazy and REALLY ephemera heavy, not bought ephemera but stuff like the cancelled check (!!) we got back from the bank-remember when they used to send you a little packet of cancelled checks each month-from our reception. So I glued it in. I got the scrapbook at Barnes and Noble and it was 8x8. No page protectors, lol. Skip ahead a couple years... DD was born in 1997 an that is when I happened to have what I call my "Pretty Woman" moment. I was at a get together and a friend of a friend had brought along an album from Creative Memories that she had just completed. I was BLOWN AWAY. I asked her, "Where did you get that stuff, learn to do that, etc...??" and she said (I swear to God I am not making this up) "It's very expensive." I said, "Ok fine, but where do you get the stuff to DO that?" She reluctantly gave me her CM reps number. HOWEVER that was short lived because I found a STORE. And at the store they had 1) Die cutting machines (I am so short I had to give a little hop to press than handle down) 2) a workroom that did NOT allow children and 3) stickers and brads and ALL.THE.THINGS. I basically told the CM lady to take a hike. I feel kinda bad about that now, but she was really pushy. Straight up asked me where I was getting my product now because I had not ordered from her in a while and when I said, "Binding Memories" she said, "Your albums will fall apart in 10 years." Well, it has been a lot longer than that and they seem fine. Thanks for asking!
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Post by streetscrapper on Sept 17, 2019 14:29:10 GMT
2004 completely by "accident". I was getting married for the second time and a co-worker, who was a scrapper, gave me a beautiful scrapbooking album as a gift. It was old style, no page protectors, but I thought it would be perfect to use for my wedding photos. We eloped and only had our two girls and my mother with us, but I was smart enough to hire a photograph and got some amazing pictures for my new album! Believe it or not, I wasn't at all excited about scrapping them (or anything) at first! I thought I had enough hobbies and I wasn't the least bit interested in paper... but here we are 15 years later... I now have a room full of scrapping supplies, enough digital supplies to last a lifetime and a photography passion I never had before! Funny thing is that I don't have that album anymore. I re-did it about a year or so ago because I couldn't stand to pick it up and look at photos that were cut up and full of embellishments that may have been from the dollar store! Now as I think back, I am more grateful than ever that I received that first album as a gift!
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Elsabelle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,606
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:55 GMT
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Post by Elsabelle on Sept 17, 2019 14:53:26 GMT
The first time I saw a scrapbook it was a total turn off. A friend had scrapped her baby shower. But instead of showing me an album of the actual shower she first showed me an album of the scrapped cards from the shower. Just cards. No pictures. Lots of rubber ducky die cuts. Total snoozefest. When she left the room I flipped to the end and didn’t even look at the album with pictures in it.
A couple of years later after having my second baby I saw Creating Keepsakes magazine and was instantly in love because I had always loved taking pictures. Scrapbooking wasn’t what I thought it was. I found a LSS and got started. When my kids were in bed for the night I’d pull out my one Rubbermaid tote and scrap on the floor. Then I read about Two Peas and created an account the night of the Ladystars drama. 😆 What an introduction! After that I found Lisa Bearnson on QVC. My stash grew and despite a few dry spells along the way I’ve stuck with it for 17 years.
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Post by pixiegrrl on Sept 17, 2019 15:07:40 GMT
I have always been into photos, but just stored them in boxes. Then one day my friend won a free class for two people with Creative Memories. I wasn't too keen...but I went with her. It was free. That was in 1992. And I was hooked and have been scrapping ever since. I have a huge and wonderful scrap room full of scrappy goodness.
I have my down times where I don't get much done and then times where I'm in there every night after work. But, I'm so glad I went to that class with my friend.
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Post by scrapcat on Sept 17, 2019 15:47:50 GMT
I always say that I've always been a scrapbooker, but didn't get into what I know of it as a hobby now until about 2003 when I started dating my exDH. As a child I always took photos, had albums, collected ticket stubs and put them into a little book, did those "about my life" type books. Always had a journal. When I started documenting my travels and relationship I went to Michaels and was like "whaaattt???" I actually found Ali Edwards first, so I can't really relate to that other thread. I've sorta gone full circle the other way. I read her blog every day, bought her books, took some online classes. Then I got into Creating Keepsakes, CKC and became more involved with scrapbooking as an actual hobby. It's been a weird evolution. I never had an LSS, never did a kit club until I joined the SCT one early this year. I converted to digital for a couple years, then came back to paper. I could never fathom the idea of going to crops when I first began, now it's the only time I seem to get to actually scrapbook. (although lately I have been on a roll!) When I see people say their trajectory I always feel like I went the opposite way. Now I don't follow Ali much, occasionally from what I read here. I guess I just found my style and rhythm with the hobby. I def get more energized at crops and events like that, but mostly I am just excited about my photos and product stash that I still love.
