The One About How I Started Scrapping...

Once upon a time I wanted to be a teacher, so I decided to some work experience in a school.  I went one afternoon a week for a year and helped out with Year 4/5 & Year 6 whilst they were doing their IT class in the computer room.  After a while the school changed the timetable and I helped out with the Year 1 class instead.  Well when it got to Christmas the class teacher arrange for the Year 1's and Reception to go round the house at Tatton Park and to meet Santa.  I was very kindly asked to go with them, and I obviously jumper at the chance!  I was assigned three of my own little people to look after for the day, and we all held hands while we walked round.  The tour of the house itself was really interesting as we had our own tour guide and they gave us the history of each room.  Although the children's interest evaporated after a while because they were so keen to go find Santa.  As well as the tour round the house the staff had arranged for the children to make a Christmas decoration from pine cones and ribbon which they all enjoyed!  It was a bit of a trek from the house to go see Santa as his little grotto was down at the farm.  So the children also got to feed the goats and chickens and visit all the other animals there.  Then... they went in to see Santa in groups of three or four and all had a chance to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.  I know this hasn't linked into scrapping yet but please bare with me!

Well while we were all going about the various parts of the trip one of the teachers too photographs.  It turned out that the school had a book that was filled in after each school trip.  Well the teacher asked if I wanted to design something for the book about the trip to Tatton Park, so coming from a crafty family (my mum was into cross stitch and my sister painted) I said I'd have a go.  Well I'm never one to dive straight in without planning things first, so I did a bit of research.  And having dabbled in making cards before and buying Papercraft Inspirations (I think that's what it was called - correct me if I'm wrong) I knew there would probably be another magazine that would give me some ideas.  This is where I stumbled across Scrapbook Inspirations in my local WHSmiths!  And do you know what, I loved that magazine!!!  So I bought a few embellishments and some letters from Partners and put together a double page spread for the book.  Looking back it wasn't my best attempt, but it gave me the scrapping bug!  After that I decided to put together a birthday album for my mum's 50th birthday.  And it kind of took off from there!  So how did you all get into scrapping????