LO of Genghis Khan - our cat!

Isn't he sweet?! This LO just made itself this morning after I had taken this picture of Genghis yesterday. He likes to squeeze onto my chair when I am typing at the computer, and sits on top of the cushions keeping my back nice and warm...and himself too!! The colours of the papers are in the cushion cover behind him, so that was easy to pick and use. I love to do LO's on white cardstock with emphasis on the pretty papers spread out behind a photo. This one is 30x30 as it is going into a frame to hang in the downstairs loo!!!

The journaling reads: "Don't under-estimate the value of doing nothing. Of just going along, listening, to all the things you cannot hear, and not bothering. " Sort of sums up a cat's view on life I think! Genius behind the quote? Winnie the Pooh! Ah well, the rain does have the advantage of keeping me indoors to scrap, so I'll get back to my little space upstairs and continue "creating"!

The Paper Lady Scrapbook Atelier

Finally, I have remembered how to access this blog! I am shattered before the day begins!! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about my Scrapbook Atelier which I run from my home in Westwoud. This is the site: http://www.thepaperlady.nl/ and all the information about scrapping and workshops and crops can be found there. I started it about a year ago when we moved to our new home, as I had given up my previous work due to ill health and wanted to try something completely different! All my working life has been spent in the Health Service in England. I trained as an Occupational Therapist (ergotherpeut) and held various positions over the years, but mostly in psychiatry. I followed a two year university course in management in the early 1990's and became a general manager (amongst other things) before moving here. And suddenly I was expected to give it all up! Quite a shock really, as I suppose one gets a lot of one's personal "role" defined by what one does for work, and that was abruptly taken away from me, and so far has not been returned. I find myself in an uncomfortable position which I am sure is one experienced by many foreigners living outside their own countries: despite the excellent qualifications I hold, no-one wants me, boo!hoo!!! I have learnt to resign myself to my fate, for the most part, but it means that I have to earn a living by utilising other skills; hence the scrapping! And I love it! It is only small and I have learnt a lot more about business from doing it - the pitfalls mostly! - but I have also met some great people and that is what keeps me going. I miss my work with people the most. I miss managing a team, bringing about change, inspiring people to excel in areas they never thought they could, I miss the buzz of seeing something come into being....yet with scrapping I can feel some of that again. So, come along and scrap with me!!! It is fun, gezellig, interesting, challenging, a great hobby and never DULL!!!!!!

THAT WAS EXHAUSTING!

Trying to customize my header was a nightmare! I probably have done it completely wrong, but I am NOT going to change it now!!! Anybody who cares to give me some tips will instantly become my best friend! Phew, that took some doing; is it always so difficult? I guess my lack of digital know-how is why I only paper scrap and so far have not dared to attempt the world of digi-scrapping....it feels rather like Jaws: I know it's out there but I am afraid of it!!! Maybe I'll dare to go back into the water when I have an overwhelming desire to make a LO digitally for a very good reason, or money ( even better), or because I have finally remembered everything Ineke told me to do! Who knows, miracles happen they say! Something about being Dyslexic is that you find it difficult to follow a sequence of instructions or steps. This is why I fumble around finding my own way of doing things over reading a book about it or just damm well reading the instructions! I get so lost if I have to do that, and it puts me off from trying sometimes. I prefer to see something in my mind's eye, and then try to create what I want from there. When I started scrapping about 4 years ago I didn't buy magazines or read books, I just used to go into the local store and stare at everything that was on display and memorize what I thought I had seen. I still do it, quite successfully actually. I can go to a scrapbook store and pick up something and just look at it for a while and then go home and make my own version of it. Very handy! Never exactly the same so it is not copying, but I think most people "scrap-lift" from one scource or another don't they? Please say yes!!!!

Boy oh boy, is this the start of something...??!!!

Having recently joined the Scrapfever design Team I have been amazed by how many people have got their own blog!! I have one for me, but not for my scrap-addiction so I thought I'd better rectify this immediately!! Only problem is....they all have lovely scrap-relevant headers and links, and I haven't got a CLUE how to do that!!!! This is a huge learning curve for me I guess....bear with me, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually folks!