Of layouts and teaching and my home town...

I've realised that I hardly ever post my scrapbooking on here...except for a couple of beginners' classes...and that's because nearly everything I do is for upcoming events (and I don't think it's fair for Scrappers Unlimited delegates to have their classes shown for all to see when they've paid good money to take the class...until the class is done and dusted, as it were). And the classes from this weekend are no exception. But I just wanted to say that I do scrapbook!!! But no one ever sees recent layouts unless they're coming to a seminar or retreat! I'll post some soon!


Anyway, Julia and I put together a design seminar for this weekend which I am so proud of! We looked at design from all sorts of sources, discussed what design was, and how it applied to scrapbooking, and then created some layouts that applied the principles. The ladies even had homework to do beforehand and challenges to do when they got home (which I shall publish if they send in their layouts as they said they would). I had some fabulous comments from the ladies at the end of the day about how much they'd learnt and how inspired they were to create their own pages, and that is what it's all about for me. I just love teaching and I get a huge thrill knowing
that people have actually learnt something and can be better at doing this hobby (or anything else I happen to be teaching!). There were some real talents at that seminar yesterday too and I hope they take all the design ideas we've given them and send off their pages to magazines and get published all over the place. That would make my day! {Pictures: Roo with her cool design inspiration collage. Julia teaching one of her classes. The lovely Lorraine and Erica from The Scrap Cafe}

Julia and I also taught two Year 5 classes and two Year 6 classes at Arborfield Junior School on Friday. Knackered! But the children really enjoyed what they were doing. I just hate that we have to do it all in such a rush to squeeze them all in. I wish I could just sit with one or two classes only for a whole day and do something that was really fantastic. They were pleased with their layouts (a 'portrait' of themselves) but I just know they're capable of more and it's a bit frustrating. Julia was on chief stamping duty, and her hands were absolutely covered in black ink by the end of each session (not to mention my stamps!!)...children are messy little beggars - LOL! But it was just great being in a class of juniors again. I love them (especially Year 6...they crack me up!).

It was fab being in Reading for a couple of days too. It's home. I just feel like I belong when I'm there. Don't get me wrong...I love living in Wales - I love our house which we could never have afforded in Berkshire, and I've made some friends here who I love very much and with whom I have a great time, and I love being able to be on the beach or in the mountains within 20 minutes. But I just 'get' people in 'my' part of Britain. I feel like I'm truly 'me' there. And I feel comfortable and enjoy knowing how to get everywhere. The seminar yesterday was in conjunction with a scrapping business called The Scrap Cafe (http://www.thescrapcafe.co.uk/). Although I only met the owners, Erica and Lorraine, in January, and didn't know them before I moved, we know mutual people and chat about them. And Julia and I were in Waitrose in Caversham on Friday evening, and I ran in to my old next door neighbour's parents and got chatting. I don't bump into people I know in the supermarket here even a quarter as much as I did at home. It doesn't reaaaaaaally matter, but it does give you that sense of belonging. History. Years and years of history.

But. I love my life here. I just want to reiterate that.

Anyway...the next seminar in Reading is on 24 June. We'll be teaching the design seminar we taught yesterday in the Cardiff area in the near future too. Exciting stuff!