Michaels

For a long time I have been going to Michaels in Annapolis for all my instant gratification scrapbooking needs. No more!

Saturday, with money to burn on scrappy supplies I went in to stock up on some items and found myself wanting. There were no sprays/mists of any kind, four colors of ric-rac, and a disappointing array of non-sticker/stamp embellishments.

I did manage to find remnants of a Déjà Views "Lucky Day" product line though!




However, from now on, if I need to pick something up (as opposed to ordering online) I will be travelling the the 10 or so extra miles to the Michaels in Bowie which has a much larger selection or up to Great Scraps near Baltimore!

Inspiration

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

Finding inspiration for your projects can sometimes seem daunting. Here are 10 great ways/places to go after it...

1) PageMaps! www.pagemaps.com
A free resource for page and card sketches in all shapes and sizes. PageMaps is a great way to find fresh, new ideas for LOs.

2) New Products/Lines.
Sometimes, looking at new products or lines can give you great ideas. A new color scheme or a new topic.

3) Magazines.
Whether you prefer Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbooks, Etc. or one of the many other great publications out there on the market, these can be valuable resources for finding your scrappy mojo.

4) Classes/Crops/Meet-up Groups.
Taking a class or attending a crop can teach you new techniques or allow you to meet other crafty persons that can give you new perspective and direction for your own projects.

5) Challenges.
Many websites, like PageMaps and A Cherry on Top, offer monthly challenges to help motivate and inspire.

6) Gallery.
Whether it's browsing through the various different layouts posted online or visiting a local art museum/sale, it never fails to amaze me what other people can come up with that I would have never thought of before.

7) Shuffle your iPod.
Listening to your music collection can help you find lyrics or songs that really speak volumes to you. Find a couple songs that you really relate to and incorporate them into your projects.

8) Choose subjects you enjoy.
If you love cooking, consider making a recipe scrapbook with some of your favorite recipes. Whether you love beatboxing, gardening, crossword puzzles, disc golf, swing dancing, watching Star Trek or any other hobby/interest. Make a scrapbook or layout that revolves around it OR includes it (example if you love Star Wars, you could make a non-Star Wars LO with a title like "It's a Trap!")

9) Go make some memories.
Take the family to the park/beach, visit a museum, start a work-out routine, learn to salsa, or try a new restaurant...then scrap about it!

10) Reorganize.
Sometimes all it takes to gain inspiration is digging through your own supplies and sorting/reorganizing them to find ideas in your own stash.

Tell Me a Story

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a scrapbook layout must be worth a million. They allow the creator to breathe life into the past. Each carefully placed picture, ribbon, flower, ticket stub or stitch becomes part of a narrative. We become the author of our own world.

Life is a great adventure, a great story. The constant changes, plot twists, events, emotions, and routine that make up every moment of our day. That's what first attracted me to scrapbooks, the medium to tell a story of life.

Through story-telling, we learn to look at the world in new lights. We change our points of view, learn new skills, create intrigue, explore our hearts, challenge ourselves to improve, explore the past, and look to the future.

This blog is an extension of my story, a side note, an indulgence...because aside from telling a story being a way to grow as a person, it's just plain FUN to do!

"My soul is embellished with knowledge and whoever contemplates, he resides in the heart. When humans indulge in self-analysis the mind becomes enlightened and enkindled." -- Atharva-Veda