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My, What a Year!
In November, I celebrated my one-year anniversary of being a Scrap Girl, and being the reminiscent type, I began my mental stroll through the journey I've taken:
- One year since I bought my first products from the Boutique.
- One year since I signed up for my Scrap Girls Club membership (wow, what a deal!).
- One year since I began surgically disconnecting myself from the world of paper scrapping (and the hoard of stamps, stickers, paper, adhesive squares, more paper, glue sticks, vintage inks, still more paper, punches, scissors, sanders, even more paper, embossers, die cuts, and doo-hickeys for which I can't remember the name).
- One year since I gave myself permission to do something really new and really challenging.
You see, I'd been an online "lurker" for at least a year. A long-time friend from college told me about Scrap Girls and the free newsletters and free products, so I signed up, compiled the newsletters for months, then decided to download all those freebies one Friday night. Imagine my surprise when I realized they had to be downloaded within days of the newsletter's release! That ended my lurking and kick-started me into being more active in the Scrap Girls World.
I began to go to the Boutique to get my freebies regularly (because free is good), and that's when I began to learn more about how to really use digital scrapbooking products. Plus, I caught a glimpse of the staggering array of yummy products offered here at Scrap Girls.
But here's my confession: I was bum-fuzzled at first. Just bein' honest. I didn't have a bloomin' clue what a Magic Wand Tool was, much less "marching ants." Sounded like an infestation or something.
Nonetheless, I was intrigued by the camaraderie of those who hang out at Scrap Girls. They kept referring to it as "this wonderful purple place." Browsing the Message Board, I found genuinely friendly people who "left some love" as they commented on each other's layouts. It was a safe place for a newbie like me to venture into, to upload some first-run, scary-bad layouts, yet come away encouraged, uplifted, and affirmed to keep going, to keep trying new things - because everyone had to start at Square One at some point.
Even at my slightly-above-beginner level, I've already been able to make things to give away to family and friends. They, being clueless about digital scrapbooking, are awed and amazed by what I create. There's a tip for newbies: Always give your scrap goodies to people who are more clueless than you. Works every time. And because it's digital, I do the work once, and simply print it for as many people as I want. Talk about time-saving!
I'm starting to sound like an infomercial.
Lately, I've found that digital scrapping has been a welcome escape for me. I'll start several layouts, leave them up on my computer for days (or weeks) at a time, and when I have a moment in between homeschooling, making dinner, checking email, or chunking the clothes in the dryer, I'll throw another embellishment on a layout, browse through digital papers, crop a photo, make a title, or try out something new. (And the best thing is, the dining room table isn't cluttered with paper scrapping for weeks.) As a result, I've scrapped more – and given away more – in the last year than I have in the last decade.
I haven't ventured into brushes, styles, actions, and tools. I'm taking this at my own pace, and I'm having such a great time doing it, I don't mind that I'm not there yet. I have room - and time - to grow into this hobby for years to come.
No deadlines. No pressure. Just fun. Now that I think about it, that's what a hobby truly ought to be.
- CindyLuWho
Muse: To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation. Not intended to solve the world's problems, another person's problems, or to cover topics completely. One does not have to agree with musings to enjoy them, just as one does not have to be the same as someone else to appreciate who they are.
Would you like to earn a $20 Gift Certificate? Send your own muse to [email protected]. If it is selected for publication in the Scrap Girls newsletter, you'll get to have fun shopping!
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