Craft Shows

Craft Shows

In September of 2013, I started attending local craft shows as a vendor selling my premade scrapbook albums, scrapbook pages, altered chipboard albums, and my lunchbag albums.

While I didn't make a lot of money, I did meet plenty of new people.  I was able to hand out over 150 business cards and actually SHOW people what I do.

I had so many great conversation with people about their kids, their family, and just life in general.  I even met a high school kid that got so excited about my idea of making these scrapbook albums ready for 4 by 6 photos.  He took one of my business cards and said he was telling his dad about me.  He said that his dad was a photographer.  This was great news!!  I was so excited that other people GET what I do and get just as EXCITED!!  It was great!!

Another lady that I met had been scrapbooking for years for herself and other people.  She told me how well priced my scrapbook albums were.  She said that most people who are not scrapbookers, do not know just how much time and money go into making an album.  SO TRUE!!  She also took a business card and said she would send anyone my way who needed a scrapbook done because she had stopped doing it for others.  She was a lovely lady!!

Others had no idea what it was that I was selling until I TALKED to them and SHOWED them the albums.  They were so surprised!!  Even though I had a sign that said "Made Just For You Scrapbooks", at least one scrapbook laying open for them to see the pages, and 20 or so other albums laying on the table.

It amazed me that no one knew what I did until I told them!!  So, between my husband and I we had to CATCH everyone who came by with interest and TELL them WHAT I was SELLING!!

This not only drew people in, but made them engage in conversation with us about my business.  I left all of my shows with a lot of great potential.  So many people were INTERESTED in what I did and LOVED the idea!!  That's all I needed was for people to GET IT!!  And now, so many more people do!!

Here is a photo of me at my craft show at Milford High School!!

 

Telling the Stories Behind Your Photos

Telling  the Stories Behind Your Photos

I was inspired to create this Breast Cancer Scrapbook Album after the death of my dear aunt.  Although, she did not have breast cancer, she did have cervical cancer.  When she was diagnosed, they gave her 6 months to live.  Devastating!!  She started receiving get well cards almost daily.  She loved them all and wanted something special to be done with them.  She contacted me and asked me what I thought I could do with them.  I immediately told her that I could create a scrapbook album for her.  We talked about all the details of the album.  She wanted it to be an 8 1/2 by 11 binder with the sheet protector front.  Not a problem!!!  I set out to do this project for her fast because I wanted her to be able to see some of it before she passed.  I got the binder and decorated the binder, front, back, and side, just as a book would be.  I chose her favorite colors which were purple and yellow.  I wish I had photos to show you.  I printed on the front of the album her name and a quote I found that went something like this " you were not meant to fit in, you were meant to stand out as a light in the darkness".  Inside the album she wanted the cards to be cut so that she could see the front of the card and the inside of the card.  So I cut all the cards and put them side by side (the front of the card next to the inside of the card; who it was from) on cardstock scrapbook paper.  I decorated each page to compliment the card.  I probably did about 50 pages which she got to see a few weeks after I received the cards.  She told my mom that she wanted her to keep it so that I could do all the cards.  Then, she wanted the album to go to her husband and kids when she passed.  My mom did as she was told.  My aunt asked me what she owed me as she lay dying in her hospital bed.  Absolutely nothing, I told her!!  This was my gift to her and I would see to it that all the cards were done and in the album even after she would depart.  She did pass away about 4 months later. She didn't make it 6 months, but I went to pick up more cards a few weeks after she passed from her son who had been collecting them as they came in from her passing.  I wanted to include all of those too.  I finished the album about a week later and gave it to her son.  At the time, her son didn't understand why she wanted all these cards in this album for all of them.  I hope over time he will come to realize that it was what she wanted for all of them to remember her.  She loved it and hoped they would too.

I 'm telling you this story to tell you that it made me think about the stories behind our scrapbook albums.  They are GREAT stories because they are OUR stories.

I made this Breast Cancer Scrapbook Album for someone to tell their story.  Your family wants to know your story.  Yes, most of the time they were there with you, but sometimes you were all alone.  Document all the things good and bad.  Photos of people who were there with you and the stories behind the photos.  You and your family will treasure it one day, I promise.

Thanks so much!!!

Big Army Scrapbook Album

Big Army Scrapbook Album

I have been wanting to make this album for some time now.  I have just been trying to work out all the details of it.  It is a very different album than I have done in the past.  This album is like 2 books in one.

I have decided to make it 48 pages!!  Wow!!  By far the biggest premade scrapbook album that I have ever made.  Whoo Hoo!!!  I am including a lot of pocket pages for memorabilia, like larger photos and letters.  It will still hold lots of 4 by 6 photos.  It will also have many journaling areas, all stamped but different also. 

There is so much going on in this album, that I'm excited to have in my store very soon.  However, there will only be one available.  So, only one lucky person will have it forever.  Lol!!

When I have it all finished and listed, I will come back to this post and put the link below!!  Hopefully, it will only be a few more days!!!  Wish me luck!!!

It's done, it's done!!! Check it out below!!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/472424837/army-scrapbook-album-premade-army?ref=shop_home_active_2

My Dog Scrapbook Album

My Dog Scrapbook Album

This is an album of my dog, Cheyenne!!  We got her as a puppy in 2001, and she just pasted away in January of 2016.

I did this album in black and pink which is the colors of her collar.  I like this color combination too.  I added ribbon, ribbon slides, and brads of these colors also to coordinate with the album.  The ribbon slides I had to paint with black acrylic paint to match the album.  I used different patterns of pink papers while sticking with the same polka dot black papers.  I think the overall album blends well.

I just finished this album today.  It took a little time to get over her death and finish it up, but I did it!!

I hope I have inspired YOU to scrapbook a furry friend or friends.  They need a scrapbook album too!!

If scrapbooking is just not for you and you would like one made for you, contact me!!  I will work with you to get you the perfect album!!

I have a few pet albums available in my Etsy shore.  Click the links to see what's available.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/399448165/dog-scrapbook-album-puppy-scrapbook?ref=shop_home_active_23

https://www.etsy.com/listing/469838149/dog-scrapbook-album-puppy-scrapbook?ref=shop_home_active_3