Scrapbooking - Hobby Or Obsession? (And a giveaway!

Ok, so I'm trying something new here. Forgive me if my first attempt at a giveaway may seem a bit "prehistoric"...Ha! Ha! But I figure, I've got to try sometime - right?

What you will win -- the lucky winner, chosen by a panel of myself, my Marine, and one other crafty pal of mine, will win a box of scrapbooking supplies! That's right! Paper, accessories, and more! Why should I go through this hobby phase alone!

How do I enter, you say? Well, my rules are simple -- read my blog post below and leave a comment about one of your hobbies gone awry. Oh yeah -- and don't forget to share with your friends!

Contest ends next Friday on 7/10 -- so plenty of time to enter!

So come on and join in the fun! Don't make me feel like I'm the only one who has a hobby store to tell! Let's hear those stories!

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I'll be the first to admit it....I tend to go overboard. With a lot of things. But mostly with hobbies. When I find a new hobby, I have to buy everything...right then and there. And then I stockpile. I still have a large plastic storage bin full of cross stitch patterns that I'm not sure will ever see completion. I have drawers full of yarn waiting to be made into afghans and scarfs. I have storage boxes full of felt and foam sheets and a box full of bottles of paint waiting for craft projects with Nani & Nudge. But nothing has made me go overboard as much as the concept of scrapbooking.

I have good intentions....I truly do. I envision the pages in my mind and run out and buy all the supplies needed and reprint pictures. I get everything together....and then it sits in a box. And it sits. And it sits. And it sits. For a long time. For so long that half the time I forget what I even have in there and what I was scrapping about. I have scrapbooks started that only have a few pages done. I have a box full of memorabilia, souveniers, and pictures just waiting to be creatively displayed.

I love scrapbooking supplies. I love the colorful sheets and stickers. I love all the tools and accessories. Rows upon rows of scrapbooking nirvana. This time, I told myself, this time I'm going to follow through with a hobby. I sat down and organized all my supplies. When it was all done, I felt invigorated and inspired. I took the next step and went to a free class at a local scrapbooking store.

Let's just say, I don't think I'll go back any time soon. Don't get me wrong....there are some extremely creative women out there. And dedicated. Dedicated to the point of obsession, I believe. I walked into the room and knew that I was way beyond my league. Whereas I carried my scrapbook paper and supplies in a little totebag decorated with puppies & kittens that I got free from the ASPCA, these women were lugging roller bags that I would use to pack for a three-day weekend.

I found an open spot at the end of the table and tried to be very inconspicuous. But those scrapbooking ladies could smell virgin blood. They spied me and knew immediately that I was fresh meat and an easy target. In a matter of 15 minutes, I got the life story of each lady at that table. (Again, names have been changed to protect the innocent, but I hardly doubt these ladies follow blogs....they're much too busy getting high from the fumes of scrapbooking glue!)

M - the wife of a retired postal worker who started scrapping to save her sanity since her husband was home ALL THE TIME now. She looked like one of those ladies you'd see at bingo -- bifocals on the edge of her nose, cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, surrounded by her lucky troll dolls.

R - the wife of an airline pilot who scraps to document her husband's travels (and the free trips she gets to take with him)

M2 - the divorced wife of a business man who started scrapping to document her husband's affair. She presented "The Infidelity Book" to her husband on their 10th wedding anniversary - complete with photos of him & his mistress and receipts that she would find. (I seriously couldn't make this up if I tried!)

T - the stay home mom who started scrapping to get a break from her kids & husband.

Still a little unsure of myself and a bit intimidated, I started to unpack my stuff. My only goal was to accomplish 4 pages of Christmas photos. The ladies "oohed" and "ahhed" over the pictures of the girls that I brought and asked me what my game plan was. Ummm...my game plan? I didn't realize scrapbooking had a game plan. I thought it was simply gluing pictures to fancy paper and using a couple stickers.

But oh no.....you've got to decide what your base paper is going to be....if you're going to layer your paper.....are you using stamps or stickers....grommets or brads....chipboard or diecut. My head was spinning and I hadn't even gotten started yet!

So, I pull out my pictures of the girls on Christmas morning and select two sheets of paper. M looked at me over her bifocals, like my old sixth grade math teacher when I got an answer wrong -- "Are you sure you want to accent that photo with THAT paper?" I could feel myself turning red and start to sweat. I seriously had a flashback to my 6th grade math class when I didn't know the answer. I took a deep breath, kept my head down and just said - yes. I could feel M's eyes boring into my forehead as she tsk'd, tsk'd my choice. T, bless her heart, stuck up for me and gave me a few very helpful suggestions. M2 and R were in their own little scrapbooking world, comparing accents and embellishments. At one point, M actually pulled out a blow dryer and started waving it over her pages. "Makes the glue dry faster....."

My goal was 4 pages...I got 1 done before I just couldn't take any more tsk-tsk'ing from M. I packed up my puppy & kitten tote bag...thanked the ladies for their scrapbooking wisdom and rushed home where I could make all the scrapbooking mistakes I wanted to in the comfort of my own home.

I didn't finish the Christmas pages, but I did manage a couple pages from Nani's first day of preschool.

I may never reach M's level of having to blow dry my pages dry, but I think that my pages aren't bad for a beginner, don't you think?