Get to know Sarah Brown…
Your Name: Sarah Brown
Where you live: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Your most commonly used username in the scrapbooking word: sarahbhb
Blog URL: http://chaosensues.typepad.com
Your Twitter ID: sarahbhb
Please tell us a little about yourself, your family, your background… I’ve been married for 11 years and have a 10-year-old daughter. I was homeschooled as a teenager and have homeschooled my daughter since kindergarten. Before that I worked in a children’s library and before that I worked in professional theater.
How did you become a scrapbooker or memory-keeper? When I started college my grandma bought me one of those huge old-time scrapbooks and I spent the next four years pasting all sorts of things to those pages. I didn’t really do any other scrapbooking until after I got married. My husband gave me a gift certificate for supplies as a gift because he knew it was something I was interested in. I struggled through a couple of pages and then gave up until after our daughter turned one. I decided I wanted to make each set of her grandparents a baby’s first year book, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
How would you describe your scrapbooking style? I’m a paper turned digital scrapbooker and have maintained the same sort of style. I’m a fairly simple scrapper, using mostly paper and photos with just a few embellishments.
When do you scrapbook? How much time do you spend on this activity during a typical week? I typically scrapbook in the afternoon after my daughter is finished with her schoolwork or late at night after everyone else has gone to bed. I usually spend about 5-10 hours a week scrapbooking.
What is your favorite way to capture the journaling part of your scrapbooking? I take copious amounts of notes and then hardly ever use them, but I think by writing it down in the first place it helps me remember when it comes time to journal on my pages. Occasionally I’ll go back to my notes if I’m having writer’s block and the words just aren’t flowing.
What story from the past do you most wish had been documented so you and/or your family could enjoy it now? I would love to know more about how my family immigrated to the United States. I have ancestors that immigrated in the 20th century and I have ancestors that have been here since pre-revolutionary time. I would love to be able to compare those stories.
What is your favorite source of scrapbooking or design inspiration? Oh gosh…I get ideas from everywhere. I love going through the galleries; I have a binder full of ideas that I cut out of magazines. I love a challenge, sometimes it’s a journaling prompt, a sketch or template, or even just an item from a scrapbook kit.
What is your favorite part of scrapbooking/memory-keeping? I love the reflection, going through photos and conjuring up memories.
What do you find the most challenging about scrapbooking/memory-keeping? Organization, finding what I want when I want it. This was true when I was a paper scrapper and is still true as a digi scrapper.
How has your scrapbooking changed since you first started? (or has it?) When I started, scrapbooking to me was a neat way to showcase my photos. In the last few years however, it’s become more about telling a story. I create a lot of photo-less layouts when I have a story to tell and have no photos.
Please share one piece of advice on how to capture everyday real life memories for others new to scrapbooking and/or memory-keeping… Make an attempt to take a photo everyday. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two (or even a month) but try to make it a habit. I’ve never successfully completed Project 365, but in my various attempts over the past few years, I have captured so many memories that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought to record.
About Sarah Brown