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Post by lostwithout2peas on Sept 17, 2019 16:12:13 GMT
I have always been interested in stationary and paper in one way or another. From Lisa Frank stuff to all the Sanrio stuff when I was in elementary. In middle school I found this little about me type of book/scrapbook at a Hallmark store and wrote in it and put pictures and collected different ticket stubs and stuff. That was probably 1991. In 1995, my senior year, I ordered this book that said Senior memories on the front and was about 6x8 and was a place to document your senior year from the place that we got my cap and gown. I added pictures and just bits and pieces from thru out the school year. I love looking back on that!
In 1997 about a month after my 1st DS was born, I was feeling a little down and my DH encouraged me to get out and have some time to myself and go walk around Michaels ( he knew I loved to do crafty stuff). I happened down an isle and I saw a Frances Meyer baby boy scrapbook page kit and thought what could be more perfect?! My new all encompassing love for my baby boy and paper?! Yes please! Then, a few months later my DH told me he heard thru a friend from work that there was an actual scrapbook store on the far side of town. He took me and the rest is history!! I haven't stopped ever since. Been a few dry spells, but I always come back around to it, and as the kids get older, I appreciate the memories I have captured.
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Post by jenr on Sept 17, 2019 16:22:31 GMT
In 1999, my mom's best friend (who later became my MIL) became a CM consultant because her daughter was very into scrapbooking. They invited me over for a cropping party, I thought it was going to be stupid, but I went and actually kind of liked it. 20 years later I'm the only one of the four of us still scrapping--and I still love it!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Sept 17, 2019 16:31:21 GMT
I feel like I was always going to be a scrapbooker, I just didn't know it until I was 21 yrs. old.
At nine or ten years old, I took a four week photography course at a local camera shop. My parents let me borrow their point & shoot film camera to do the "assignments."
I've always kept memorabilia. I have the good behavior awards from kindergarten, even. I used to keep everything in my top dresser drawer.
I made my first scrapbook right after I had my first child, and I didn't even realize it! I was gifted a boxed Hallmark-type album. It is a 8.5x11", three ring album, came with ten page protectors, twenty "pattern papers" which are just baby themed printer papers, a small sheet of flat stickers, and a box of photo corners.
I used colored pens to journal, included pregnancy pics, the babyshower, and the first few photos after birth.
I first heard of the hobby scrapbooking when I was very pregnant with my second child. I was reading on a pregnancy website and TwoPeas was mentioned. I joined the site that night, but was mostly a lurker. Oh man, did that open my eyes, though. At the time we lived on a military base with a lss within a mile from the gate.
I started out small, didn't want to go spend crazy.
But here I am, almost two decades later, still scrapping.
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Post by Mel on Sept 17, 2019 16:35:51 GMT
I went to a CM class/party in 1996(I had a yr old baby at that time). When I left, I went home and told my now ex-DH that one day when I was rich & famous I would love to start scrapbooking. LOL All we had back then was CM and the occasional "rogue" scrappy supply at M's. Within about 6 months there were scrappy stores and supplies pretty much falling from the sky! LOL I started collecting supplies and never looked back!
I have 4 kids now, and I'm still working on their younger years but I think I'm going to start some more recent stuff and work backwards otherwise I might never get any of the "present" done! LOL
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,136
Jun 29, 2014 18:58:47 GMT
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Post by scrapnnana on Sept 17, 2019 16:43:23 GMT
I started in 1996. I had been married 20 years. We had five kids. Our oldest was about to leave home. We went to visit relatives, and my sister-in-law introduced me to scrapbooking. It became my therapy and helped me loosen those apron strings.
