S is for...what else....SCRAPBOOKING!!

So today I get to talk about one of my passions.  I have been scrapbooking over 9 years and haven't looked back once...I love everything about the craft.  Love how you can combine numerous crafts into one...like photography, writing, stamping, painting, blogging, sewing, etc... I was introduced to it by a friend when I went out with her to a girl's night out and at the time, I was all about science, medicine and logic and thought that this craft was unusual at best, and at worst a waste of time.  Once I sat and opened my mind to the possibilities of creativity while preserving our family's milestones and everyday life, I was hooked!  My style has definitely changed along the way, but one thing that remains is that I love (mostly) straight lines and more of a graphic composition.  I focus mostly on the story, which means I'm heavy on the journaling and have been known to write my story and fit my layout around it. I can get inspiration from just about anything in my day-to-day life...like color combos from my kid's clothing catalogs and design inspiration from ads on television.  I have even used song titles and lyrics on my pages and  I pour over the scrapbook websites and print magazines looking for layouts to "scraplift"--a term used in scrapping circles when you copy someone else's work either in its entirety (topic, color combo, design, orientation, etc) or simply use parts of it as a jumping board for your own creation. I also enjoy reliving memories that have been captured that I know I would have long forgotten had it not been for the art of scrapbooking.  So for those of you who look at scrappers with a raised eyebrow thinking to yourselves "what in the world are those crazy women doing?", well...you're missing out and should really look at it again with an open mind.  You can start here or maybe here or if you would rather jump right in and take a class, then look over here and find one that suits your needs.  And if you happen to be someone that already knows the joy that it is to BE a scrapbooker, then maybe you'll want to join me as I create a LayOutADay (LOAD) in the month of May by clicking here.  Below I've shared some of my favorite layouts of all time (well, probably just in the past year-LOL), but they are some of my favorites and were a ton of fun to make.  Thanks for looking and have a SCRAPPY DAY!!