A Furry Muse

So this is my muse--my silly dog, Buddy. Isn't he photogenic? The top picture is one of the favorite altered items I've made. It is a mini accordion album meant to go inside an altoid type tin, and the picture below it is of the piece that decorates the lid.

I designed these pieces for a lovely woman who has a business selling scrapbook supplies and kits. The exciting part was that I was able to see my work on display last week at the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, TX! Steve had work related training going on in Irving, so I decided to tag along on the trip and attend the scrapbooking show while he was in class. Crazy to think that hundreds and hundreds of people may have seen my little altered altoid tin!

When Steve and I got back and picked up Buddy from the pet resort, we tried telling him he was famous, but he was more interested in sniffing some pug's behind...

Buddy will never let his fame go to his head!

Anyway, if any of you are inspired to make one of these fun altoid tins, check out www.detailed-designs.com. I am not sure if she has them up on her site yet, but the owner sells the tins and precut plain cardstock inserts to go inside them, so it's super easy. You just decorate and embellish away! Tell her Anita sent ya! I just love these little projects because they're easy to start and finish--pretty much instant gratification!

See any Pigs Flying?

Wow, so here I am with a blog on this big ol' Internet. Never thought I'd see the day, but I realized even my friend's less-than-one-month-old baby has a blog, so it's high time I got one too. This blog is going to be a peek into the behind the scenes of Scrap Fancy and a place for my scrapbooking and other random musings. So, welcome everyone!

I thought I'd use my first entry to explain the 'what' and 'why' of Scrap Fancy, since as my DH Steve pointed out, many of my friends probably don't even understand what I do! First the 'what'--I am a scrapper for hire. That means I take clients' photos and scrapbook them. But wait, there's more (I've always wanted to say that)! I also scrapbook photos in digital format. I get asked a lot whether this means you'd have to sit down on the computer to view your scrapbooks. Actually, not at all. I print these pages either on photo paper to be displayed in a traditional scrapbook, or as a custom hardbound coffee table style book!

As for the 'why' of Scrap Fancy-let's just say in my previous life as a public accountant, creativity was not exactly encouraged (at least publicly)--can we forget Enron? And no, I was not a part of that--different firm and different city at the time :)

I love the two sides of scrapbooking--there is the creative expression side, which is fun and colorful, and appealing to the senses. Then there is the part that involves reflecting upon and capturing the moments and values that are central to our lives. I love that all of that comes together in this craft. I love the term that a well known scrap celebrity coined, “life artist.” I feel like that sums up what I am and what I do! And yes, you heard right, there are "scrap celebrities!"

So, scrapbooking for others allows me to share my creative energy. I love when I design something for someone, and they are thrilled with it. It's an incredible feeling when someone cries when I have created the perfect scrapbook for the apple of their eye. I am humbled that I can affect someone that much. This is a satisfaction I could never experience in my corporate job, so this business is the realization of a dream for me.

Tomorrow I am going to introduce my creative muse, so stay tuned!