As you all know by now, it’s Show It Off! week here at the S+P blog.  I asked Show it Off! contributor Nic Howard to share her thoughts in a guest blog today:

(above) One of Nic's Show It Off! creations

If I wasn’t a scrapbooker I think I’d still be a writer of some sort.  I wrote in various diaries and journals as a youngster so it was natural that the love of writing would carry on into my adult years.  As part of a retail team in my early working days, I wrote a weekly newsletter for the store customers.  Many returned each week to the store just to read my newsletter.  I enjoyed writing it as much as they enjoyed reading.   I did the same with my weekly coffee group as a new mother.  We didn’t need a monthly newsletter but it seems I needed to write one.  It seemed to be part of my territory.

Then came scrapbooking.  Like others, I love sitting and playing with gorgeous product. (Who doesn’t!)  I love sculpting paper and creating something I can stand back and look at and think “Yeeeeeeeeeeeesss! I love this!!” (Well usually!)   Creative is good, but storytelling is where it is really at for me.  I go through each day and mentally note down conversations and inspiration-triggers that need remembering.  Those are the things that usually kick-start my pages.

As scrapbookers I think perhaps many of us are the same in this regard.  It seems we are driven to scrapbook by various things but for many of us the love of telling the story is paramount.  Some of us like to play with artistic product.  Some need time away from family or work pressures.  Some of us want to preserve photos in an archival way for those that follow in our footsteps.   For lots of us though, it’s our voice we want to preserve.

Next time you are stuck for inspiration for a page, think of the stories in your mind.  You’d have dozens of tales if you recorded your day as a series of stories.  Grab one of them from the recesses in your mind and write it down.   Photos, paper and embellishments will soon follow quickly behind. 

Want to learn more about Nic?  Check out her blog and her book That’s Life. (By the way, we're runnning a Launch Celebration special in the mycraftivity store: Save 30% on any purchase through March 25th).  To see more of her fabulous art in Show it Off!, pick up the book. 

And don't forget to enter our giveaway to win a free copy of Show it Off! To enter, visit my Monday post by noon (eastern time) this Friday.