Happy (Belated) National Scrapbooking Day!

Some people may not be aware that there is an actual day dedicated to the craft of scrapbooking, but it is absolutely true!  I think NSD, as it is known by those that know such things, is always celebrated on the first Saturday in May, and this year it fell on May 3rd.  I was very excited to participate this year, and actually told my husband that I planned to spend the day scrapping away, and that he was not to bother me.  It worked out perfectly, because our youngest was out of town at a choir festival, and I thought I would have even less to distract me!  Well, you know how those big plans can turn out...  I started the day visiting many scrapbooking sites.  I went to Two Peas in a Bucket, Big Picture Classes, and The Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog, among other places.  The I got to work and completed exactly ONE layout!  I think I had set my expectations too high, and was overwhelmed by so much inspiration available on the web.  In the future, it might be better to stick to one website or blog, and do the challenges presented there.

Here is my layout, which includes photos from a trip I take each year to Santa Barbara with my sister Ann.  I used a scheme inspired by Stacy Julian, which is like a pocket page, but does not use a pocket page protector.  I fussed with this page for hours, and I guess I'm happy with it.  I actually had to make myself stop, or who knows how long I would have fiddled around with it before calling it quits!

Another tip for having a more successful NSD in the future is to have a bunch of new photos printed prior to the day.  I had many photos at my disposal, but I think a fresh batch would have inspired me more.  I'll try to remember these things for next year!

Luckily, one of my favorite blogs, the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog, has extended their challenges until May 16th!  I think I'll take advantage of the coming Mother's Day weekend to eke out a few more hours to my favorite hobby!  I hope to even get a few more challenges completed!  One of the more exciting things about NSD is that there are many great prizes available to participants of some of the challenge sites.  Nothing beats the thrill of winning a coveted NSD prize package!  Wish me luck!!