Sunday, April 8, 2007

The Story Continues

About a six months after I had my first son, I was shopping at Gurnee Mills Mall. Within the mall is a store called "Archivers". I had had no interest in the store before and usually walked past without so much as glancing in that direction, but for some reason, that day it called my name. My husband hesitantly agreed to go in and he watched me carefully as I looked at the patterned paper and matching goodies (this is where the patterned paper obsession started). As I strolled the isles, I could feel the dormant creative beast within me start to come alive. Still, I resisted the strong urge to purchase. As I started to think about what I could make, I became completely overwhelmed. I had no idea where to begin or what to buy and the fear of spending a bunch of money and flushing it down the proverbial toilet played a good part in my wallet staying shut. We left the store without purchasing anything, much to my husband's amazement. I did leave with the store flyer that advertised beginner scrapbooking classes. I hemmed and hawwed for about a week; I just could not get scrapbooking out of my head (well, I could not get the patterned paper out of my head, oh the colors). Finally, I called the store and signed up for their Basic Scrapbooking class.

A Bowl Full of Boys

A Bowl Full of Boys

The Nicholas at the end of the tunnel

The Nicholas at the end of the tunnel