When did you make your first scrapbook? Was it love at first glue?
I made my first scrapbook during the summer I was 14. Honestly, it was just OK, because I didn’t have any fun stuff to add—but I did draw pictures! I made my first “creative” scrapbook page about my oldest son, when he was a baby and YES, It was love at first glue. I kept the page on my bedroom dresser for at least a week and would look at it several times a day. I felt like the mother ship had called me home!
How did you learn to scrapbook? Did you teach yourself? Did you take a class? Did you learn from someone else?
I took a class! It was called Scrapbooking 101 and the teacher taught me all the “rules.” I’ve been working on unlearning those rules ever since.
Why is scrapbooking important?
Scrapbooking is important because it helps you slow down and spend time with your memories. Memories remind you to be grateful for the people, places and things that are a part of YOU. Grateful people are generally happy people.
Do you have to be artistic to make good scrapbooks? What are the most important ingredients to a good scrapbook?
NO, you don’t have to be artistic to scrapbook. If you like pictures and words and colorful stickers and papers you can scrapbook. The really exciting thing is if you just forget about the “art” part and play and have fun, you’ll get better and better at putting it all together and before long, people will say “you’re such an artist” or “you’re so creative” and that feels good. The most important part of a good scrapbook is YOU – the perspective you share is what makes the pictures interesting or meaningful to others—so be sure to share what you think and feel!
What's the hardest thing that's happened to you in your life? Since scrapbooking is partly about keeping memories, do you also scrapbook about things that have happened to you that are hard, sad, painful?
Our family adopted a baby girl from Korea. It was incredibly hard to wait for her! At one point, I thought I’d go crazy if I had to wait one more day. I kept a journal and made a blank scrapbook for her while I was waiting and that really helped.
It was also really hard when my favorite grandma died. I even had to speak at her funeral. One day not long ago, I was really missing her and I found a picture of her and some pictures of her house and yard and put them together on a page. I felt MUCH better.
If you just scrapbook about the happy stuff, your story won’t really be a true story, so be sure to talk about some of the hard parts in “happily ever after.”
What's the nicest/meanest/weirdest/funniest rejection you've ever received?
You know, the thing about me is that I’m just clueless enough that I’m usually not aware that I’m being rejected. I’m sure there have been nice, mean, weird and funny rejections—too bad I can’t tell you more about them.
Can you give me a quote that I can hang up on my wall 'o quotes in my bedroom?
I LOVE quotes! This one has been my most favorite ever since I read it on a poster in the Humanities building when I was in college.
To be perpetually thrilled with life need not detract from
the solidarity of your goals or the soberness of your purpose.
(I wish I knew who to credit it to!)
My new favorite is:
Once you figure out who you are, turn up the volume!
[Michael Bungay Stanier]
Are you fabulous, marvelous, kooky or zany?
Yep, all of the above, and Wacky too!
Recent Comments