Well, here's the thing. I have always loved paper. I have been collecting fabulous paper for years. I have even tried my hand at scrapbooking, and other traditional things to do with paper, and none of it stuck with me. I even tried the Project Life style pocket scrapbooking, and that didn't do it for me either. THEN...I discovered art journals. OMG, love this new and artsy and crafty thing. However, it turns out, I am not good at journalling. Never really was.
Thank goodness for Youtube! YT has saved the day, once again. I started watching Youtube videos on making your own albums and journals. OH what fun! And guess what! This is what I will do with my stash (read hoard) of beautiful and exciting paper! I am having so much fun making every style I can find directions for and have even started adding my own creative elements.
Another new love, swaps! Yes, you read correctly, I said SWAPS. A sweet friend introduced me to Your Paper Pantry and Swap-Bot. Oh what fun places they are turning out to be. YPP is a Ning community where paper crafters of all kinds and from all over the globe can meet up and chat and join several different swaps every month. My first month I joined 4 swaps and absolutely loved it. Swap-bot is the same idea, but has more of a mechanical feel to it, much as the name suggests. You have to be approved to join (as in YPP) but then you have to find a swap that allows newbies. Once you get started, you have to gather a rating of 5.0 (and keep it) and you gain stars and hearts for every swap you complete. The fun part is, there are several hundred different swaps going on at one time, and with people from every country in the world. You also don't know who your swap partner is until a certain set date for every swap, and then the robot that is Swap-bot assigns you a partner to swap with from those signed up for it. So far my swap pieces have been sent to the Netherelands, UK, many in the US and some to Canada. I have also received some from the UK, the States and Canada. Having a blast.
So, here it is....my last word on this new blog (yes, I know, I'm getting a little wordy here). This is where I will showcase my handmade journals and albums, memory books and swap and challenge pieces. If you like paper, this is the place to be :) Thanks for reading, I look forward to having you visit back often.
