My Scrapbook Shop

Well, I call this my scrapbook room, but my sister prefers to call it "Beckie's Scrapbook Shop," in reference to the overabundance of scrapbook goodies that I've accumulated.  I like to think of it as my very own "Candy Land," for the eye and the soul.

I feel so lucky to have this space and I adore it.  Everything has a spot - patterned paper is organized by vendor and cardstock by color.  Embellishments are all stored in their own box or drawer so they can be found quickly.  Tools, paints, stamps, inks and adhesives have their own drawers too.  All of my scrapbooks are housed in a Shabby Chic bookshelf, along with idea books and other trinkets.  A nifty container on the desk holds all of my pretty ribbons and the little box to the left is a file containing ideas that I've collected.   

The walls are painted a soft beige to compliment the white moldings, doors and window shutters.  Most of the furnishings in the room were found at antique stores, including the pretty pink table in the center of the room.  The chandelier is from Bellerose Antiques in Royal Oak, a store that always stocks the most unique and beautiful antique furniture pieces.

The fashion illustration print is from Henri Bendel.  I worked at the Troy store years ago and when the store closed I was able to keep this treasure.  It inspires me, so it has found the perfect home in this room.

Other details include the inspiration wall above my computer, where I keep meaningful photos and other things that inspire my creativity.  The flower print curtain below the computer desk hides all of the cords and additional computer equipment.  The built in bookshelf showcases photos of  loved ones, some of my favorite books, Creating Keepsakes magazines and a few decorated letter B's.

 

I love this room and would encourage anyone who loves this craft to carve out a space (even the smallest nook will do) in their home to dedicate to it.  Not only will it inspire you, but it will help you to be a more efficient scrapper (and don't we all need help with that?!).        

Find Your Groove

 

Second to my love of scrapbooking comes my joy of reading the latest scrapbook magazines and new idea books.  I simply cannot wait to get them home and dig in.  Yesterday, I found a great book that I read cover-to-cover in just a few hours.  Find Your Groove: A Guide to Discovering Your Scrapbook Style by Kitty Foster and Wendy McKeehan, is a must have for anyone searching for their "scrapbook style."

I feel fortunate that after years dedicated to this craft, I've identified my style (feminine and vintage chic - defined in the book as Shabby).  For me, the book really reinforced what I already knew and gave me increased confidence in my style.  Through the years, I've talked with many friends who were afraid to pick up scrapbooking because they "weren't creative" or couldn't complete pages that looked as good as the magazines.  This book proves that none of that matters (see excerpt below). 

Your Style is Based on Your Tastes - pg. 50:

With all the discussion about product and styles we tend to forget one crucial element, ourselves.  We are focused on others; on what they do, on what the newest papers look like, what the latest embellishment craze is or what is the hip trend that everyone is following.  What we really need to do is focus inward.  We need to figure out what motivates us in the first place (story, photos, products, techniques, etc.).  When it comes to developing our own style, what matters most is finding out who we are, what we like and what we dislike.  Developing a personal style is not copying someone else's style.  Developing a personal style is finding out who you are and what makes your work the extension of your personality.  There's nothing wrong with being influenced by others, or even duplicating (i.e. scraplifting) them as part of the learning process.  But the goal is to take it a step further and add that special something that is original.  It takes time to develop a personal style.  

As the authors say, when you find your niche, everything comes easier.  Finding your natural style allows creativity to flow and your pages to come together almost effortlessly.  Whether you need to define your style or just confirm the one you already know, this book is worth picking up.   

Challenge #1: Design a Layout Inspired by Your Favorite Outfit

I love scrapbook challenges.  I tend to use them most when I am suffering from "scrappers block," but they are also great for encouraging you to do something you might not have tried otherwise.  Once a week, I'll include a challenge for you, along with my version of it. 

This weeks challenge is about finding inspiration in something you love to wear.  In my version of the challenge, I'm wearing my favorite dress.  I feel so pretty and feminine when I wear it.  I love the beautiful and subtle blue plaid pattern and the slightly frayed edges on the sleeves.  

I searched for a long time to find just the right papers to compliment the dress, while not competing with it.  I chose a monochromatic theme -  mixing feminine and masculine patterns in the same shade.  A few touches of white were added to break up the blues.  The beige flower pulls out the slight neutral stripes in the dress pattern. 

I really love how this layout turned out.  I mean, how could it not look beautiful when it features these sweet children?

Challenge: Design a Layout Inspired by Your Favorite Outfit.  Layout should contain one photo of you in the outfit, one journal block, one or two embellishments and two or more patterned papers.

Have fun!

Argyleculture

There are some days that I must admit my life is pretty cool. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Russell Simmons.  He was in town with Macy's promoting his new clothing line, Argyleculture.  The clothing is designed for men  Simmons describes as "Urban Graduates."  My company handles publicity for Macy's in Detroit, so I started my day VERY early with his first interview at WDIV with Jon Jordan.  Russell started the day wearing a NY Yankees ball cap and took a little light ribbing from the anchors.  By the end of the day he was donning the Old English D.  Very impressive. 

In my eyes, celebrities are just people like everybody else - so I don't usually get overly excited when meeting them.  But, I was thrilled to meet Russell Simmons.  My friends will attest that I'm not exactly "hip" to the hip-hop culture (seems more suited to the younger-hipper set).   I really admire the man for all that he has accomplished - from his very humble beginnings - and the incredible empire he has built for himself.  His brand spans many industries, music, film, television and fashion - and I'm sure there is more to come.  He is an inspiration.

A scrapbook page will soon follow.......

Scrapbook League

My girls and I just completed our 5-week scrapbook league at Scrappy Chic and had the BEST time!  For those who may not be familiar with a "scrapbook league," it's a little like bowling.  Teams of 4 meet regularly to compete for prizes, have fun and and scrapbook like mad.  Each meet, we keep score (with handicaps) and earn extra points for things like completed pages, difficulty and trying new things.  While we didn't finish first in our league, we did enjoy the fun of the competition and our time together.  Admittedly, I am not the fastest scrapper in the world, so probably didn't help much in the scoring department.  My sister-in-law, Amy, was really the "ringer" in that area.

The photos below were taken at our banquet, where we were treated to a lovely catered dinner, free day of scrapping, prizes and fun (thanks Scrappy Chic!).  The first photo is me and "my girls," whom I adore.  Spending time scrapbooking with them is one of the things I most look forward to.  It's almost like Christmas morning when I wake up on scrap day - I cannot wait to get there.  The second photo is of the award that I received from the league for "Most Supportive Teammate."  It was a bit humbling to receive this recognition, as my team is always just as supportive of me as I am of them.  I guess that's what makes us such a great team.  Thanks girls!      

I'm a Blogger!

Today is a big day for me. I'm posting my first blog - created with a focus on my love of scrapbooking. For some time now, I have followed a few great blogs that have provided me with much inspiration for my scrapbook pages and other creative projects. There are so many talented artists out there and I've appreciated getting a little sneak peek into their creative minds. Finally, I decided to start my own blog with the hopes that I could provide a bit of inspiration to others....or if nothing else, to stay connected with and help others get connected to great scrapbooking resources.

Speaking of talented artists....I want to give a huge thank you to Shawn at Eclectic Whimsy Designs for creating this beautiful blog for me. She took my vision and designed a blog that is even prettier than I imagined. Thanks for your hard work and enthusiasm for my project. You're the best!