Then and Now

Scrapbooking can be intimidating. Often when you see someone else's scrapbook, what you notice more than the cute pictures and funny stories is the artistry of the page and you imagine the person who created it has an amazing, innate talent. I'm a testament to the fact that's not always true. I'd even argue that it's rarely true.

As with any other art or craft, skill at scrapbooking develops over time. Early pages (and entire albums) are like first drafts where ideas, style and technique are being explored and developed. If you're like me, you may look back over your first projects with a mild embarrassment and a sense of "if I only knew then". But of course, that's the point: you didn't know then and it took you a bunch of pages to figure it all out.

My first scrapbook pages are rudimentary and awkward. There isn't much in terms of style going on and they're only distinguished from traditional photo albums by patterned paper and stickers.


My very first scrapbook page. I used purchased ribbon die cuts, but didn't realize until I photographed the page for this blog, that the die cuts are meant to fit together to create 3-dimensional bows.



My second scrapbook page. Notice the resemblance to a traditional photo album and the conspicuous absence of a title or journaling.

It wasn't very long after I first began scrapbooking that I met a Creative Memories consultant. Like many newbies, I thought Creative Memories was the answer to my prayers and giddily browsed the catalogue making a long wish list of things I desperately needed to transform into a "real" scrapbooker. It was also through Creative Memories that I first learned about scraplifting.

Now, I come from the publishing world where we call copying someone else's work plagiarism and it's a serious offence. Students are expelled from universities and writers are sued for copyright. But in the scrapbooking world, copying someone else's work to create your own piece of art is entirely acceptable. You should give credit where's it's due and not present it as an original work (like if you're submitting to a magazine), but generally speaking, scraplifting is OK.

I'd even go further than that and say scraplifting is a great way to hone your craft, build your confidence and get pages done.

My Creative Memories consultant turned me onto Fast Formulas which is a basic step-by-step guide to building pages with CM product. I thought it was great! My pages were more interesting and I was turning out a lot of them.

A layout based on a Creative Memories Fast Formula. (It's got a title, but still no journaling.)

It wasn't until I discovered scrapbooking magazines that I really began to understand the scope of what I could be doing. Friends were kind enough to lend me back copies from their stash and I picked up the odd copies of Scrapbooks Etc., Making Memories and Creating Keepsakes. These magazines opened up a whole new world to me and set me on a new path. I became an avid scraplifter (still am, actually) and as my tally of completed pages increased, so did my skill level. I began tackling new techniques and taking on challenges I never would have thought of trying back in my sticker days.

Based on a layout from Scrapbooks Etc. This was the first time I hand cut a title (from a trimmed portion of a photo showing leaves), used a tag and included writing (a poem about autumn). This is my "I've turned a corner" layout.

These days, I'm a subscriber to two scrapbooking magazines and a host of newsletters and websites that provide me with daily inspiration. There's always something new and innovative to learn; always a new twist on an old technique; and always a rich community of talented scrapbookers to look to for guidance. Whether you're new to scraplifting or have been doing it for a while, there are lots of places to go to inspire you in your next project.

My latest layout. Based on a pagemap from Scrapbooking PageMaps 2.


I have to put in a plug for my favourite scraplifting site: PageMaps. Becky Fleck is a scrapbooking Goddess and the resource she has created on this website is invaluable. It's the first place I go to when I'm stuck and I look forward to the new pagemaps every month.

However your scrapbooking style has changed over time and however your skills have improved, be sure to look back over your early pages and remember though there may be some things that could be improved, those early pages are still beautiful and precious.

I wouldn't change a thing.