The Scrappin' Bug Bit Me
Almost twenty years ago I was
dragged to a Creative Memories party. My aunt was hosting and I went out
of obligation. I was convinced that I wouldn't like it and on the off
chance I did, I certainly couldn't afford a new hobby. And by afford, I meant
time as much as money. I wasn't prepared to be bitten by the Scrappin'
Bug!
My CM Days
The very next day I signed up
to be a Creative Memories consultant. I was hooked, so what better way to
share my new passion than teach and sell! I was a consultant for eight years
and enjoyed every class, crop and workshop. Who knew you could do so many
fun things with paper! I especially loved seeing people who claimed they
were not crafty or artistic make beautiful pages. When you are preserving
precious memories of your family, how can that be anything but spectacular? Being part of a community of papercrafters who were generous, fun,
and creative was rewarding. For me, this was a modern day sewing bee and I was in my
realm!
Life Happens
While I was a consultant, I was
balancing a fulltime job, part time business, and, most important, my family.
I started when my CM business when my children were still young and as
they grew up and became involved in activities, I wanted to be there to support
them. Or perhaps more accurately, to be the helicopter parent that is so
typical of my generation! Gradually I held fewer scrapping events, and my
CM business slowed to a crawl. I still worked on my own scrapbooks and
kept a few dedicated scrappers as customers. Then in 2008, our family
suffered some big losses. Between us, my husband and I lost six family
members. The hardest loss for me was my father who died unexpectedly in
his sleep. After he passed we moved into my mother's house, I packed up
my scrapbooking supplies and packed up they stayed.
Ink. Stamp. Repeat.
While my scrapping was placed
on hiatus, I discovered the art of making cards. My mother-in-law, one of
my biggest CM customers, became a Stampin' Up consultant. My love of paper
was awakened! And. Now stamps and ink too! Making cards is much
quicker than constructing a scrapbook layout and I could express my creativity
again. Out came my scrapping supplies. To that I added numerous
stamps, and more paper of course! Then I discovered YouTube tutorials -
WOW! I learned to make mini albums, journals and more. I am hooked on
papercrafts once again!
Stamp-n-Paper Junkie
