I have created a new facebook and insta - LUCKYfindings art if you would like to follow my arty journey please give me and add. 

I will be re vamping this blog page real soon!

{my boy is 21}

Wishing my boy a a Happy 21st Birthday can not believe he is 21 how time flies, we had a great weekend in Sydney celebrating with him at the Coronation lots of memories made and lots of laughs, looking forward to many more birthdays to come Royce love you mate xxxxxxx

{my creative journey}

When I really sit down and think about my creative journey over the past 18 years I am really amazed as to where I am today, the gorgeous people I have met along the way either in a class, teaching, sitting next to or attending a retreat, conventions back in the day, in online forums and online classes and of course through the doors of Scrappingclearly all are memories too treasure and faces I won't forget.

I have managed to be inspired and inspire many like minded crafters, artists and memory keepers. Some of my life long arty peeps are my biggest supporters and true friends. From that very first time 18 years ago when I picked up a scrapbooking magazine and stumbled upon Heidi Swapp and her passion for memory keeping my life in some sense took a whole new path.

A creative journey that I never to this day thought that I would have still be so passionate about.......

I couldn't wait to start my very first scrapbook page featuring my children, living rural was a challenge getting products thats for sure but I managed to source some and so my creative journey began, I have flourished, expanded my crafty visions I have become diverse and dabbled in almost anything from paper crafting, mixed media, painting, drawing, weaving and jewellery making. I have no formal art training just exposed to amazing artists and creative friends, I truly as they say found something I was passionate about and stayed tremendously interested in it.......

Due to frustrations in the Australian crafting Industry and never being able to get the products our American crafters had there hands on I became a business women opening Scrappingclearly a online and brick and mortar store please check it out here @ www.scrappingclearly.com.au .

I just wanted our Aussie crafters to enjoy the products, did I ever believe it would be 11 years down the track and still functional no way but I am trying my best to see that we Aussie crafters can get our hands on great products. I am a 1 woman business yes thats right just me with a handful of loyal friends who help me out when needed. The shop front is located rural and not open everyday but if your travelling through Gundagai NSW and want to stop by please message me if I am not in-store I will do my best to open for you.

My interest in paper crafting after several years began my teaching journey starting in my home town Gundagai teaching both adult and children's classes I still have many of the crafters coming along to my classes today. In 2006 I was brave enough to enter the Scrapbooking Memories Magazine competition and was named a Master for the year with an Excellence in Photography award I still have photo paper from this prize today the prize was huge.... I also enjoyed my time on the For Keeps Magazine Design Team and learnt a lot on that journey. My children were well photographed and featured regular in the Scrapbooking magazines featuring front Cover twice........ they even had the pose happening each time I took out the camera, this intern opened many doors and I have been privileged to teach at many Scrapbooking stores in NSW and I am a regular demonstrator @ Spotlight and have created on many Design Teams over the years.

12 years on I entered the Scrapbooking Memories Masters Competition once again and was blown away to be crowned a Double Master which I am very proud of I believe it really shows just how addictive and rewarding the craft of Scrapbooking really is and to see how my style has changed over these 12 years and what I have learnt over that time and the products now available is mind boggling and I definitely know I have flourished and of course I have 100's and 100's of layouts and mini albums to show for it.

Here is a journey of some my layouts, Memory Files, Art Journalling and Acrylic Albums in no particular order 

wow has my style changed the products too.......

The name Scrappingclearly really came about because of my Clear Acrylic Albums I had lots of designs created and clear acrylic shapes which can still be purchased in store today!

I love too create in these clear albums the possibilities are fabulous the clear space, overlays, paint pens, rubons and stickers are all amazing in these albums.......... if you have have not had a play I urge you too the end result is awesome.

Several Years ago along with a loyal crafty friend I began a Scraptacular journey hosting a 3 day event each year helping those rural crafters fulfil there dreams and experience amazing teachers, awesome classes and products and amazing gifts with a different theme each year, really spoiling them all over the 3 days this year is Gundy Scraptacular 5th Year with crafty people now travelling from everywhere to attend, the space is huge well lit with heating and cooling, comfy seats plenty of crafting space and the food A M A Z I N G again thanks to another generous and supportive scrapbooking buddy.

Held @ the Gundagai District Service Club 9th-10th & 11th November 2018

booking details

Over the years I have met some amazing and inspiring teachers from overseas and Aussies the talent has been so inspiring learning from artist such as Rachel Greig, Jane Davenport, Lisa Oxley, Elsie Flanngan, Donna Downey, Ali Edwards, Michelle Grant, Teresa Collins, Peg Hewitt, Kim Price, Dina Wakley, Tim Holtz, Finnabar, Nathalie Kalbach and of course Heidi Swapp

the list goes on and on .......

Below is a collage of all those amazingly talented ladies........ and of course Tim Holtz their have been so many more just needed to find the photos....

 

In August this year Scrappingclearly will be hosting the amazing Dina Wakley over 3 days and I am so excited to be hosting an overseas artist......

bookings to Dina can be found here

So why am I here today blogging about this creative journey - because I really want readers to know that even if you are new to this craft and scared to take the first step or if you have been creating forever like me and are eager to explore more or even if life has just got too busy or maybe you have become disinterested or feel ...... that your creating is not good enough, you may feel overwhelmed on even where to begin, I want to urge to take the plunge start creating if its the first time or if your pulling out your old products just go for it and try and find the time, find the time to recored your life, your families life, your story, creating is a gift leave your stories, leave your mark, try and find the time to do what you love experiment with your creativeness you will find it will always leave something beautiful behind for the next generations to treasure and always remember...... don't get caught up in the digital age and leave your precious images unprinted with no details.

As memory keepers we are the preservationists of our generation documenting for our next generations, journalling especially is so important even if it just names and dates in years to come without such important information memories, dates, events and people will be lost, always remember everyone has there own style and way of recording life.......

You need to be true to your own style.
Never second guess who you are as an artist.
Embrace your own gifts and use them.

— Rae Missigman

I really look forward to you all sharing your creative journey .........