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Soccer
moms, grandparents, childfree homes, singles, and gentlemen… the
crafters class of '05.
Scrapbook.
If
I could offer you only one tip for the future, Scrapbooking would be
it.
The
long-term benefits of scrapbooking have been proved by soccer moms,
whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own
meandering childfree experience.
I
will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy
the power and beauty of your negatives.
Oh, never mind.
You will not understand the power and beauty of your negatives until
they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at the negatives of your
photos and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility
before developing and how fabulous they can now print.
You're
handwriting is not as bad as you imagine.
Don't
worry about future books.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to make a
paper piecing by using a pair of lefty scissors in your right hand.
The real troubles making your book are apt to be layouts that never
crossed your worried mind.
The kind that blindside you at a crop in some mall at Archivers.
Do
one layout every day that inspires you.
Tear.
Don't
be reckless with other people's layouts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Trim.
Don't
waste your time on jealousy with others layouts.
Sometimes you're 4 layouts ahead, sometimes you're 20 layouts behind.
The crop is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself, and the 120
lbs of paper you just HAD to bring… just incase.
Remember
tips you receive.
Don't forget the techniques.
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep
your old love letters you will need them in your "remember when"
layout.
Throw away your old bank statements, who the heck scraps those?!
Emboss.
Don't
feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your books.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 12 what they wanted
to do with their books.
Some of the most interesting 80-year-olds I know still don't.
Get
plenty of paper.
Be kind to your Fiskars.
You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe
you'll stamp, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have walnut ink, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll only make one book, maybe you'll scrap your 75th birthday
party.
Whatever
you journal, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself
either.
Your thoughts and recollections are soon forgotten.
So are everybody else's.
Enjoy
your stickers.
Use them every way you can.
Don't be afraid of them or of what other people think.
It's the greatest supply you'll ever own.
Crop…
even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Use
templates, even if you don't follow them.
Do
not read scrapbooking magazines.
They will only make your layouts look ugly.
(Beat)
Get
to know your ribbons.
You never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your pop-dots.
They're your best fastener for your layout and the glue most likely
to stick with you in the future.
Understand
that embellishments come and go, but with a precious few you should
hold on.
Work hard to acquire the most supplies, because the older you get, the
more you'll need the supplies to crop those photos you when you were
young.
Crop
in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Crop in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept
certain inalienable truths:
Supply Prices will rise.
Magazines moguls will philander.
You, too, will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were
reasonable, magazines moguls were noble and children respected their
cutters.
Respect
your cutters.
Don't
expect anyone else to support your scrapbook spending.
Maybe you have a savings account.
Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse.
But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't
mess too much with your layouts or after the 8th hour it will look like
a 4 year old finished it.
Be
careful whose coupons you use, but be patient with those who supply
it.
Coupons are a form of collecting.
Dispensing them is a way of fishing your finances from the disposal,
wiping it them off, inking over the ugly parts and recycling it for
more than it's worth.
But
trust me on the Scrapbooking.
Artemis'
Scrapbooking Version
©Friday the 13th, May 2005.
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