Falling in Love with Scrapbooking Again!

It's been a while since I have been feeling inspired to scrapbook. Lately I get my stuff together and nothing comes to me. I have made a few cards for people but no pages. I think sometimes we just need a break.

During my scrapbooking hiatus, I kept thinking about why I didn't feel the urge to scrapbook. Finally I realized what it was. My old way of scrapbooking just doesn't appeal to me anymore. Many times I would make a page just to make something. Now I have stacks of pages that are basically decorated photos. Please, don't get me wrong, I am not knocking anyone else's scrapbooking. I am still a firm believer in people creating the way it works for them. I am just so glad I have found a way that works better for me now and makes me feel more fullfilled as a scrapbooker.

I think taking a break from the online scrapbooking community has helped me find this new way of scrapbooking (although I do miss the conversations and laughs!). I think being online and seeing other's work all the time was overload for me. I never did find a style that "fit" me because I was always overwhelmed by all the ideas I saw and wanted to work into my pages.

Also, before this I could tell you exactly what was the newest product and latest trend. If I saw a piece of paper I could tell you the company who makes it and the line it is from. Not today. Please understand part of this is because the nifty little pay cut from my husband's company (see a couple posts below) and part of it is because I just don't care about the latest and greatest anymore. It's freeing. I am using more found items and non-scrapbooking stuff than ever before. I am using actual items from restaurants we visit, tags from things, and other memento from our lives.

I am documenting our lives with real items from our lives! I think this has made my scrapbooking more meaningful to me, more inspiring and yes, less expensive. Each page I create now is a real story from our lives. Each page is a story that started with that little voice in my head saying, "Oh, I gotta write that down so I remember it." I don't ever feel behind anymore, or like I have to run out and buy something. Everything I need to create a page is right here in my ridiculously over stashed scrapbook room (ugh! the money I spent)! LOL! I am determined to use up what I have, BTW!