For the love of scrapbooking

Is it just me or does everyone seem to be in a hurry all the time? Scrapbook magazine articles abound with ideas to scrap more, use less time, get done sooner.... I dont want to get done sooner, my greatest fear is that I will run out of pictures to scrap, I will run out of ideas.... More and more, I find myself looking for ways to stretch my photo stash, so I never, ever run out of material and inpsiration. I have note books filled with enough ideas that I could probably do nothing but the inspiration from my notebook for the next 10 years, but, I cannot stop collecting. I guess I am a collector by nature. Scrapbookers, in general, are collectors, paper, scissors, rubbons, buttons, do you know of a scrapbooker who owns only one pair of scissors? Seriosuly, how much stuff do we need? Is it a crime to collect? Of course my significant other, as many of yours, I am certain would say yes! It is a crime to buy anything else even remotely scrapbook related. Long before I laid eyes on my first LSS, I collected polaroid photos and stickers and there was a great little stationery store in the mall. I have no idea what I ever planned to do with all that paper, I couldnt wait to spend my weekly allowance on, but, I had to have every fresh color and design. It didnt matter if I had one similar, or too many of that color, if it was pretty, I had to have it. Scratch and sniff stickers were all the rage back then too, I had photo albums full of stickers, cute puppies, little kittens, strawberry shortcake and her entire line of yummy scented friends, I had to have them all. I have always been a collector of pens as well.. There was nothing more exciting than a new pen, the feel of it in my hand, the way it glides across the paper, I love new pens, I usually end up chewing the top of them apart, but I still have my favorites and of course, there are pens that I wont use at all. I consider it a perk that I work in the medical field, because the drug reps and sales companies, love to plaster their logo all over shiny new pens. I dont really care if I am advertising for Viagra, if the pen feels right in my hand and glides smoothly across the paper, I will use it out of ink.. I have always been a sucker for color too, I love purple pens, and green ones, and the smelly markers my second grade teacher used to use to correct my papers, I think I once got high on a grape-scented marker in school. I swear, thats how I got so fast with school work.... I wanted to be the first one done so I could help correct the papers. As a little girl, I rushed to my stocking on Christmas because I knew inside, I would find a fantastic, brand new box of crayolas, with a new sharpener. Yeah, new crayons to use, they arent in peices yet, my brother has wripped the paper off of them yet. Anyway, I digress...... Whats the hurry ladies? Why do we want to get caught up, give ourselves permission not to scrapbook more. For me, its about the process, I want to make it last, I love digging in and getting my hands dirty, I love getting ink on my hands, I love the process of trying to put it all to a page that comes together in the end. I have never really been a fan of sketches, part of the enjoyment is the puzzle in finding a place for everything. I dont feel as satisfied by a layout that I creat using a sketch, Its the creative process I enjoy, the unknown, the self expression, the outlet. Why on earth would I want to hurry through that?

My Advent Calendar

I am on a quest to find practical things to do with my scrapbook stash. I have piles and piles of paper and remnants of stickers and other embellies that I feel like I will never use. A co-worker of mine found an advent calendar in one of my craft magazines and that gave me the idea to create this. Its made on a simple cookie sheet, from Dollar Tree and leftover scrapbooking supplies. I used decoupage medium to adhere the paper to the cookie sheet and wa la. I love the way it came out, what do you think?