Pretty paper and true stories

Before I was a blogger, probation worker, photographer; I was a scrapbooker.
I didn't know that was what I did, but for the first four years of our marriage, on our anniversary, I would present Cam with an album of the last year we shared together.  It contained anything from photos, to emails, to ticket stubs, and those initial albums are amongst my most treasured possessions now.  Seriously.  You think you won't forget the good times, but as the days, months and years come inbetween those memories, they do get lost.  Looking through them today, I am reminded how much we have actually accomplished and done as a couple, and that makes me happy - my only regret is that I didn't continue with it for the last 5 years!

Anyway, it was this creative journey which led me to discover the blogs which would later transform my World, and amongst the first (if not the first) was Shimelle Laine.

Although she now offers a range of online classes, back in the time, she was just launching her Journal Your Christmas class which also became my first online class experience.  Again, I didn't complete the course (are you sensing a pattern here?) , but one of the great things about Shimelle's classes are: once you've registered, you stay registered! So each year the class rolls round, I start with the best intentions all over the again.  Maybe 2010 is going to be my year :) 

Now, I am not a traditional scrapbooker as such.  I don't actually have the patience (or ability!) to embellish my pages and I've found, from past experience, trying to do so just frustrates me more than anything else!  However I love the concept of preserving my memories.  So, although Shimelle mixes it all up with pretty papers, it's ultimately her true stories which inspire me.  Take a look at her blog and you will see it's literally overflowing with tips, free projects and even cupcake recipes.  It just makes me want to grab a cuppa, roll up my sleeves and get creative!

The reason I am blogging about Shimelle today however, is she is just about to launch a new class.
I feel my e-course bone twitching, and I am trying to resist all my urges to sign up now.  But it looks so good, and is right up my alley... and for only £10, despite the scary economic climate and recent spending review, I can afford it, right...?

image from shimelle