Finished Pages, My Junque Journal, and PIP that keep sitting.

Sorry, I have been more busy just spending time with my husband (who deployed on the 8th) and girls than any time spent blogging or reading blogs.  This is what I have been doing during my "Me" time when ever I can get it.  I have a lot more time now to myself in the evenings once the girls go down.

Hopefully I will get back into the swing of things and update my blogs.

This is my Junque Journal, a continuous work in progress, that I created out of a cheap-o composition notebook.  I put all sorts of odds and ends into it and in no particular order.  Great little artistic outlet and a way to save those items you wouldn't otherwise scrapbook and don't want cluttering up your space or filling a random box but you just can't seem to part with.

My daughters each created one.  My older daughter loves hers and it is actually fattening up quite nicely with pictures, drawings and things she likes that can be taped or glued down.  My younger daughter just scribbles in hers and occasionally glues in a button or a piece of colorful paper.  They are pretty cute and will definitely make a neat conversation piece later in their lives.

I actually created a bare bones one for a friend that I need to mail off. 


Now these are 12x12 Scrapbook pages I have completed in the last few months.  Actually I didn't actively take up Scrapbooking until very recently.  Oh, I have made pages while with friends or family but left any pages completed for them to keep.  Not sure why, may have been that I moved around a lot and didn't really have any where to safely keep them or they were made with the intent to give them to whomever I was scrapping with.

My pile of completed pages.

As you can see the last four pages are WIPs that for whatever reason I have been unable to finish.  Also apparent is the fact that I have no particular scrap style or preference for I believe scrapping is best done however you please.  Anyone who tells you there are rules to expressing yourself through your chosen medium should be shot and quartered.  If there is a rule, it is to have fun. 

The first column, second row picture background was created purely from pieces of scrap paper chosen at random that I glued together to create a 12x12 page.  Probably one of my more relaxed pages as I do tend to want to make things neat and can be a bit anal about my work.  I am learning to just relax when I build my pages.  They come out a lot better IMHO when I do. 

I don't have a very large collection of scrapbooking items, I just create with what I have.  I do have a Pazzles and use that often in all sorts of crafting.  Since I crochet, sew, draw, and love crafts in general I have a little bit of every thing but not a lot of anything in particular.  I think I am more creative if I work from a more limited amount of stuff and since my hobby budget is tight everything I do purchase needs to be at a discount and if not it must be a multi purpose item of quality and have long term longevity or it isn't worth paying full price. 

Just get out there, use what you got, and express yourself.  It is very therapeutic and relaxing.