Thank Goodness For...

On a lighter note, what are we thankful for as scrappers? Certainly we are thankful for our photos, because without them our scrapbooks would be merely journals. We are thankful for photogenic people, those who can hold a natural-looking smile long enough for us to get the angle and lighting just right. We are thankful for children who are willing to hold their silly gesture long enough for us to get the camera. We are especially thankful when those children allow us to comb their hair before a photo and let us help them choose their clothing. We are thankful for clear fall days when the sky is blue, the leaves are colorful, and the light is behind us. We are thankful for digital cameras and spare batteries, so that we can take 50 photos in the hopes of getting the perfect one. Of course, we are also thankful for the friends and family members who put up with us while we are taking those 50 photos.

We are thankful for trained husbands, those who have finally learned to take the right photo when we are not there. The other day my son had his first-ever homework assignment on a day that I was working late. When I got home, my husband proudly announced that he had taken a picture of our son doing his homework.

We are thankful for husbands who have learned how to buy us scrapbook supplies (or gift certificates) for our birthdays and who put up with our scrap stuff around the house. I have heard of scrappers who have their own scrap-space or even a dedicated scrap room. As a dining-room-table scrapper, I can only imagine how thankful those scrappers must be when they are peacefully sitting there in their dedicated scrap space. As a scrapper who needs to vacate my space whenever guests show up, I am particularly thankful for moveable storage such as my large rolling tote.

I have also heard of scrappers with electronic die-cut machines such as the Cricut. I assume that those who have them must also be particularly thankful. As someone who still hand-cuts titles using a craft knife, and not very well I might add, I can tell you that you should be thankful for being able to pack away your knife. Although, perhaps I am even a bit thankful for my little craft knife because it is better than the scissor that I previously used to cut those titles.

We are thankful for the new paper collections that are rolled out every season. We are thankful for our favorite brands of paper with wonderful new patterns and we thankful for new brands that we have never seen before. We are thankful for the matching embellishments, such as flowers, ribbons and buttons, that some of these manufacturers have been so kind to design for us. Personally, I am thankful for double-sided patterned papers from Fancy Pants Designs and for Daisy D's Autumn collection.

I am very thankful for my collection of adhesives. After all, how could I ever line up a piece of paper without the repositionable tape from my tape roller? I am very thankful to have multiple sizes of glue dots, dimensional glue, and Mod Podge so that I can attach any size embellishment to any scrapbook page or altered item.

After several years of using them, I am still thankful for the invention of acrylic stamps. I love these stamps that stamp so accurately and are so easy to store. I am thankful that many more companies are making them and there are a wider variety of acrylic stamps from which to choose. From alphabets to flourishes to journaling boxes to flowers to fake stitches, I am very thankful for the variety of acrylic stamps now available. I am also thankful for the black ink that stains those acrylic stamps so that I can find even the smallest letters when I drop them on the floor.

We are thankful that scrap trends rotate and what's old becomes new again. We are very thankful that scallops and other decorative edges have come back in style and we can use our decorative scissors again. After all, we knew there was some reason we didn't throw them out.

As we sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, we are thankful for so much. This year, as you look around your table, take some pictures of those things you are thankful for. Then, hand the camera to someone else and have them take a picture of you. Using the supplies that you are so thankful to have, create a page of you at your own Thanksgiving dinner. One day, someone else will be very thankful that you did.

Visit the Scrapjazz Theme Store for Thanksgiving Scrapbook supplies and inspiration.