Scrapbooking Is Meant to be FUN!

How easy is it to forget that we scrapbook because it's fun? (Oh yes, also because we want to remember that trip/event/day etc)
All too easy...especially when I'm chasing a deadline, racking my brains for ideas for a class, trying to get inspiration for a layout that's different...you get the picture.
Some days I look at my constantly growing collection of photos that I have been meaning to scrap, and despair of ever getting them done. The list keeps growing... Andrew's album, FOBISSEA Seoul trip, Emily's exploding box (it's been 6 months since I promised her one), the girls' album (I must be about 5 years behind)...Yikes!
Today I was struck by the revelation that the list will never get any shorter...there will always be something else to scrap, some other important event to document, another photo that is just perfect for a page...and the only way for me to deal with it without getting overwhelmed, was to tackle each project one page at a time, baby step by baby step. It's funny but this was exactly how I learnt to cope with each shift when I was working in Accident and Emergency (another life it seems)...the list of patients was never going to end...sick or injured people were always going to keep coming in...and the only way to cope was to deal with each case one at a time.
And you know what? Once I stopped sweating over the details of WHEN I would finish the project, and concentrated on the HOW for each page... laid the photos out on my desk, picked the papers, played with the layout, tried out different embellishments...it was kinda fun again, and certainly felt more like play than work. And the more I let myself play, the more creative the result, which IS the aim after all.

Join the club!

I've just come back from Singapore and I have to say that I was amazed at how popular scrapbooking has become there. The scrapbooking stores are buzzing with activity, classes are fully booked, and what struck me in particular was that the clientele ranged from teenagers to older age groups, men and women, locals and foreigners alike!
I still remember when scrapbooking was unheard of in Singapore, as recently as 4-5 years ago. What a difference today!
Right now, scrapbooking is still relatively new to Malaysians, but I strongly believe that it will take this country by storm too, as it has in Singapore. Scrapbooking really is something EVERYONE can enjoy, and the potential for the scrapbooking community to grow is HUGE.
I count myself very lucky to be able to participate in helping this growth, and it is fantastic to be able to meet like-minded people...who enjoy creating, and sharing their ideas with each other...who constantly remind me that creating is supposed to be fun, not yet another task to be ticked off on my 'to do' list...who challenge me to try new ideas and techniques.
If you're reading this, you probably already are a scrapbooker, but if you're not, why not give it a go? Scrapbooking really isn't some elite members only club, ANYONE can do it, even if you think you haven't got a single creative bone in your body. Who knows, you might surprise yourself and find that you got bitten by the scrapbooking bug...I know I did!

Daily Dose of Creativity

So...one week later and have I kept to my resolution of making more time for creativity?
Definitely! I'm making it a point to do something creative every day, whether it is scrapping a page, making a card, painting...anything that comes to mind.

This week I've managed to stay on track. I've completed a few layouts for our scrapbooking store - Smidapaper's website ( see www.smidapaper.com for some of them) and have been very excited to be able to try out some of the new products at Smidapaper, especially the Making Memories 'Funky Vintage' line of papers and embellishments!

A friend and I have also started an 'Art Club' - not an art appreciation club, though we do love art, but a club where we meet every week to have coffee, cake, and of course...paint! We've found that it's a great way to make sure we actually put brush to canvas at least once a week, and we are making some progress...Who knows, we might have enough good paintings to be able to put on an amateur show in the future!

Scrapping Supermum

Every scrapper's wish is MORE time for scrapbooking! I am no exception, and being a mum of 3, even a daily dose of scrapbooking is often not possible....or so I thought.
I was browsing online late the other night (the only 'me' time I get nowadays), and was intrigued, and humbled to find a scrapbooking project on Big Picture Scrapbooking by Talia Audenart. Not only is she a mum of 2, she also writes projects and classes for Big Picture Scrapbooking, has her layouts published in major scrapbooking magazines like Creating Keepsakes, has a blog of her own and many other activities!
I was so impressed that I signed up and paid for the class- Baby's First Year, a project I'll be embarking on soon!
What a supermum! I'm inspired...to make an effort to carve out more creative time, to stop procrastinating and just get on with it!