Digging your Stash

If you’ve been scrapping for awhile, or maybe longevity isn’t a factor with you, you will have or had started collecting things. Lots of things. Like paper, dies, paint, and embellishments. Oh my! And you keep collecting, because there is always something new on the horizon you just want or need. I know I’m completely drawn to most things that I consider “my style”, and because you’re going to really NEED that item at 3 am. Really.

However, as my Gram would ask “in a 100 years is all that gonna matter.” In answer to that, I asked myself the following questions:

• Is the reader of your scrapbooks/albums gonna know or care if you’ve used the latest product or put the perfect touch on your page? NO.

• Are they gonna care if everything lines up perfectly and your handwriting is neat? NO.

• Are they gonna wonder why you put a particular flower, trim or tag or your layout? NO.

What they ARE going to care about is that one of their ancestors took time to put albums together that shed light on what their life was like “back in the day.” (Oh yeah your life will be referred to as back in the day). Uh...moving right along. Pictures, along with the who, what, when and where’s will hopefully transport them back in time into your life is what its all about. They may even see parallels, resemblances and similarities in their life. OR they may just laugh themselves silly about what we thought were technical marvels in our time.

Getting back on point.

When you’re looking to create a page and your browsing through your stash to find the perfect papers, embellishments and trims think of ways to make your stash “new.” (See my hub on Jazzing UP your stuff). There is all kinds of media out there to help you out; paint, chalk, ink, glitter, etc.

There are no rules that says you can’t muss something up and change it.

There are clever tutorials and blogs around that if you can’t find it, buy it or don’t want to alter it. MAKE IT yourself. Remember cutting those snowflakes, hearts and stars out in kindergarten? It gives them that fun and funky country, homespun, retro look and adds pizzazz to your page.

In addition to saving you time and money (no shopping involved), it puts a piece of you on the page. Homemade, personalized goodies are right up there with having your handwriting on that page. It’s such a thrill to see something as personal as your ancestor’s handwriting. Based on how they write, you can kind of get a handle on them personally; Is it neat, cursive, printed, bold, or scrawled.

As in every great work of art, the artist leaves a piece of themselves behind. Scrapbooking your life is as personal as it gets; putting your pictures, your thoughts your life out there for all to see and read. Of course you’ll be putting your best in it, but like with anything, nothing is perfect.

What’s perfect is that you created something your ancestors and family will treasure.

AND It doesn’t have to be perfect.