The Joys of Childhood

Fall reminds me of the start of school, jumping in leaf piles, trick-or-treating and giant Thanksgiving dinners. All times which involve fond childhood memories. Within all of these experiences, I can pinpoint specific instances that stand out. It is as if I can close my eyes and go back. As a mom, I love to provide my own children with similar experiences. When we are in the middle of it all, I will stop and share stories about how I felt or what I learned when I was young. Being nostalgic with them makes me want to put those stories down on paper. I can’t think of a better way to accomplish this than to create scrapbooking layouts! Want to join me?

There are an endless number of categories you can think of to spark an idea regarding your childhood, ideas that stretch far beyond the season. What was your favorite food, toy, hobby, book or song? How about animals? Do you remember a particular trip to the zoo, a hunting trip, or a beloved pet? You can always try clothes on for size. I once rocked out a white winter jacket that was covered in Tahiti motifs including palm trees and suns. Did you have a favorite dress or a cherished piece of jewelry? Make a list of ten categories and let your mind travel back into time. I bet you will find triple that amount of ideas under each category to bring to your next page.

The layouts below show perfect examples of such categorization. People, places, things are all documented in fun and creative pages.

Found by Tina Cloer

Supplies: Paper: Studio Calico, Crate Paper, Echo Park Paper, Sassafras Lass, Alphabet Stickers: My Mind's Eye, Chipboard: October Afternoon, Rub-Ons: Studio Calico, Pen: Signo . Tools: Scissors: Tim Holtz, Label Maker: Dymo.

Design Notes: This was a "feel good" layout for me. Like many scrappers, I don't scrap myself very often, but I enjoyed making this one. The picture that I scrapped brings back happy childhood memories for me. I made this layout the day after I found the lost picture, while my thoughts about it were fresh and to make sure that it was never lost again. I'm a big fan of my Dymo, so I used it to add some visual interest to my handwritten journaling. Actually, I've loved my Dymo so much that I wore it out, the "a" doesn't work anymore, so I cheated and hand wrote them in with my white Signo (Uniball) pen.

Journaling: This has always been my favorite picture of myself from my childhood. I'm wearing my Dad's work uniform from Borden's Dairy, which was where he worked when I was little. I remember going to work with him a couple of times. He drove a truck that delivered ice cream to various grocery stores around town. When I went with him, everyone was always nice to me and I enjoyed getting to spend time alone with my Dad. This picture had been missing for a couple of years and I thought it was lost for good. I was so happy when it fell out of a photo album recently when I was cleaning. I know I'll always have the memory, but I'm really glad to have the picture back.

Childhood Days by Nikki Hawkins

Digital Supplies: Kit: Whimsicality by Jenn Barrette, Alphabet: Happy Days Alpha by Fee Jardine, Template: Cindy's Layered Templates - Set 88 by Cindy Schneider, Stitches: Bad Sewing Machine XXVIII: Don't Be A Square 5 by Traci Reed, Alphabet: Alphabites Typewriter Keys by Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Doll and Bear by Dani Mogstad from Just Stay Little, Fonts: DJB Fonts: Mary Magpie by Darcy Baldwin (All by Sweet Shoppe Designs), Software: PSP X2.

Design Notes: I knew I wanted this layout to have a vintage toy feel, but to also convey the time period of the seventies. I think using the shabby papers and elements accomplished that.

Journaling: These are just a few of the toys of my childhood. My sister Lisa and I owned just about everything ever sold by Fisher Price. We absolutely loved our Little People sets and I even still have some of them today…simpler toys that remind me of a much simpler time.

Adventure is Just a Page Away by Miranda Wedekind

Supplies: Paper, Stickers: October Afternoon, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Flowers: Cosmo Cricket, Pearls: Viva decor Pearl Pen, Ink: Versamark, Sketch: Sketchabilities (#52), Other: library card, buttons, ribbon, lace.

Design Notes: Flowers are made with Glubers from Cosmo Cricket.

Journaling: From the moment I could read myself, I was addicted to books. Every free moment I was reading. I went to the library as often as I could, mostly every Wednesday and Saturday because you could only borrow 3 books at a time. If I could I would ask for books as a present too. When we went on holiday, I started reading in the car. Often I had my first book finished before we were on our destination. I loved it!