Scrapbooking Q&A

My friend Kristina posted a questionnaire from 2Peas on her blog, and since I read her blog, I am now tagged. Thanks, Kristina! If you're a scrapbooker, these are good questions to think about, and they'd be even better on a layout. So I'll do as she did: If you're reading this, you're officially tagged! Go post your answers!

How long have you been scrapping? Ten years, I think.

What one word describes your scrapping style: Simple

How many times have you been published? Once in CK, several times in craft books

Would you rather do layouts or make cards? Hmmm...I’d rather teach card classes than layout classes, but I’d rather make layouts than cards. Yet most of the time, I make neither layouts nor cards. How’s that?

Do you paper craft? (I didn't know "paper craft" was a verb! Kind of like "waitressing" or "jump roping"...) Yep, I do make a few things other than cards and layouts. In a past life, I’ve even made some lovely items with pinecones, a la Martha Stewart, although that would not be considered paper crafting. I also made a set of hanging filbert nut balls a few years back and have been ridiculed by my family ever since.

Have you tried or converted to digital scrapping yet? I did give it a whirl recently and found it somewhat cumbersome. I really don’t need any reason to spend more time at my computer, so I don’t think going completely digital would ever be for me. Plus, I love the tactile nature of scrapbooking and would miss that if I went digital.

What’s your least favorite layout ever? Gosh, I have several that would be in that category, including some really dreadful ones from when I first started scrapbooking. Terrible color choices, sticker sneeze, decorative scissors gone wild...the whole works.

What’s your most favorite layout ever? I like layouts that tell a good story. One of my recent favorites is the one about Lily, “The Things They Never Told Me”, which is posted on this blog.

Do you consider yourself a poor, fair or great journaler? I actually think journaling is my strength, but I don’t always make the effort to demonstrate that as well as I could on layouts.

Do you follow the trends or scrap for yourself? I definitely don’t follow many trends. I do pick a few that I like and tend to stick with them.

What’s the worst scrapbook product you ever purchased? I’m not really a product person, so I don’t think I’ve ever purchased any real duds. But I’ve tried a few duds, including the infamous circle scissors, which I’m incapable of operating.

What’s your favorite scrapbooking tool? My computer and my wide-format printer. I guess that's two, huh?

Do you scrap better alone or with others? Definitely alone. I (pathetically) cannot scrap with others. If I go to a crop, I have to literally pre-do all my layouts at home, so all I have to do is adhere them when I get to the crop. It completely defeats the purpose of going in the first place, since I have to spend hours doing everything ahead of time. I have been known to go to crops and just sort photos or organize memorabilia, since I can’t crop in public. It’s sort of an issue with me. I’m thinking of having this put on a shirt: “Does not crop well with others”.

Are you on any design teams? Nope, but I do design work for the store where I teach.

If the “industry” came to a halt today, would you continue scrapping exactly as you do today? Yep. All I need is cardstock, photos, a pen or my computer, a trimmer, and adhesive, and I could scrapbook for the rest of my life. If the industry came to a halt, it really wouldn't change how I scrapbook.

What’s on your scrapbook desk this very moment? Oh, my. New adhesive (just purchased today), a pile of stuff that needs to be put away, a stack of magazines and catalogs with ideas tagged, stamp cleaner, and various odds and ends. It’s actually cleaner than usual.

What’s your favorite thing about scrapping? Most definitely, telling the story. Scrapbooking gives me a reason to write. Not that I really NEED a reason, since I'd write anyway, but it gives me good content.