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Post by Linda on Sept 17, 2019 17:27:08 GMT
I did a 'travellors notebook' back in 1979 in a school exercise book - I missed school for a trip to Israel and my teacher asked me to keep a journal - I pasted in tickets and postcards and even photos once we got back and had them developed. I made a 'scrapbook' (in a magnetic page photo album) back in 1986 after I went on my Girl Scout wider op (I turned both into real scrapbooks several years ago)
My bestie got into scrapbooking in early 2002 and when she visited for Easter, she made me an Easter basket with starter supplies. I was always broke back in those days so I decided to go with 8.5x11 pages so I could buy white cardstock, binders, and page protectors cheap from the office supply aisle. I still use 8.5x11 today. 1000's of pages later, I'm still scrapping. I joined 2peas in 2002 but lurked there - I think I had barely 500 posts before they closed. I was more chatty at Lifetime Moments and sad when they closed up shop. Here is where I've really found my home though
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Post by wallyagain on Sept 17, 2019 17:32:36 GMT
1995 or 1996 with Creative Memories. I had a consultant that was easy going, other stickers, punches, no judgement. I went to crops every month for years. I stopped using CM albums when they were so stubborn about not moving to the true 12x12.
Still scrap, not as often as I would like, but I still love it.
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Post by deekaye on Sept 17, 2019 20:17:08 GMT
In the mid 90's I got invited to a friend's Creative Memory party. I was enthralled and bought so much! A group of us started to get together to scrapbook (before we ever heard of the term crop). We had so much fun until my friend's friend who was the Creative Memory consultant decided to join us. She was bat-sheesh crazy and was INSISTENT that the "only" right way to scrapbook was the Creative Memory way... sticker sneezes, cut up photos, placement of stuff all over the page with no rhyme or reason, ONLY white cardstock as background...
A few of us stopped going to these crops and instead started going to places like Creative Keepsakes convention and the rest is history. Such a fun, life-long hobby!
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,996
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 17, 2019 20:49:08 GMT
I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories! I can relate and ditto almost everyone's experience.
My mom kept my baby book (I was first born) and I always loved reading all about me. That book is special to me and I always felt bad for my younger brothers she didn't have the energy to keep their up as perfectly as mine was.
I always loved pretty papers and I loved writing stories in grade school. I got invited to a CM party in the mid 90's probably around 95 or 96. I was immediately taken by the hobby, it married everything I loved, I bought the entire starter kit that night. My bf at the time's family was Mormon, so his mom was super excited and encouraging me all the time. I attended crops but soon I got bored of decorating page borders with those wavy rulers and sticker sneezes. Around that time the hobby really started taking off and I remember being in a Ben Franklin craft store and going nuts over all the other options. Not long after my beloved LSS opened up near by office (and are still going strong today!). I started shopping there more but continued to attend my CMC's local crops. She saw my Zig markers in my hand and asked me to 'put those Ziggy things away!'. She said it out loud as if to shame me. I still spent money at her crops I needed album refills and page protectors and still bought her tools. She was so freaking rude about it and I was SO ticked. I never went back to CM after that.
I had taken a long hiatus, but I'm back and I don't see me stopping ever. I love this hobby so freaking much. I can't imagine giving this up for good. Too many stories to tell, too many pretty papers to buy. I'm grateful The Refupeas are still here!
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Post by deekaye on Sept 17, 2019 21:17:46 GMT
Interesting how many of us began in 1995/1996 and started out with Creative Memories. I just jumped on their website and they've come a LONG way since the days of white paper and sticker sneezes!
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Post by infochick on Sept 17, 2019 22:27:05 GMT
I started around the same time...about 95/96 with Creative Memories. I was just starting high school. My mom and I went to a CM party and we were both hooked! I loved it so much, and used it to document my high school years. I grew up in a small town, and there was a variety store that had a small craft aisle. While in the store one day we discovered the old Hot of the Press pattern paper books with the photo-realistic papers. We had no idea such a thing existed and were SO excited to find scrapbook supplies beyond CM. We would go back all the time to see if we could find different books. Shortly after that we discovered a LSS in a nearby city and were absolutely amazed by the variety.
