Sweet Shoppe Designs

Color Outside the Lines - Kristin Cronin-Barrow
Font - Problem Secretary Normal

Journal reads:
It is hard to believe that my journey began nearly four decades
ago. When did I get that old? I have always had an interest in the
preservation of the treasured moments in my life. As a child, I can remember saving drawings, report cards, candy wrappers, programs and ticket stubs. I kept them tucked away in a large leather bound scrapbook. As I got older, I began journaling personal thoughts and daily activities. I do not remember the exact age that I received my first camera, but it became the perfect companion. Photos were the missing link to complete the story that the journaling alone was lacking. By the early 90’s I had developed my own unique style of scrapbooking. While I did not have access to acid free, photo friendly products, I did not let it hinder my creativity. I would cut photos into fun shapes and even decorate pages of a photo album with construction paper and other collected ephemera. It was the perfect creative outlet and a way to preserve my memories too. I claimed scrapbooking as my new hobby and it has remained as such ever since. For years I made it a point to go to crops with friends on a regular basis. I even made time for weekend long scrapbook retreats twice a year. After having kids, there was so much to document, but little time and no space to do either. Scrapbooking took a back seat for a while with only the occasional weekend retreat set aside to catch up.In 2009, during a paper scrapbooking retreat, a traditional scrapbooking friend introduced me to digital scrapbooking. I was enamored. This digital phenomenon was the answer to my problems. Digital scrapbooking took up virtually no space (other than hard drive space) there was no mess, it was so easy to save a project and return to it later! I was in heaven! It’s been a few years since I made the switch to digital scrapbooking and to this day I am still learning new things. Which really keeps this hobby fresh and alive for me. Since my digital journey began I have also discovered many more reasons as to why this medium is a perfect fit for me. I cannot even put into words how the digital community as a whole has changed my life. I have made friendships with people all over the world. The best part is that these people get me! It is so refreshing to be able to share the love of scrapbooking with others that have as much of a passion for preserving memories as myself. Not only am I documenting our lives to enjoy for years to come, but with the convenience of technology and social media I am able to share my hobby with family and friends. I will admit that my children are still too young to appreciate the effort that I put into scrapbooking, but I know they will come to enjoy these memories when they are older, and that makes it all worth it.