From Humble Beginnings ....

Last night at my Scrapbooking Class one of the ladies said Why don't my pages look as well put together as yours? My answer was How long have you been a scrapbooker?! Also on the TM Message board a similar topic is going around.
I have come a loooong way since I started scrapping 8yrs ago and it has taken alot of time of playing & experimenting to get to the place I am today.
EVERYONE starts off as a beginner and I don't want the begginner scrappers to feel over shadowed and intimadated by the more experienced. Scrapbooking is all about YOU not others and it's not a good idea to compare yourself with other scrapbookers. Somone who has being scrapping for 10mths is going to have alot less experience, knowledge and techniques than someone who has been doing it for 10yrs! If YOU like your LO who cares what it looks like! This is a recent learning curve for me, I scrap for me now, I don't scrap to try to please others. Getting nice comments etc is really uplifting but you really shouldn't be searching for that. Be happy with what you have done for YOU!
I wanted to show everyone my humble beginnings and talk breifly about how I became a scrapbooker. I challenge you other bloggers out there to do the same. My good friends Jennie & Kristine are going to as well so check out their blogs to see their first LOs too!

Almost 9yrs ago my Hubby Jason arrived in NZ for the first time. We met online and he traveled here to meet me (that is a long and different story for another time!) He used to be a US Marine and he bought with him a 'scrapbook' of Memorabilia from his time overseas during his Marine Tour. I fell in love with it (and him!) and I decided to do an album with things from our lives. I collected EVERYTHING! Movie tickets, resturant cards and reciepts, everything! and I put it together in an album.
Here are a few pages from that 'wonderful' (cough cough splutter) Album ....





A friend of my Brothers, Kerri, found out I was a 'scrapper' and asked me along to a 'Midnight Madness Crop' at our Local Scrapbook Store. This is where I was introduced to scrapbooking for real! Wow look at the papers, embelishments etc etc etc!! It wasn't until my Son was born that I started doing 'real' 12x12 scrapbooking. Here are some of my very first 12x12 LOs ....




My Son has just turned 5yrs old.
I have grown alot in my scrapping. I have learnt many things, and continue to learn. I don't want anyone to be discouraged or intimadated by more experienced scrapbookers work and just get involved in the fun and the reason why you started scrapbooking in the first place, because I'm sure it wasn't to show off to everyone and compete!
I hope to see lots more people sharing their works of art and encouraging the newbies to feel proud of their work!