Hi! I am Sheryl Gibson (disneysheryl65 around here) and have always loved Disney. In 1998, my husband and I took my son for his first trip when he was 4 years old. Well, now he is 21, and we still go just about every year. It is our special place together (along with millions of others – hee hee) and to this day every trip is joyful and full of family traditions and memories.
In 2000, I discovered the art of scrapbooking. I had always taken lots of pictures and put them into albums. A friend took me to a Creative Memories home show and I was hooked immediately. I love arts and crafts, but never felt I had any real ability in that arena. My sister was an art major and I thought she got all of the family talents! Scrapbooking was the perfect way for me to feel artistic. My sister and I worked on a book for my mom and dad’s 40th wedding anniversary and we both loved it so much we both became Creative Memories (CM) consultants. When CM introduced digital scrapbooking, I was a bit skeptical, after all, the joy I found in scrapping was the art part. How would I fulfill those needs on a computer? Well, after some tentative tries, I realized that my creativity actually grew with all of the options in sizing, coloring and effects. Not to mention the fact that a digital book takes up far less space than the 50+ monster traditional style books stacked on shelves around my house!
Skip forward to summer 2013. CM consultants received the news that the company will be shutting down operations including the digital scrapbook software and support. I was devastated. I didn’t know anything else. I began to search for ways to continue with my hobby (passion, really) without CM. During this time is when I discovered MouseScrappers (MS). I was floored. Previous to this time, I didn’t really even know there was so much digital content out there, and most importantly, Disney related content! (Cue angelic music and bright shining lights.)
And so began a new journey for me in digital scrapbooking. So many wonderful things have happened:
1- I have learned so many new techniques and creative things to do on my pages. I had never made a cluster or used paint or layering before. I used to strictly fill in a template, put a few stickers on and journal the page. I feel even more creative than ever thanks to the MS community.
2- I’ve made new friends. The MS community is so generous and helpful and fun! I never really thought about being able to build relationships and connections through a website before joining MS.
3- The connections I’ve made have allowed me to spread my wings and venture to apply for some creative teams, and guess what? They accepted me. This just expanded my friendships and love for the craft! I’ve even started a blog! If you knew how hilarious that would have sounded to me a couple of years ago….
4- MS has introduced me to some amazing designers. Not just because their work is so great (it is), but because these women are so supportive and generous to sponsor this website and its many fun challenges and events.
5 – I am getting pages done!!! By completing weekly challenges, speeds scraps and participating in Project 2015, I am completing 3-5 pages on a weekly basis! That is the icing on the cake!
I want to thank Carol for inviting me to post a guest blog on MouseScrappers and for all of the wonderful work she and her team put into keeping this site running! I hope that my story will inspire others out there to get involved with this community. I promise you won’t be sorry! If this old dog can learn so many new tricks, I know you can! Just for fun – here’s a before and after to show you how my style has grown.
c. 2008 – Creative Memories predesigned page, Jewel Power Palette (no embellishments, no frames, pretty plain, huh?)
July 2015 – Kellybell That Covers It template vol. 2 #2, Go for Launch, Reflections of China, White and Silver alpha; Journal card from Bella Gypsy Snap Happy May; turkey leg from Scrappy Bee picnic blog train.