I slowed down a bit while I was in University due to low funds, but still went to crops and kept up with what I could. I have never stopped scrapbooking, but like others have had some slower times. I love having the time to unwind and be creative, and I love going through the completed albums. As I get older, I am starting to look at the storytelling aspect of it, and want to start being more intentional about my journaling and the photos that I include. I very much want to do an "All About Me" book, especially focusing on my young adult years where I have fewer things captured.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 8, 2024 6:29:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 22:40:06 GMT
Great topic! I love hearing / reading others' stories. The specifics of time are a little fuzzy for me because my start in scrapbooking is tied to an unpleasant period that resulted in a huge change of direction in my life (and left me a little damaged). I think it was 2003 and I was 22. My boyfriend and I had just purchased a house together and I became aware of scrapbooking. I thought it was a wonderful thing for me to take up as I could see that we were starting our life together and was looking forward to documenting that. I enrolled in a beginners scrapbooking class at a LSS and created three pages in total. Less than 5 months after we had bought the house, he came home one night and said he didn't love me any more and that was that. The circumstances of that break up (and the relationship itself) really broke me and I had no desire to do any scrapbooking, there was nothing about my life that I wanted to document. So I packed everything away into a box that I had purchased and that was it. About 10 years later I found out that a friend I did a lot of partying with was dabbling in some scrapbooking and decided that I wanted to try to get back into it. So her and I went and took some classes together, I convinced my mum to come and do some classes with me and I started accumulating tools and products. I fell in love with the process and the creativity. And now I'm here
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Sept 17, 2019 22:49:06 GMT
I started in the fall of 1996. I think October.
I was still married at the time, and was at some friend/acquaintance home for game night. She had her scrapbook out, and I saw it and inquired about it. She said she was having a crop in a few weeks and invite me to come. She said she was going out of town soon where there were scrapbook stores(at that time there were none in our town), and if I wanted to give her some money she'd pick up some basics for me(Mrs Grossman sticker, cardstock, decorative scissors and die cuts).
I attended the crop and it's been my passion ever since. I love it just as much today, as I did back then. Thankfully my style has evolved over the years. My first scrapbook is full of cropped photos, Mrs Grossman's sticker sneeze and decorative scissors on every photo.
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Post by workingclassdog on Sept 17, 2019 23:09:26 GMT
I wanted to make something for my mom (this was probably 1996 or 97) with her old family pictures. I don't know what exactly but one thing lead to another and I bought some kind of scrapbook and took some markers and made something very simple (and I am sure ugly...I haven't seen it since I made it)... anyways, one thing lead to another and one day I was driving into my neighborhood and took a turn into this little strip mall that had a store called All My Memories. I totally thought it was an antique store. I passed it many times thinking I want to check it out. When I walked in.... it was like heaven.. I couldn't believe what my eyes were looking at.. stickers EVERYWHERE... papers everywhere.. now mind you this is like Mrs. Grossman's stuff and the beginnings of pattern paper... STILL though, I thought I died and gone to heaven. I was hooked ever since.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 6,968
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Sept 17, 2019 23:16:01 GMT
Officially it was several years after the internet started! That was when I could really see what was out in the world.
I have always loved to do arts and crafts. Ever since I was in elementary school. When I was an adult I had already made a scrapbook, but it was the old style of just pictures. One day I went to get my hair cut and the stylist was running late so I sat down at looked through magazines. Lo and behold I came across a Creating Keepsakes. I was hooked!
My first scrapbook storage was a Cropper Hopper Jr tote. What a joke! That did not last very long. Now I need a whole room!
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Post by workingclassdog on Sept 17, 2019 23:16:50 GMT
I love reading all the stories!!! I do remember before I started scrapping, I worked at Hobby Lobby BEFORE they had scrapbook supplies.. nada, nothing. But there was this 12x12 book up front that they 'hung' on the wall to promote classes.. So I am pretty sure it was CM using their space. I looked at that book once and it was so bad (even for that time frame) I thought WHY would I cut my pictures up like that.. I was pretty snotty about it (to myself..haha) Funny thing is that my first book most of my pictures are all cut up to almost nothing.. HAHA
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 8, 2024 6:29:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2019 23:34:14 GMT
I thought WHY would I cut my pictures up like that.. I know..if I have to pick one thing I am kinda bummed with myself about, it is that I hacked irreplaceable pics to nothing. We don't have the negatives, there is no way to make them whole again. I chopped people out I wish I had left in, but that was how we were told to do it. I think I have a page that has what used to be 7 or 8 pics on it.
