2017 scrappy wrap up!

Hello friends,

Today I'm doing a quick post about my 2017 highlights. It was another rough year for my extended family, so I am not sorry to see it go and try to start afresh and hope to avoid any new disasters in 2018.

However, for my crafty life, 2017 was pretty awesome! Prepare for horn tooting, and scroll past if you don't want to hear some humble brags. But I accomplished some major scrappy goals this year, and I am happy to have a place to reflect on that awesomeness.

I feel like  I really got into a good scrapbooking flow this year and focused on the important stories in my albums. I attribute much of that to my Scrap Gals & the ongoing conversations in our Facebook group about important memory keeping topics. Furthermore, I was #blessed to spend an entire weekend with some of these lovely, like-minded souls at the Nashville Scrap Gals Retreat this year! In my 20+ years of scrapping, I have never  been to such an event or crop, and it was so refreshing to be around others who share the love of this hobby. I did a layout about the experience & the impact on me.

I was published in an online magazine and a paper magazine - WHAT?! In June I was featured in the Hello Gallery over at Jot Magazine. I was so pumped! Then I was even more stoked to have two layouts published in the lovely Creative Scrapbooker Magazine in December! These are seriously two giant accomplishments I thought were almost impossible, so I'm uber proud.

Also, I made my first compensated Design Team this year! I constantly blow up my pages and feed with Ink Road Stamps. I am so happy that I am on such a wonderful team of crazy inspirational ladies, and I love to use the stamps outside of my DT projects! I have made some great friends through this process. I love to share scrappy inspiration in the wonderful communities online, and it's nice to have others to talk to about this hobby since I do not have many people in my "real" life who get it.

I also am still a member of the Lasting Memories challenge blog design team. Those ladies are SO sweet and encouraging. I love how the weekly projects keep my crafty mojo rolling, and how flexible and understanding these lovelies are when life gets busy!

I created a free tutorial about How to Start Scrapbooking because I love this hobby so much, and I would love to spread the word about how accessible it can be.

I did a ton of Disney layouts! More to come in 2018, I'm sure, as I have not even touched the trip we took in October.  I even tried my hand a some process videos, but I don't love it. I think it's a practice makes perfect thing. I will definitely be willing to practice more if it is required for some of my #goal DTs.

I won some stuff this year - which is always fun! I may forget some, I hope not. But I do know I won a My Mind's Eye collection from Scrapbook.com and a gift certificate, I won some free digital stamps from Kellie Stamps, I won the cutest Buffalo Check planner folder from the 1407 planners, I won some crafty supplies from Pretty Little Studio, and I won some mixed media supplies from Creative Scrapbooker magazine.

I definitely became much more comfortable with my mixed media this year. I LOVE to get messy. Seriously contemplating an art journal in 2018 just for the times I want to create and  be messy without photos or stories.

I also feel that I have FINALLY defined my "style" here in 2017. Ya know, 20 years in. haha! But seriously, I have scrapped so much more in the past 2 or 3 years, more consistently than ever before. Practice does make perfect and definitely has improved my skills. I feel much more comfortable with design. The other day in our Scrap Gals group, someone asked us to define our styles. I love to craft boys, outdoors, bold colors, darker colors, but I also love SPARKLE. Give me all the wood grain and glitter, and I'm a happy girl. As much as those two may not seem to go together, I will continue to make it work. So I'm heading into 2018 with my RUSTIC SPARKLE style on my mind, to mindfully hone my style and let it lead me into a cohesive scrapbook album the encompasses my boys, our adventures and my love for all things glitter.

Whew! That's comprehensive.

Lastly, I've posted my "best nine" over on IG and my "true best nine" per the lovely ladies from the CAF podcast. I have a feeling I'm going to have another favorite podcast in 2018.

Here's to another crafty year! Cheers!