Everyday Scrapbookers, stand up and be counted!

Here in the Workshop we're spending 2008 celebrating the Everyday Scrapbooker. How do you know if you're an "everyday scrapbooker?" Check out this list and see how many qualities apply to you.

1. Preserves everyday memories, not just milestones and annual events.
2. Scrapbooks a little every day (or wishes she did!)
3. Has a busy everyday life and wants scrapbooking solutions & simplicity.
4. Feels "creatively timid" sometimes, and has no problem scraplifting.
5. Will never be "caught up" and is learning to be OK with that.
6. Enjoys the social aspect of scrapbooking and does it for fun and personal satisfaction.
7. Likes to experiment with new things now and then, but is comfortable with her own style most of the time.
8. Doesn't think of scrapbooking as a competitive sport.
9. Knows that everyday life is captured in snapshots, not portraits, and has thousands of shapshots just itching for an album to call home.
10. Loves the look of great products on a page, but knows that its the MEMORIES that give layouts meaning.

Even the days where you don't pick up a so much as a paper trimmer count. Did you flip through a magazine or check for the Michael's flyer? Did you organize or purge a little of your stash? Did you stare longingly at your completely covered dining room table and dream of the moment you could get back to that half-finished project? Did you send someone a handmade card? Did you think about scrapbooking in some capacity today, even just for a moment? Then it's confirmed -- you're an everyday scrapbooker. Rejoice! Let go of the perfection and be proud of the progress you make every day.

If scrapbooking has become a drag for you, and you've lost the "fun" of it, its time to make an assessment.

• Has your growing stash been giving you a guilty conscience?
• Are you getting that "I'll never get caught up" feeling again?
• Are you feeling just a little intimidated by the current trend of "scrapping celebrities" and the push to be published?
• Do you look at idea magazines and feel that you pages don't measure up to the published pages?
• Plagued by perfectionism?

I would love to help you get over your hurdle and get back to the scrapbooking table. What does scrapbooking mean to you? What made you get started in the first place? When's the last time you pulled out one of your earlier albums? The Campaign for REAL Scrapping is an effective reality check.