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Post by scrappyem on Sept 18, 2019 0:13:11 GMT
It's so fun to read everyone's stories.
I had a sticky photo album in middle school I use to stick things in that I consider my first scrapbook. I didn't do it for high school or college and I'm really sad now I didn't keep up with it. It's hilarious to see some of things 13 year old me thought were worth saving like a magazine cut-out that had the name of the boy I liked. I did my first more traditional scrapbook in 2003 when I was getting married. I had no idea there was a community or anything and mostly found things at Michaels or the stationary store. I never did anything with my wedding photos. That should have been a sign. I stopped taking all photos. Eventually I gave away all my supplies. Fast forward to 2012 and I was divorced and saw Project Life. I really wanted to try it out so in January 2013 I started. I do mostly PL pages but some 12x12 traditional pages thrown in. I love it & I've been doing it ever since.
I do think, if I had known there was a whole community and a variety of ways to scrapbook, I might have stuck with it back in 2003. Love our community here.
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Post by Embri on Sept 18, 2019 1:14:36 GMT
I've yet to scrapbook anything.
Don't really take pictures other than the utilitarian; 'how is this electrical box wired to know how to put it back together', or 'here's a photo of the defective thing that needs a return', that sort of thing. Our family has never really been the picture taking sort, at least not of people. And I can't say that I have any memories that I'd like to preserve for the future, so it works out. Stick to my papercrafting instead.
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Post by huskermom98 on Sept 18, 2019 2:59:38 GMT
I started when my son was 3 months old, back in 2005. I knew I would start scrapbooking when I had kids because I had been enjoying my sisters' scrapbooks of their kids. I got the push to start when I was showing pictures of my son to my Mom and seemed to have a story behind almost every picture--she finally said "you have to start scrapbooking!" So a few days later I went a little crazy in aisles of Hobby Lobby!
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Post by peachiceteas on Sept 18, 2019 7:04:02 GMT
I feel all of those who say they were scrapbookers before they even knew what scrapbooking was because that was totally me too.
Since I can remember I have enjoyed memory keeping. I just didn’t know it had a name. I remember being as young as six and having a box filled with memorabilia and ephemera that I had collected from holidays, vacations and trips. I have also always been a documenter and story teller through photography. I think I had my first digital camera when I was around 10 and loved my Mums film camera before then. I just had this thirst to collect and record from a young age.
Around 8 years ago I knew I wanted to do something with my photos and combining them with ephemera and words. I wanted something more than photo albums and I needed something for all the stuff I was collecting but I was completely turned off what my understanding of scrapbooking was. I didn’t want to tear up and stick down tickets to pages or cover my photos in buttons, vintage papers and stickers. Honestly I thought it was something that only old women participated in - mostly because what I was seeing was so old fashioned and vintage in design. As a graphic designer, the aesthetic is really important to me and I didn’t like any of what I had seen available to purchase. I also didn’t have the energy to think about creating my own papers.
I discovered Project Life in late 2014 thanks to a lifestyle blogger I followed at the time. A light bulb went off in my mind and I literally have never looked back. That very day I went onto amazon and ordered an album and pocket pages. I very quickly found Studio Calico and I knew I had found something special that spoke to me. The aesthetic, at the time, was on point, trendy and vibrant, and I just knew I needed to be a part of this. The forum was amazing too, I could talk about this hobby with likeminded people. I met some of you lovely ladies there.
I started pocket page scrapbooking and memory keeping in January 2015 and it’s been the truest thing I have probably done in my life so far. It was the thing I needed but didn’t know existed. It allows me to document and record my story of mine and my husbands life together. It gives me a creative outlet and a purpose to continue collecting and taking photographs. I am really passionate about analog techniques and stepping away from the computer, so having a hobby that gives me reason to print photos and bring them to life as physical pieces brings me so much joy.
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Post by mandolyn9909 on Sept 18, 2019 12:48:28 GMT
I would say I officially started in 2002. I took a trip with my boyfriend (now husband) and made a scrapbook about it. It ramped up in 2004 when our twins were born. I did add memorabilia to my photo albums before all of this however so I was always a bit of a memory keeper even as a little girl.
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