Trying to make sense of it

There's more to life - and me- than the here and now

Sienna in the 1980s. With ‘Haven’ Collection

It took a long time for me to become comfortable with using pictures of myself (as a traditional scrapbooker it was all about recording memories for my daughters). Now I enjoy rediscovering older photos of myself, and I have to admit I like the idea that there will be photobooks of these creations I make, though goodness knows who will ever look at them!

But increasingly I realise that playing with these old photos, while reflecting on what life was like when they were taken, and who I was back then and what has changed has a value in itself.

A few years ago I was talking with the widowed acquaintance about our crazy tumultuous few years, and he said his immediate reaction to his life changing so suddenly was to consider the previous 25 years and think ‘what on earth was THAT all about?’. Maybe that’ll be the last thought of many of us! Because life and its twists and turns can be pretty wild.

So over months and years, rediscovering these old photos, pondering about what they say about me and life, all while enjoying creating with them, has helped me make sense of the broad sweep of my life and remember all that I have done and all that I have been through.

It’s also just creative fun, though, to be fair. The fact that I am recording my life and that of family members is an added bonus which appeals to my practical and pragmatic nature! It’s nearly time to start printing the Christmas gift calendars featuring the creations …

Speaking of old family photos, I love this by Marijke:

These all used the ‘Haven’ Collection of creative assets. It’s on sale all through November for half price and both Oscraps and The Lilypad.

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DOCUMENT YOUR DECEMBER

Apologies in advance for what follows if, like me, you are not emotionally prepared to deal with the fact that Christmas is just over 6 weeks away.

However, if you are a scrapbooker who enjoys recording the big holidays and events, this is also your heads up that it is DYD (‘December Your December’) time at The Lilypad. When my youngest was little, I did it one year - taking at least one photo each day of December and making a photobook of the month.

All the past “Document Your December’ collections are on sale, and there is also a brand new one called “Frankincense”

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Thanks for reading my Substack blog and showing an interest in what I create. If you are enjoying ‘Life in Pictures’, I’d love to hear from you - like or leave a comment and let’s connect. (If you haven’t already, you can subscribe for free to receive new posts and some welcome gifts in your email. You might also like to download the Substack app to see extra notes and find other great creative inspiration from around the Substack world). Thanks again :-)

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