This is the very first page I made (no laughing please)...It's 6x6 (I don't know why, I was following the teacher's instructions!) and has a photo cut into a shape, some shrink plastic and a Making Memories phrase (I bought a stack of those in the early days). It's not seem the light of day for some time!
I remember asking if I could take a few extra papers home and then stopping in the art shop to buy my first scrapbooking stash - I bought punches, ribbon, some letters and some magazines (with free paper!) I was hooked!
Next I made a double page spread at home about Alex's first day at school (still 6x6 - I'm not sure I knew any other size existed!) This photo I embellished with some nattily punched shapes in the corner!
The rest followed - all 6x6 - until I discovered the larger sizes when I read my magazine and I've never come back to finish this album. This is Alex's first Christmas play at nursery...
Her infamous ice-cream face on holiday in Lanzarote...
An uncanny likeness between she and me at the same age on our school photos...
A photo of my Mum as a small girl...
And my all time favourite photo of the two of them from nursery...
It was while sorting out my PL page protectors that I rmembered these pages as I found some style E protectors with 6x6" pockets. Just perfect for displaying the above little lot and getting them out of a small album and into my AC 12x12 ones. So now they look like this...
And can be seen with all their other early childhood pages (of which I need to do more!)
Am I slightly embarrassed by the shaped photos, old style embellies and cutting with decorative scissors? - just a tad - but I'm more grateful that I found such a wonderful hobby that has kept me sane over the past 10 years and continues to be my "happy place" when things get tough. I love playing with pretty paper and glue and reliving the memories on each photo.
Sadly Vanessa emigrated to Australia in 2006 so I lost my scrapping buddy but I am also grateful for the other buddies I have in Blogland and having met some of you in real life.
So here's to this fabulous hobby. Will you share your first page and your discovery story? (Warts and all!) I'd love to read about it.
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12 comments:
Aww great to hear about how you found scrapping and see your early pages. I'll have to have a look through and find my first one, I'm pretty sure mine's 6x6 but it could be 8x8!
What a great post! I'm a firm believer in being proud of those first pages..I'll have to look out mine. Wasn't that excitement at the beginning so all consuming? I remember not being able to sleep one night and getting up and feverishly flicking through Scrapbook Inspirations magazines
Jules, I loved reading this and looking at your first pages. They look so like mine-shaped photos, Epoxy stickers, vellum. They all make an appearance on my first pages too. The one of your mum is k and Co paper-one I used too in the early days. Am I embarrassed about mine? Yes a tad but I won't change them as I reckon I may just be a tad embarrassed about the ones I've done recently when, in a few years, the fashions and trends will have changed yet again. I wonder if that K and Co paper will make a reappearance.
Don't be embarrassed, these sweet pages are part of your story and starting somewhere is so much better than not starting at all! My first pages are 12 X 12, but they too have shaped photos (creative memories, anyone?) And a picture in top left and bottom right!! No such thing as white space, lots of geometry and some very very aged embellies. I don't look at them too often, but when others do, they don't see what I see and as they move through the album, they don't see that my scrapbooking has 'evolved' (as I think), they just like what they're looking at. Or so they say!
I couldn't agree more with all these others, NEVER be embaressed. You've captured the happiest and lo user of memories, and does it really matter if it's not the trendy style of now? Not in the least ... I love that you've shared them and that you've put them in your album xxx
Lovely post about how you started. Don't be embarassed by early pages ... as Karen says, trends mean that styles change and it takes us all a while to develop a style.
That said, I am SO embarassed by my early attempts at card-making ... a ribbled square of paper and a bit of ribbon with a Happy Birthday sequin ... ugh!
oh Julia this is a super post and reminds me of a post I wrote a while back about sharing my first page...but i never pushed the publish button. i should do that now. I know I cut all my photos into weird and wonderful shapes!! Loved seeing your first album x x
I discovered scrapbooking via Sy who was a CM consultant - so all my early pages are CM style with strips and triangles and that odd page size which is smaller than 12 x 12 and can't be moved around in the album as the pages back onto each other. And yes all the photos are all cut into shapes too - something I never do now. Though I still use my CM shape cutting system - very handy when you need a large circle for a page and don't want to cut it out by hand. I am cupboard sorting at the moment and found quite a large stash of epoxy K&Co words - I don't think they will ever make their way onto any of my pages ever again. But when friends who don't scrapbook see these early albums they think they are lovely - it is just me that cringes over them. I love that you have found a way to put those early pages into an album now and well done for sharing them - wonder if I will ever pluck up courage to share my very first page LOL!!
Love those layouts! Oh I remember the shaped scissors well lol. Will try and be brave and try digging mine out :)
love the early scrapbook pages and great that they have a new home in your 12x12 album.
I started scrapping about mid 2003 and have/had so many similar pages. In fact you have inspired me to do a blog post along the same lines - thank you
This a great read Julia. I was about 5 years behind you and there were more resources and inspiration available by then. I think I've shared my first page on my blog before but I couldn't find it when I looked the other day. Might have to write a post on this subject soon.
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