Guest Post | Make Everyday A Scrapbooking Adventure | Shimelle Laine
Tags:I’m going to start this entire post with a bit of a risky statement: I love grammar. It’s a risk for two reasons. First, you may have just written off the rest of this entire post because it’s going to be roughly as exciting as a junior high English lesson. And second, if I make a single grammar mistake in this post, I’m going to look like a total idiot. But I’m going to go with it anyway: I love grammar.
I love grammar because something really small can make a big difference. Like how including or excluding a space between two words can totally change their meanings. For example, everyday means ordinary, commonplace and nothing special. Add that space and every day means the days themselves, like each and every day. So the big question: do we let every day be everyday?
Ali’s Week in the Life project is all about finding something far more exciting than everyday in every day of your week. I love this project and have documented a week each year since 2006. It makes you look at each day that week in detail and long after that particular week, you may find you want to include more of your day to day life in your scrapbooks. But, you know, without it feeling ordinary, commonplace or everyday at all.
There are so many ways you can make every day much more than everyday, but all I can really focus on is the scrapbooking aspect. I don’t just love grammar. I also love scrapbooking, and specifically how it can give back to your life. I love how scrapbooking can make every day a bit of an adventure. Not the type of adventure that requires sunscreen and bug spray and rock-climbing equipment, but the kind that puts a little something exciting in each and every day. So I turned on the camera at the table where I scrapbook and tried to put that into words and concrete ideas to share with you.
And I probably made some grammatical errors along the way.
Whether you’re scrapbooking your day to day life specifically for Week in the Life or for more general pages in your albums, I hope the scrapbooking adventure is something that’s still alive for you. There are plenty more ways to keep the fun in this hobby and I’d love for you to share your favourites. But more than anything, I’d love for each of us to remember that this hobby that we enjoy also gives a lot back to us, to our families and our friends. I’d love for us to be proud to say we are scrapbookers.
Even though spellcheck doesn’t want to accept scrapbookers as grammatically correct.
Shimelle Laine was the first instructor to bring online classes to the scrapbooking community, and teaches a variety of classes throughout the year at her website, shimelle.com. She is a Garden Girl at Two Peas in a Bucket, designs for Jenni Bowlin Studio and served as an editor for the UK’s Scrapbook Inspirations books and magazines. You can read more of her work on her blog, Pretty Paper. True Stories.Shimelle’s latest class, Explore, focuses on making every day a scrapbooking adventure. It starts Monday the 18th of July, but you can join at any time, and it’s designed so you can use it right alongside Week in the Life, should you wish. Sign up here.

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84 comments
I so needed to hear this today; thank you!! This is such a profound outlook on why we do what we do: telling the stories associated with a coffee cup, or our commute to work, or how we came to be the who we are today. I actually got choked up a couple times.
Thank you, Shimelle!! And thank you, Ali!!
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Loved this video. I will watch it again and again. . .so inspiring :)
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LOVED THIS!
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I've watched this twice today and loved it both times! Can you really teach seamonkeys to jump over a toaster? Ha ha. Loved it! Beautiful and brilliant. Just what I needed to hear. Thanks, Ali and Shimelle.
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I`m so happy that I found this out years ago, my scrapbooking life is so much happier now. Every little thing in yor life is an adveture when you look at it in this light. You are so right, thank you for spreding the insight, Shimelle. And I love listening to your sweet voice, too!
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What an affirmation!
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Beautifully told. My kids now think that teaching Sea Monkeys to jump over toasters would be a cool hobby too.
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I love Shimelle's classes. She makes you dig a little deeper into your thoughts and feelings and that helps you get it on paper. It doesn't matter if you're a simple scrapper like me, or a fancy scrapper like my one friend, anyone can get so much more out of one of her classes. Check her site out and sign up for a class. You'll enjoy what you'll end up with.
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Ali, I was totally thrown when I started watching this. I didn't read the intro closely and I thought YOU were the one talking. I was freaked out...I thought, "this doesn't sound like the voice I've been reading your blog for years." I realize now it is Shimelle, but thought I'd share with you that YOUR VOICE really comes through in your writing. That gave me the AhHa that it is important for my journal entries to sound like it is me who is doing the talking. Less perfection, more me.
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Thank YOU Shimelle for sharing that with us!x
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This was incredible. The video was spot on and a great rallying cry. Thank you!
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I like this philosopher side of you. Yes, we must be more reflexive about our everyday experiences and enjoy them and scrapbooking is a way to do this. Thank you, Ali!
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Simply wonderful.
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Awesomesauce!
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lovely video. just what the creative soul needed to hear. thank you.
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Wow - what an inspirational post. Thanks, Shimelle ... and Ali!
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Loving your new class Shimelle your passion and talent for scrapbooking is truly inspirational!!!!
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thank you, shimelle and ali!
great post, amazing video - love it!
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I always enjoy Shimelle's creative approach to scrapbooking and this video came at the right time for me. We are moving from one area of the world to another and my space will be much smaller but no less valuable to me. Thank you Ali and Shimelle for always encouraging us to use what we have and what speaks to us to tell the stories of our hearts.
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Yay, I am a grammar nut too, so I particularly like your use of the colon in your first paragraph ... spaces, punctuation: they can all add so much meaning and drama to our expression.
Thanks always for your great ideas and your dedication Ali.
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