Digital scrapbooking is one of my creative outlets that has wove it's way in and around my online world for nearly two decades. I had to sit back and really think that through before I typed it out. Two decades? those years flew by in the blink of an eye. I originally started this journey when my oldest children were maybe three and just born. I remember wanting to put together a screen saver for my parents that would have photos of the kids so they would feel connected to us since we lived about 4 hours away. I searched online for free background images just to make it a bit more polished and fell down the rabbit hole of designers offering freebies on their blogs. Digital kits to create scrapbook pages to print.
It didn't take long and I was hooked. I always wanted to get into paper scrapbooking but several things held me back. First of all, supplies were expensive and we just didn't have the disposal income to fund another crafting hobby. Second, pulling everything out and putting it back up in a hurry seemed like a lot of work. I have this thing about needing/wanting everything to have a specific place and with paper scrapping there's a lot of supplies to store and we had limited room. I'm also not one that can leave unfinished projects laying out and with creative time at a premium, the time spent taking out supplies and cleaning up seemed like a waste of precious time. With digital scrapbooking all that wasn't an issue! Winner!
So there's the backstory of how I got into digital scrapbooking. I know I have some of those early pages filed away on an EHD somewhere and I'm sure they are cringe worthy but we all have to start somewhere and the memories those pages hold are dear. I'm sure that some of you have similar stories of how you got into scrapbooking. Now onto current events. What have I scrapped recently?
The first one was made with #2025 May by Connie Prince and Banner Play Vol 1 by Connie Prince template.
The second one was made with Memories {Bundle} by Connie Prince as part of a challenge at Ginger Scraps.
Participating in the challenges at Ginger Scraps helps me have a focus and prompt for my creative journey which I need at the moment. My mind is still very cluttered with teaching/job tasks and I need something to guide me into the creative side of my brain. Otherwise I find myself just staring at the screen. I have also found that I absolutely can not open Facebook/social media during my creative time. Once I do that, I get sucked into watching videos. Yes, I'm discovering new things but at the same time, I'm not being productive.
Here's a couple of blasts from the past. The middle layout above is of our youngest daughter. She's about to graduate from High School (a full year ahead of schedule). She's currently taking her final class as a Summer Credit Advancement course through our school district. By July 17th she will be completely done. She has always been a trailblazer, one to find her own path and follow through with her decisions.
I wish she could see herself through my eyes. Every time I look back at the layouts from the past 17 years I see a fearless, imaginative, inquisitive, creative, and joyful child. I pray that she never loses that spirit as she enters this next chapter of her life.
Those moments captured in those three layouts are why I scrapbook. As I pulled them up I was transported back to the moment those photos were taken, the moment I scrapped about and how I felt. The nostalgia brings all the emotions back to the surface and makes me appreciate what I have in life. Three pretty awesome kids who are finding their own way in this world, finding ways to make their own marks on the world around them. A loving husband who has made sure I know that I'm loved, that I'm enough, that I am valued. We just celebrated out 30th Anniversary this past week. We have a good life and together we are finding joy in the small things.
I have another 4X6 card front printable for you today as a "thanks for stopping by" freebie. You can get the download by clicking on the image below. Thank you for taking time to visit today!
~Susan~
