Introducing Deborah Johnson... New to thefamilyroom team!

I would like to take a moment to introduce you to Deborah Johnson. Deborah is a GREAT friend of mine, we have known each other for the past 14 years, we have worked in the same organisation, mixed in the same social circles and pretty much just enjoyed seeing each other's lives unfold.

Deborah is married to Brian and they have 3 beautiful children. Deborah is wife, mother, daughter, sister, business woman(works full time yet manages to keep the fires burning on all fronts), plus so much more.

Deborah is a trusted friend and someone I am happy to introduce to you. Sit back, relax and enjoy her regular blogs.


A PASSION FOR PAPER (from Deborah Johnson)

It started during a visit to the hairdressers.

We’re talking one of those marathon three-hour sessions involving colour a cut and more than one cappuccino.

Somewhere between folding the last foil and disappearing while the colour cooked to perfection, the stylist started talking about her favourite hobby – scrapbooking.

She spoke with a passion, describing a rainbow of colourful card, page design to rival Vogue and an array of ribbon and glitzy bits guaranteed to capture a girl’s imagination.

But the thing that got me interested was the idea that those neglected family photos – the ones we all have cluttering up a cupboard – could be transformed into gorgeous mementos which people would actually clamour to see.

Better still, the scrapbook albums this pastime produced could become family heirlooms – passed from one generation to another as a lasting reminder of a moment in time.

And best of all, this was a hobby which could be shared with the kids. What little girl – or boy – doesn’t love cutting and sticking, not to mention seeing their snapshots develop into a work of art.

I had never heard of scrapbooking before that day at the hairdressers, but a quick Google search showed I was seriously behind the times. There are literally thousands of web sites dedicated to it plus books, magazines and online stores. It has even grown its own language – have you heard of die-cuts, rub-ons, eyelets and embellishments. Before scrapbooking, I thought “brad” was a boy’s name and “crop” was what you used to make a horse run faster. Not anymore.

Intrigued, I found a shop 20 minutes drive away which was totally dedicated to scrapbooking. This was no ordinary craft store. It was an Aladdin’s cave of scrapping goodies. It ran classes every day, including the evenings, and most mysterious of all was the Friday night “scrapathon” for which the store stayed open until midnight. I just had to pay a visit.

The beginner’s class was my first foray into the world of scrapbooking but I was an instant convert. The two hours spent creating pretty pages which brought my pictures to life was more fun than the movies and more relaxing than the spa – honestly!

That was a year ago. A few more visits over the last 12 months have produced increasingly adventurous displays – most recently a 20-page mini album which overseas relatives love to receive. I’ve taught the kids the basic techniques and they’ve had a go at scrapbooking school projects.

As well as pictures, scrapbookers love to adorn their pages with words. The kids delight in seeing their photos accompanied by an uplifting story or an encouraging phrase. I see it as another way of speaking words of life over them.

Now, I understand this hobby is not for everyone – I love peace and quiet and sitting in the same spot for a couple of hours is a treat not a chore. But as a busy working mum, snatching a few relaxing hours of creativity is bliss, plus there’s the added bonus of cutting down on that mountain of family snaps and, hopefully, making memories that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy,

Deborah