The Whole Nine Yards

For a couple of years, I was an avid (rabid?) scrapbooker. I'd never been much of the artsy, creative type, so my hobby surprised a lot of people who knew me. I'd always loved taking pictures, and scrapbooking gave me something to do with my photos (which have, for the most part, all been digital since Erin was born) so that they could be shared with others. I actually really enjoyed the process of working with the paper and supplies - the tactile nature of the work was soothing in a lot of ways. As most scrapbookers will tell you, a lot of the fun comes from the stuff. Yes, going to scrapbook stores, touching the papers and embellishments, and bringing them home to admire them. Oh, and yes, sometimes use them. One of the things I loved most was the ribbons. They came in (and I collected!) all kinds of colors, patterns, and textures, and I eventually found a great way to store them in a drawer so I could easily find the one that I needed for any given page.

Our first New Jersey house had a great area that I set up as my scrap room, which was right next to where Jim would watch TV at night. It was great, because I could work on my projects and not be alone. After a few years, though, we moved to a different house, and my scrap space was on the other side of the house from the mancave. Because I didn't want to be alone each evening, I slowly stopped working on my books, and I haven't done much in them since. My hobby has shifted to photography (duh), and although I still have all of my old scrap supplies, I'm ashamed to admit how long it's been since I've touched any of them. I've tried doing digital scrapbooking, but while it appeals to my geeky, techie nature, it's just not the same. So I sit in my office now, surrounded by old but not-quite-forgotten supplies, and wonder if I'll ever get back to doing something with them.