First tries...

I can remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting at my desk, a couple of sheets of patterned paper and cardstock, a few packages of embellishments, some paint, glue, an eyelet setter, and a picture of my daughter's first visit to Santa Claus at my side. It was before I became totally addicted to this hobby... before my hobby required its own room in my house. That little stack on the side of my desk was just about all of the scrapbooking supplies I had to my name. And, to be honest, at that time, I wasn't really sure I would even like this hobby.

A few of my stamping and altered book friends kept trying to convince me to try scrapbooking. But, all I could picture when the word "scrapbooking" came to mind were cheesy die cuts, silly stickers, and some photos that were punched into various shapes. Then, one day, I wandered into a scrapbooking store full of more product than I could possibly imagine. It wasn't just die cuts, stickers, and construction paper. There was a whole world of possibilities! It was all I could do not to buy one of everything in the store. But, I carefully selected a few packages of odds and ends, some papers that I liked, and off I went.

Those supplies sat in my plastic Iris cart for months. Every time I pulled out a sheet of 12x12 paper, I was totally overwhelmed. Where would I begin? That square foot of space seemed nearly impossible to fill. I was totally intimidated. And, every time, I would just end up putting my supplies back in the drawer... completely unused.

Then, we moved... all the way from Alaska to Texas. And, we drove that whole way. Before we left, I stocked up on a few scrapbooking magazines, and devoured each and every one of them throughout that trip. I was left feeling completely inspired! As soon as we got settled into our new house, I couldn't wait to get started on actually sticking something down on those expansive sheets of 12x12 paper. With ideas spinning all around in my head, I just sat down one day and did it. I made my first page. And, I loved it! That was the start of my addiction, and I've never looked back since.

So, I thought it would be fun if we all shared our first pages. I'll show you mine... if you show me yours. Deal? Deal. Don't be shy. We all had to start somewhere. And, to reward your bravery, there's a sweet little something in it for you. How about a nice little package from Label Tulip full of some of the latest goodies off the CHA showroom floor? Sounds good, right? All you have to do is post a link to your first page in the comments here. I don't care if it's in a gallery, or in your Flickr account. Just post it up! Everyone that shares will be entered to win the RAK that Cindee and Cathy were so kind to put together for us!

So, without further ado, here's my first page...



Now, it's your turn! You have until 11:59 pm PST on Saturday to post the links. I'll be back on Sunday to announce a winner, and here's a picture of the goods that lucky winner will receive...



Now, get to linkin'! ;0)

xo,
Holly