New Endeavors

For me, venturing into the virtual world is a bit intimidating, but I can no longer resist the temptation to expand my horizons and try something new.  While I would never claim to be much of a writer, I do have a passion for scrapbooking and thoroughly enjoy creating layouts and cards. I love experimenting with new products and new techniques and seeing the results on one of my projects.  I am a brand new Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart (CTMH) and I want this blog to be a place to share some projects I create using CTMH products.  Hopefully, others will find creative inspiration here and maybe even want try the products.  Please feel free to leave messages and I promise I will respond promptly.

Now I’d like to share a brief synopsis of my crafting story…I have been scrapbooking for over 15 years and I love looking back over the completed scrapbooks and seeing how the hobby has evolved over the years.  My early pages were created when supplies were limited to markers, stickers and purchased die cuts.  My pages were full of hand lettered titles and painstakingly drawn doodles.  I loved the results, but my modest artistic skills limited how far I could go with those tools!

The first major creative boost came when I incorporated digital photography into my life.  I was no longer limited to the standard 4x6 prints (or cropped versions of it.)  Now I could print 2x2 pictures or 3x4 pictures or even collages.  This ability fed my need to incorporate lots of pictures into each layout and the size variations helped keep the pages fresh and exciting.

I remember how intrigued I was when I first saw the ad for the Cricut Personal Cutter and once I added it to my arsenal; my scrapbooks reached a new level of creative flexibility. I could now use card stock and patterned paper of my choice to cut titles and images in varying sizes.  My husband and children quickly grew tired of my frequent interruptions to share with them my latest completed page.  While my family may never have the level of enthusiasm I have over a newly finished layout, they are incredibly supportive of my hobby and do enjoy looking back over completed scrapbooks and reminiscing about shared memories.  The Cricut still fascinates me and I use it on almost every scrapbook page. I’m so excited about both of the CTMH Cricut cartridges and the creative possibilities they contain.

To me scrapbooking is all about the pictures and the story behind the pictures.  That is the heart and soul of each scrapbook page.  But as a crafter, the true fun comes in the creative expression.  I love picking out the paper, deciding on a layout and choosing the most effective embellishments to incorporate.  Simply stated, it is fun and I enjoy it immensely! I look forward to sharing some of my projects on this blog and hope to inspire some creativity along the way...