In 1999 my mother in law invited me to a scrapbooking class after my wedding. Her reason? To make sure that I started things off right, to record my new family history in albums and not let them clutter drawers and boxes. I am forever in her debt because of this.

I'll never forget the moment the teacher opened her album to a layout with old photos. I immediately felt the fire of inspiration in my heart and imagined my family history in one of those albums. And the next day I started.

That was almost ten years ago and I am still going strong. My scrapbooking style has changed dramatically since I first started. In the beginning it was all about stickers and 4x6 photos on white paper with some journaling here and there. It evolved from there to using some 8x10 and 5x7 photos with stickers and patterned paper. But I started to get bored...my layouts took too long and to be honest, they weren't that fun to put together. I was stuck in a creative rut.

This was also the time that my son was born. Laid off from my corporate job at 7 months pregnant, I knew that I wanted to stay at home with him but I didn't realize how incredibly hard it would be. For the first year I had some major identity issues - I realized that in order for me to be the best mom and wife I could, I needed something else in my life. Something for me. And I realized that that was okay.

I used the skills from my corporate job that I truly enjoyed to start my own graphic design business, Amybug's Primitive Attic. Having a newborn and starting your own business was hard. Really hard. But I stuck with it and my business flourished and is still flourishing. I can't imagine my life without this awesome creative outlet.

Then I was introduced to Christine David, a Close To My Heart Consultant who I felt an instant kinship with. She introduced me to the world of acrylic stamps, ink, distressing and so much more. Whoosh! There was that fire of inspiration again. I was back and having a blast.

Then I picked up a magazine that I had seen before on the shelf, but never stopped to really look at it. I opened Creating Keepsakes and - whoosh - I was completely blown over by inspiration. I bought the magazine, went home and bought a two year subscription. I love this magazine.

After being inspired by several layouts in Creating Keepsakes, I realized that I could use my graphic design skills to enhance my photos. I then invested in a 13" wide photo printer (take a peek at the "my tools" page after you're done with this one) and started printing my photos at home - 12x12 photos, 2x2 photos, 3.33333x3.333 photos (you get the idea). Forget the sky, the cosmos was my limit.

Now I scrapbook and craft almost every single day. I've made everything from a laminated potty training chart to a 34" x 22" magnetic word board for my son's playroom. Whenever I see something fun at a store, kid's playplace or kid's museum, I ask myself "can I make that at home"? And the answer is usually - yes! Sometimes it takes some out-of-the-box thinking, but it gets done.

I live with my husband and son near Seattle Washington, one of the most beautiful places on earth (in my opinion). We are a true Seattle family, my husband works for the Starbucks corporate office and my son and I love going to the waterfront or to the Seattle Aquarium. We absolutely love it here.

Enjoy perusing my website, it is still "in the works" but I hope to have it operational here in the next few weeks. I hope to inspire and encourage you with your own creative journey!

Warmly,