How I got started scrapbooking...

Most of us that have been scrapbooking for 8 or more years were introduced to scrapbooking through a friend having a Creative Memories Party in their home. I know that was how I got started in scrapbooking. I was happy with creative memories products, but you need to remember that was back when they sold Sakura pens and Mrs. Grossman's stickers and I forget the name of the company that manufactured their paper and die cuts...but anyway that was before Creative memories had their name stamped on everything. If I needed extra packages of Mrs. Grossman's stickers, I waited for a sale at my local Hobby Lobby. Funny thing was that I would also see my Creative Memories consultant stocking up on her sticker supply too.

It was after seeing my first scrapbooking magazine using products and ideas other than what was in those CM idea books. I was hooked! I still wanted to use the CM albums because I felt that at that time they were the best made. But my CMC had a royal fit about me using products other than creative memories brand because those weren't archival safe. I did my research on this subject and I learned a lot more than my friends that sold CM products could have ever have told us at any crop. Soon I was using the latest scrapbooking tools, one of my favorite was the Coluzzle. Lettering templates from EK Success and punch art was all the rage. Yup I'm talking 1999 and early 2000 here folks. I was in scrappers heaven! Still the only stores I had to shop from were Hobby Lobby and Michael's Arts and Crafts. Not a lot to choose from, but at least it was someplace that had sales.

Now about my friends that Sold CM products, I soon found myself banned from attending crops because 1- my books were a distraction. I was using products other than CM brand and that was seriously frowned upon. 2- I brought products with me other than CM products 3- I told the ladies at the crops where they could buy the products that I was using. Yup that did it, I was no longer welcome to cropping with those ladies. There were other things that went on with the ladies that sold CM...always on us about the evils of using other brands. I was tired of the sarcastic remarks from people who I thought were friends that sold Creative Memories products... "why would you want to do that in your books?" or "You know that Creative Memories isn't going to guarantee that page" and one of my all time favorite remarks "What a total waste of time". And I soon realized the fact that they were into that "slap it on get it done" mentality of scrapbooking. To me that wasn't scrapbooking, that was quickly getting something down on a page and getting on with the next one. And the contests of getting the most pages done in a month...come on! Like getting 100 pages scrapbooked in a month was a good thing? NO way! I was about quality work, I saw my artistic potential come alive when it came to getting our vacation photo's, Christmas and birthday pictures into a scrapbook. I had been scrapbooking for about 4 months when I just said to myself...this is it, I'm going to use what ever I want and no one can stop me. I felt free and was happy with my work. I've never looked back. And in a sad way those that I thought were my friends really turned out not to be, the only friendship that was there was based on how much money they could make from me.

Our move to Virginia brought so many new opportunities...for me it was that there were a plethora of Scrapbooking Stores. Every town had at least one scrapbook store, I was in paradise! I could not believe the selections of merchandise, printed paper, card stock this was when I was introduced to Bazzill cardstock. Oh yeah life was good! I've gone on to develop my own style, I know which kinds of papers and products that I like to use most. I even worked at a scrapbook store teaching classes and working with sales reps...It was like a little slice of heaven!

I do have to hand it to those Creative Memories consultants and the crops that I attended back in 1999 and early 2000 before I was banned from attending them...the lack of interest in creativity and personal style of those that sold the product was what pushed me into wanting and doing more with my pages. I love the idea of getting together with others to work on our scrapbook pages like old time sewing bee's. But for me it's a time to socialize, to be creative, to help others to be creative and most of all to have fun! When I host crops in my home it's about bonding with others that have similar interests in scrapbooking. I certainly don't expect everyone to scrapbook like me or even want to scrapbook like I do...it's about being together with friends.