Some of my "Babies"

Favorite "Baby" Picture

First, I have to "fess up" to being a die-hard, completely-addicited, no-hope-of-recovery scrapbooker.  It started as a childhood game.  Of course I played with Barbies, fashion crafts, and my bike, but when I went off by myself, it was always to the "office."  I'd gather up all the interesting paper goods in the house, fill beribboned jars with all manner of writing implements, create calendars and date books, and set up a space so eomplete It could have functioned as any office imaginable.  I loved the act of sorting and stacking paper into near piles and the feel of a pen in my hand.  Pretty soon my calendars, datebooks, and other ephemera were being embellishend with crayons drawings, magazine pictures, and flower petals.  I'd write prodigious notes about daily activities and file them in shoeboxes. 

Then of course, I grew up, became a paramedic (you see the connection don't you?) married one orf those hero-type firemen, and had six children.  Stacks of paper became shopping lists and Pampers. Inevitably, the kids went to school, and I had more free time.  I must add that my husband shares household and childcare duties right down the middle, so I really did find a couple of hours to myself everyday.  Next step? Document our family and every indiviual connnected to it.  As far as I was concerned, our memories were priceless. Now I have a dedicated scrap room (studio it ain't) known to one and all as Mom's Office and I'm there nearly every day scrapping, creating, or just dreaming. 

I call myself a hungry artist.  I mean I can chow down on chocolate with the best, but I'm famished for new ideas, new technigues, new products. and so on endlessly.  If it's got to do with paper, I'll try it.  So in addition to scrapping, I alter everything I think I can get away with, make books, books, and more books, and generally act like manical, wild-eyed, creative, wingnut every chance I get. 

I love making paper crafts to sell, feel honored to be able to do custom work, and can't think of much I'd rather do than share this marvelous craft with you--well, except be with my family.  My babies have babies now, and I'm grandmother to four perfect little boys--ages 1, 3, 5, and 8.  Yes, they are perfect and I'm allowed to say so because I'm the GRANDMA.  But I sure wish someone would have a baby girl!

So that's me, "druid-cat" in honor of a friend.  People say, "Are you a druid?"  No, but I'm very certain that my 25-pound, lavendar-point, blue-eyed, siamese/bobcat mix kitty was.  True thing confirmed by vet.   Of course, no one owns a cat, but I did have the profound honor of being his buddy.  I named him Druid because he hung out in trees a lot, was absolutely fearless, and made people ask, "Big cat or small mountain lion?"